Xi'an, Shaanxi Province — documented food culture dating to the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE); one of China's oldest street foods
Rou jia mo: braised pork (or beef for Muslim version) stuffed inside a baked unleavened flatbread (mo). Called the 'Chinese burger' — the mo is cooked in a clay oven until crispy and slightly charred, then split and filled with generously portioned spiced braised meat. One of the oldest fast foods in the world, predating the modern burger by over 2,000 years.
Crispy, slightly charred bread with intensely spiced, juicy braised meat — the Silk Road's most satisfying street food
{"The mo must be baked in a clay oven (tan lu) or cast iron pan — oven-baked lacks the characteristic char","Pork (or beef) braised in a master braise with over 20 spices for minimum 3 hours","The meat must be juicy — it is minced finely and mixed with the braising liquid before filling","The mo is split but not separated — it is a pocket that contains the filling"}
{"Muslim (Hui) version: beef or lamb instead of pork; similar spice profile but no soy","Add fresh coriander and green chili to the filling for the street version (cui shuang version)","The mo should be eaten immediately — the steam from the filling softens the bread quickly"}
{"Dry filling — the braising liquid must be mixed into the minced meat","Baking the mo in a standard oven — misses the smoky char character","Using a single spice braise — the complexity of 20+ spices is essential"}
Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper — Fuchsia Dunlop