Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
soy sauce, vinegar or chilli (or a mix of all). You can normally get a bowl of noodles any-
where for around ¥10; shāguō mǐxiàn is a particularly tasty form of rice noodles cooked in a
clay pot. Chǎomiàn (fried noodles) and dàn chǎofàn (egg fried rice) are not as popular as in
the West, but you can get them in many Chinese and backpacker restaurants.
You can get decent breakfasts of yoghurt, muesli and toast at backpacker hotels in
Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse, but elsewhere you are more likely to find Chinese-style
dumplings, fried bread sticks ( yóutiáo ) and tasteless rice porridge ( xīfàn ). One good
breakfast-type food that is widely available is scrambled eggs and tomato (fānqié chǎodàn) .
MUSLIM
The Muslim restaurants found in almost all urban centres in Tibet are an interesting altern-
ative to Chinese or Tibetan food. They are normally recognisable by a green flag hanging
outside or Arabic script on the restaurant sign. Most chefs come from the Línxià area of
Gānsù. The food is based on noodles, and, of course, there's no pork.
Dishes worth trying include gānbànmiàn, a kind of stir-fried spaghetti bolognaise made
with beef (or yak) and sometimes green peppers; and chǎomiànpiàn, fried noodle squares
with meat and vegetables. Xīnjiāng bànmiàn (Xīnjiāng noodles) are similar, but the sauce
comes in a separate bowl, to be poured over the noodles. It's fun to go into the kitchen and
see your noodles being handmade on the spot.
Muslim restaurants also offer good breads and excellent bā bǎo chá (eight treasure tea),
which is made with dried raisins, plums and rock sugar, and only releases its true flavour
after several cups.
SELF-CATERING
There will likely be a time somewhere on your trip when you'll need to be self-sufficient,
whether you're staying overnight at a monastery or are caught between towns on an over-
land trip. Unless you have a stove, your main saviour will be instant noodles. Vegetables
such as onions, carrots and bok choy (even seaweed and pickled vegetables) can save
even the cheapest pack of noodles from culinary oblivion, as can a packet of mixed spices
brought from home.
It's a good idea to stock up on instant coffee (or ground coffee and a French press), tea,
oats, hot chocolate and dried soups, as flasks of boiling water are offered in every hotel and
restaurant.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search