You no longer have to travel all the way to Pingyao to enjoy Shanxi food in a rustic setting. Jin Feng Zhuangyuan and Qiao Jia Dayuan, two relatively new restaurants on the nearby outskirts of downtown Beijing, sell Shanxi dishes and handmade noodles in traditional courtyard houses. And Jin Feng extends its menu to include the cuisines of neighboring Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia.

The first page of the traditionally-bound menu at Qiao Jia boasts that it specializes in “World class noodles, only in Shanxi." This is no empty statement, and it applies to both establishments.

The name daoxiao mian (刀削面), or knife-shaved noodles, refers to the way the noodles are prepared. The cook holds a large ball of dough in his left hand and with a knife deftly and quickly slices shavings of dough into a large pot of boiling water.

The noodles are fantastic--chewy and doughy--and they come with one of the following sauces: xiao dun rou lu (braised meat in aromatic broth), xibei zhajiang (northwestern style bean paste sauce), yuantang niurou (beef broth), yangrou shaozi (lamb broth), xihongshi jidan (scrambled egg with tomatoes), or suancai doufu lu (pickled vegetables and beancurd sauce).

Kongzhong jiu pian (空中揪片), or flying through the air noodle pieces, are snipped from a ball of dough and fly through the air before dropping precisely into a huge cauldron of boiling water.

Yigen mian (一根面) is actually one very long strand of noodle that fills up your whole bowl. A coil of noodle dough is soaked in oil and is then stretched. The chef pulls the long strand of noodle out in long strands, and when it reaches the right length, it is pinched off from the coil.

In making zhuanpan tijian (转盘剔尖) a flat piece of dough is placed on a round board and the chef makes the noodle by shaving the edge of the dough with the tip of a chopstick while turning the board around.

Cha gedou (槎疙蚪) is a grated type of noodle, usually made from hongmian, a type of sorghum flour. Meanwhile, helao ( 河涝) is made from buckwheat using a special noodle presser.

I was never impressed with youmian kao laolao (悠面栲栳栳) until I had it at Jin Feng. This honeycomb-like noodle dish, made from naked oat flour, is cooked in a bamboo steamer. It was deliciously chewy at Jin Feng Zhuangyuan. There are several dipping sauces to choose from, but what I liked best was the tasty lamb broth with diced potatoes and carrots.

The home made beancurd at Jin Feng is also exceptionally delicious, with a slightly smoked flavor. The beancurd here is made using an old Shanxi recipe. The smell of the boiling soya bean filling the adjacent workshop was very inviting.

This is a great place to take visitors from back home. Jin Feng Zhuangyuan and Qiao Jia Dayuan are both set up in a typical cave style courtyard house evocative of Shanxi a century ago. Visitors to Qiao Jia are greeted by the beating of a Shanxi drum. Both have a screen wall at the entrance, and a stage for performances inside the courtyard. The latticed windows are adorned with bright red papercuts that enliven the atmosphere.

The counter at both places feature an oversized abacus, a reminder of the heyday of Shanxi in the early 19th century, when merchants from the province set up China's first banks. In those early days, bank notes were issued in lieu of silver ingots and money was sent around the world.

You can watch the noodles being sliced, nipped and hand-stretched right in the middle of the restaurant. Folk artists are also on hand to make paper cuts and dough figurines in the dining area at Qiao Jia Dayuan. The black vinegar that made Shanxi famous is on sale here and comes in small bottles with a paper wrapper tied around the mouth with a red ribbon for 5 yuan. This is available at the stall outside the restaurant.

I was told that folk singers also sing Shanxi folk ballads in which the women long for the quick return of their men who have left home in search of fortune. Unfortunately, during my visits to both restaurants karaoke ballads were the only ones to be heard.

Nooldes selection

刀削面 daoxiao mian
空中揪片 kongzhong jiu pian
一根面 yigen mian
转盘剔尖 zhuanpan tijian
槎疙蚪 cha gedou

河涝 helao
悠面栲栳栳 youmian kao laolao
with a choice of the following sauce:
小炖卤肉 xiaodun lurou,braised meat in aromatic broth
西北炸酱 xibei zhajiang, north western style bean paste sauce
原汤牛肉 yuantang niurou, beef broth
羊肉臊子 yangrou saozi, lamb broth
西红柿鸡蛋 xihongshi jidan, tomatoes and scrambled eggs
酸菜豆腐卤 suancai doufu lu, pickled vegetable and beancurd sauce

Recommend dishes for both restaurants:
黄米面炸糕 huangmi mian zhagao, fried sticky millet cake filled with red bean paste
玉米饼 yumi bing, corn-flour bread
鸡蛋煎饼 jidan jianbing, an excellent egg omelet layered with thin pancake sprinkled with chopped scallion.
雪菜春卷 xuecai chunjuan, egg rolls with ‘snow vegetable’
过油肉 guoyou rou, meat passing through oil
懒媳妇白菜 lan xifu baicai, or lazy wife’s cabbage
老婆婆酱烧茄子 lao popo jiang shao qie, granny’s braised eggplant
招待公社 zhaodai gongshe, serve the commune dish consists of beancurd slices, meatballs, boiled egg in aromatic broth (ludan) and braised streaky pork.

Qiao Jia Da Yuan
乔家大院
朝阳区 三台山路128号（南四环肖村桥往南1500米路东）
8760 0818

Jin Feng Zhuang Yuan
晋风庄园
朝阳区 三台山路19号
Tel: 8760 0298