In This City, You Can Eat a Different Breakfast Every Day for a Month | Breakfast Series: Xi'an

Hi everyone, I'm JJ. In this episode of our Breakfast Around China series, we're in Xi'an, the capital of Shanxi Province. Walking along the best-preserved city wall in all of China, you can really feel the weight of history. Two thousand years ago, this was the capital of the first unified dynasty, and that legacy is still alive today. Right beneath these massive walls lies one of the city's favorite spots for locals to relax and hang out. And just outside the South Gate, there's a market that has been around for centuries. Early in the morning, this market is always the best place to discover what the people of Xi'an love to eat for breakfast. The pork shank burger is one of Xi'an's most iconic treats. The shank is slow-cooked for three to four hours until it's so tender that it falls apart at the touch of a knife, with the tendons and collagen perfectly soft and silky. The shredded meat is drizzled with savory braising sauce and tucked inside a crisp, flaky bun. One bite, and I promise, this is a flavor that will linger in your memory long after you've finished it. This It's one of the few breakfast dishes in Xi'an that's light and not oily, which is why it's a longtime local favorite. The preparation actually starts the night before. It needs more than 10 hours of gentle steaming. During this long process, the sweetness and fragrance of the red dates slowly melt into the sticky rice and the mung beans below. Every grain becomes infused with that date aroma, sweet but never heavy. The mung beans turn soft and creamy, giving the whole cake a warm, comforting texture. In China, vendors who make intricate handmade dough treats rarely wear gloves. Gloves can stick to the dough, making it tricky to shape buns and pancakes, so going barehanded is just easier. You might find this a little off-putting, but it's actually fine. The vendors don't touch anything like cash or other non-food items while preparing the food. This isn't a light, simple soup. Flour is first toasted in beef tallow, then simmered with water, salt, and five-spice powder to create a rich, flavorful broth. Finally, a few kinds of crushed nuts are mixed in, adding extra texture and depth. How long have you been doing this? Two generations. Two generations? Yeah, my father was a... Oh, a non-physical cultural heritage. Yeah. He was too young. I got a license. Oh. You should have grown up. I should have. Yeah, I should have grown up. He was too young. Are these rose petals? Rose petals. These are rose petals. Rose petals are marinated in brown sugar. Oh, marinated in brown sugar. Yeah. The rose petals are washed, then dried, then marinated in brown sugar for at least a year. A year? Yeah, it's a must. That's a very good rose smell. That's a rose smell. It's a rose smell. It's a very fragrant rose smell. Yeah. It's all rose. No rose, no taste. The rose fragrance. Yeah. And the taste of brown sugar. Yeah. It's a very enjoyable feeling. It's like... It's like tea. Yeah. Oh. You can feel the rose fragrance. Eating this rose cake gives you a sense of urbanity. You have to put it in your mouth. Let's go. Hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute. There's a big fire over there. Oh, it's so hot. Dip it in the sauce. The chili is quite spicy. Now, let's try the rice noodles. Oh, this is steamed rice noodles. Let's try the rice noodles. Yeah. This must be good. This is the rice noodles soaked in the soup. It's more flavorful. Wow, it's good. Spicy, original, tomato salad. What flavor is it? I want a spicy one. This pot of rice noodles needs to be cooked for 15 minutes. Oh, okay. There's a fire in this pot. It's a little salty now. At least it's not too salty. It's not too salty. Yeah. At least it's not too salty. What flavor do you want? I want a spicy one. It's been more than an hour. Are you going to brush it inside? Yeah, I'm going to brush the sauce. Yeah, do you think it's spicy? It looks spicy. Try it. It's hot when it comes out of the pot. The fish is just out of the pot today. The meat inside is very tender. And the egg. I don't know what's on the outside. The sauce is very fragrant. As in our previous episode, we always end the video by introducing a local specialty noodle. And this time, it's easily the most visually striking one yet. It's called spinach noodles. Not a drop of water is used in the dough. Only freshly squeezed spinach juice. That's what gives the noodles their vibrant green color and a subtle fresh vegetable aroma with every bite. The fourth meal. Look at this big bowl. It's as big as your face. It's as big as my face. It's great inside. It's four kinds of beef jerky. It's the kind of beef jerky that's not spicy at all. And then tomato and egg. And then there's this braised pork. And then there's these potato and carrot and the tofu stew. And then there's their special spinach. Four in one. That's interesting. Very interesting. You can eat this place alone. In this way, you can eat up to 45 dishes. This tomato and egg. Does it taste like spinach? Yes, it tastes like spinach. Because this is made with spinach. Actually, I like to mix them all together. Mix the flavors. Start stirring. Come on. Feel this bowl. After mixing it, is it particularly appetizing? It's really delicious. It's made with that. Make the spinach juice. And then bring the spinach juice with some water to make the noodles. That's why it's in this color. So, even though it's made with spinach, it doesn't affect the texture of the noodles. It only adds the taste of spinach. The taste of spinach. And then the nutrients in the spinach. It's very good. So wise. Xi'an is widely recognized as a foodie paradise and the city that masters noodles like no other. You could enjoy its breakfast for a whole month and never have the same dish twice. We'll continue exploring more next time. See you then.