A Place You Won't Want to Leave Once You Visit – Dunhuang Night Market

After arriving at Dunhuang Night Market, I was pleasantly surprised.

There was a dazzling array of all kinds of delicious foods, and the prices were so attractive

that you couldn't help but say, "Left hand lamb skewer, right hand sweet fermented barley drink."

Now, let me sort out for you

the foods that will make you go "wow" after eating them.

First, let me introduce

the braised lamb and noodle cake (Hu Yang Men Bing) – its flavor is very rich. Considering that everyone has different tastes, besides lamb, there are also chicken and spare rib options! You can choose for yourself. I also learned a very interesting story from the boss: Men Bing is one of the most important dishes for entertaining guests in Dunhuang. According to local custom, if you are courting a Dunhuang girl and you visit her family for the first time, if her father treats you to "Men Bingzi," then your relationship is basically settled.

After returning, I also did some homework and learned: In ancient times, Dunhuang was the first major town on the Silk Road entering the Western Regions and an important hub connecting the Central Plains with the Western Regions over the centuries. The people here, together with the ethnic minorities of the Western Regions, were collectively called the "Hu people." Especially since the Sui and Tang dynasties, Han culture and Hu culture (ethnic minorities) merged, giving rise to many local specialty foods. Men Bing became a typical representative of Dunhuang's culinary culture development, named after the evolution of the Hu people's dietary practices. The stewed lamb and flatbread together created a delicious dish, one of Dunhuang's unique folk snacks.

Dunhuang Bo Geda (hand-pulled dough pieces) is a staple food. According to records in the Dunhuang Library Cave documents, people were eating Bo Geda as early as the Tang and Five Dynasties periods. Today, Bo Geda is a widely popular folk food in the Dunhuang region. Actually, the preparation method is simple and easy to learn, making it a favorite staple of Dunhuang locals. You can eat it here. And there is the down-to-earth standard trio for eating Bo Geda in Dunhuang: pickled vegetables, oil-splashed garlic, and red chili peppers.

One of the "Eight Strange Things in Dunhuang" is "Donkey meat yellow noodles pulled outside the door." The noodle master, like a magician, pulls the dough into dragon-whisker-thin noodles, topped with a specially prepared sauce, and with a few slices of donkey meat – this is roughly what heaven's delicacy tastes like!

After eating noodles here, you certainly can't miss the grilled meat. Large skewers of tamarisk-branch lamb kebabs sizzle on the grill, releasing the aroma of oil in an instant, drawing you irresistibly toward the scent.

Why are they called "tamarisk-branch lamb kebabs"? Because the skewers are made from tamarisk twigs. Each tamarisk twig is carefully selected, and one end is sharpened to thread the meat. There is a good reason for choosing tamarisk as the skewer material. When the tamarisk twigs, threaded with lamb, are grilled over charcoal, the vitamin-rich oils inside the tamarisk flow out and seep into the lamb, not only adding nutrients but also making the meat more delicious with a unique herbal fragrance.

The hot pot lamb (Kang Guo Yang Rou) contains lamb, potato slices, halal flatbread, and wide vermicelli. These four ingredients blend together: the flatbread is crispy, the potatoes are soft, the wide vermicelli is juicy, and the lamb is tender yet chewy – perfect!

After eating the grilled meat, there are summer desserts to cool and beautify you!

The refreshing and cooling tremella soup is nutritious, delicious, and healthy – it's truly an essential dessert to cleanse your palate after eating grilled meat at the night market!

The fragrant and chewy glutinous rice, after soaking and steaming, becomes soft, sticky, and sweet. Combined with nutrient-rich red dates, and when served with a drizzle of honey-infused sauce, it becomes even more sweet and clear, making life feel sweet and delightful!

Bamboo tube zongzi is made from black rice, offering a different flavor from red date zongzi! The fragrance of the bamboo tube enhances the rice's clarity and elegance – it's a delicacy you shouldn't miss!

It is one of Dunhuang's traditional folk snacks. The raw material is top-quality glutinous rice, hence the beautiful name "jing gao" (fine cake). Its taste is soft, sticky, and perfectly sweet with fragrant honey. It has become a favorite food for all ages among the people.

In the preparation of jing gao, the glutinous rice, bamboo leaves, and red dates need to be soaked in advance. After washing, the bamboo leaves are spread in a special mold, then layers of glutinous rice and red dates are filled alternately, wrapped tightly with bamboo leaves, and steamed for several hours. After cooling, it is removed, cut into pieces on a chopping board, and placed on a plate. It is sprinkled with white sugar and drizzled with honey sauce. The aroma of glutinous rice, red dates, and bamboo leaves lingers in your mouth and leaves a long-lasting aftertaste.

What are the ingredients in stir-fried lamb offal (Bao Chao Yang Za)? Let me tell you: lamb offal includes lamb liver, lamb heart, lamb lung, and lamb stomach. The stir-fry also contains onions, chili peppers, scallions, ginger, garlic, etc. You can tell the chef your preferred taste directly, and they will make it according to your liking!

As the saying goes, "Food is the first necessity of the people." At the night market, all kinds of delicious foods are certainly indispensable! At this Dunhuang Night Market full of delicacies, surrounded by brilliant lights reminiscent of the lantern festivals of the Han and Tang dynasties, how could you not taste the various foods? Especially the stir-fried lamb offal, which is perfect in color, aroma, and taste!

Spicy lamb trotters (Hu La Yang Ti) – the lamb trotters refer to the four feet of a sheep, commonly known as sheep's feet. Lamb trotters are rich in collagen, which is good for beauty!

Liang Pi (cold noodle jelly) is one of Dunhuang's famous local snacks. It is tasty, refreshing, soft, and smooth – both refreshing and appetizing. There are many ways to eat Liang Pi: it can be a main dish or simply a side dish. It is also a kind of "fast food"; order a portion at the shop, and it arrives at your table in one or two minutes. The toppings – chili oil, vinegar, minced garlic, soy sauce, mustard, etc. – stimulate your taste buds. It is truly colorful, with rich sauce and full ingredients, fragrant and cooling. In the hot summer, if you can eat a plate of Liang Pi, you will immediately feel cool and refreshed. Not only does it boost your appetite, but it is also an indispensable food in life.

Another delicacy comparable to Liang Pi is bean jelly (Liang Fen)! It is white, crystal clear, tender, and smooth. Paired with local-style mustard, garlic, chili, and vinegar, it is a very unique local snack that can be enjoyed all year round.

Alright, that's all for today's food introduction! You can start moving your little feet now. On the other end of the screen, can you smell the smoky aroma of grilled meat? The sweet fragrance of tremella soup? Why not sit down, order a few skewers of grilled meat, drink a glass of ice-cold beer, and leisurely enjoy the nightlife of this small city!