Beijing cuisine goes beyond Peking duck

In Beijing, China's regional traditions all go into the pot

By Marty Meitus, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 5, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Photo by Ellen Jaskol/The Rocky

A hot pot in Beijing might have seafood and whatever fresh vegetables are available at the market that day.

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Even if you can't tell a balance beam from a flashlight beam, you're likely to catch the Olympics at some point over the next couple of weeks. And what better way to celebrate the games, which begin Friday, than with a Chinese feast that evokes the best of Beijing? As China's capital, Beijing has become a melting pot of regional Chinese cuisines, much like any cosmopolitan city. But the foods at the heart of the city's culture are deeply rooted in specific Northern traditions. Because of the North's harsh winters and hot summers, wheat - not rice - is grown here, leading to the noodles, pancakes and dumplings familiar to most Chinese-cuisine aficionados. The royal court was located in Beijing for centuries, which meant elaborate banquets with the best ingredients available. Because of the Mongolian influence, lamb is popular, but the best-known dish from Beijing is clearly Peking duck (Peking was the Western name for the city). So-called warming spices, such as ginger, as well as garlic and onions also are important to the cuisine. Here's a guide to some of the dishes common to Beijing. We had help from restaurateur and chef David Lee and his wife, Mei, of Chopsticks restaurant, at South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue.

Peking duck

Westerners tend to confuse Peking duck with another Chinese dish, the whole tea-smoked duck. Peking duck is prepared by blowing air between the skin and the meat before cooking to help render the fat, and the skin is glazed to turn it brown. The crispy golden skin is separated and sliced along with the meat and often eaten in a pancake, moo shu-style, with plum or hoisin sauce and scallions.

Noodles

Wheat noodles, as opposed to rice noodles, are part of the Northern cuisine and have always been a symbol of longevity. Noodle-making was once a treasured art in which the chef would swing the noodles into the air in a braid, stretching and wrapping the dough into strands. Few chefs still practice the art of noodling.

Bread

Breads take many forms in China -- from flat to fluffy, from bun to pancake. They were thought to originate in the Han Dynasty in 206 B.C. David Lee makes steamed puffy buns for dishes like duck. The buns are neat, hand-held pockets -- street-food style -- and are made with baking powder to achieve a light, airy texture.

Sweet-and-sour pork

Pork is king of meats in China, and Beijing is no exception. Sweet-and-sour dishes are part of the balance of flavors so important in Chinese cooking. The sweet, fruity pineapple- and tomato-based version of the sweet-and-sour pork dish originated in Canton. Beijing has its own less fruity version with green peppers and onions.

Pan-fried pot stickers

Probably the best-loved of Beijing cuisine, dumplings, especially pot stickers, began as part of the street-food culture. Pot stickers are steamed and browned on the bottom and filled with a simple mixture of pork, onions and ginger.

Hot pot

When Genghis Khan's ancestors arrived in Beijing, they brought along Mongolian favorites. In the famous hot pot, meat and vegetables are dipped in a pot of broth, just like fondue. Beijing also is influenced by the nearby Shandong province, where seafood is plentiful, so a hot pot might have seafood and whatever fresh vegetables are available at the market that day.

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