Jetsetting Foodistas | Beijing: Hiking in Chestnut Country

Hannah's Beijing Adventure

Jetsetting Foodistas: A Travelogue by Hannah
Part 1 of 3



For someone visiting Beijing for just a short while, there are hardly any opportunities to go outside the city to experience the countryside, apart from obvious places like the Summer Palace and Mu Tian Yu Great Wall. So when a friend I was staying with asked me if I would like to go hiking, I more than enthusiastically said yes.

Beijing Hikers was created out of a common passion for the outdoors. Run by a woman named Hui Jie, the sister of one of the original founders of Beijing Hikers, they offer hikes twice a week and in total have almost 50 different hiking trails under their belt. This continues to attract locals, expats, and in my case the occasional tourist. A few times a year, Hui Jie organizes an overnight hike, which is what we signed up for.

Our hike for that afternoon was called the Spring Valley Loop, which starts in the village of San Cha, and stretches over 12 kilometers of Beijing countryside. During one part of the hike, one will be able to come across the Qin Dynasy Great Wall, which was built using mud and stones over 2000 years ago. Another part of the hike brings you to a mountaintop where you will be able to stand at the intersection of three districts Changping, Yangqing, and Huairou.

After our 3.5 hour hike, we were welcomed at a local guest house, where a charming little courtyard leads to several private rooms. We were invited to help plant an old woman's newly acquired chestnut seedlings, the main source of income of the town. We were then hurried back to experience real Chinese homestyle cooking.

While the food was definitely authentic, it was beyond what constitutes as usual fare in the countryside. We began with several cold dishes, Tofu with Soy Sauce and Spring Onions, Wood Ear Mushroom Salad, and Jellied Pork.

The tofu was just freshly made, and very refreshing. The story that came from the kitchen is every day a man from town would come to San Cha on his bicycle, carrying a case of freshly made tofu. When the village people hear that he has come by the bell on his bicycle, they come out holding items for barter, in this case our hosts exchange their unroasted chestnuts for fresh tofu. The same goes for various items such as meat and other vegetables.The mushroom salad surprised me, not only because there we were sitting in 10 degree weather eating cold food, but because of the cook's use of wasabi which I didn't think even existed in these parts. The coriander and cucumber give the dish flavor and crunch. The savory gelatin was quite good (think cold gelatinous bulalo soup), and it would be good to note that jellied pork does not use gelatin or agar, but gets that way from the collagen that is extracted from slow cooking collagen rich parts of the pig (such as bones, ligaments, and tendons). I definitely didn't want to try this at first, but then decided that I would have to take one for the MF team this time, I wasn't disappointed!

Among some of the other dishes we had was the Chinese Homestyle Pork Stew with Potatoes, Sauteed Pork with Potato and Celery, Spring Onion Cake.

While we were out planting the chestnut trees, the little old lady we planted the trees for took the time to stand by a large and handsome looking tree and proudly proclaimed that the chestnuts we were to eat later came "from this tree".

So when the small unassuming dish had the chance to grace our table, the story and the images that preceded it made the meal all the more special. The Chestnut with Pork, was quite sweet even with the use of soy sauce, but i enjoyed eating the chestnuts very much, they were sweet and firm to the bite.


Next what came were the Battered Pepper Tree leaves. Straight out of a wok full of oil, these were very crunchy and had the faint taste of pepper. This was one of the more popular dishes of the night.

The pièce de résistance of the meal definitely had to be the Leek and Cabbage Dumplings, of which most was eagerly devoured. Dipped in black vinegar, the dumplings, with their piping hot egg and vegetable filling, were simple and homey. When most dumplings we have come to know are filled with all sorts of things, this dumpling is a reminder of simpler times.

If you were to ask me how I felt after this meal, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Or even how much I ate, since the order given to the kitchen was not to allow the plates to be emptied. So, when everyone was sitting around exclaiming how full they were, we glanced in amazement at the still full plates of food, making us think twice of whether we actually consumed anything. By the time we had finished eating, it was getting unbearably cold so our hosts exchanged some very fast Mandarin with the kitchen and they brought out what looked like some kind of broth.

Just as we were about to say we couldn't possibly eat anything else, our host explained to us that this was Hot Coke with Ginger, which is the chinese equivalent of hot cocoa. This is made by boiling coke with ginger and lemon, which removes the carbonation and creates somewhat of an all purpose cure. It tastes exactly as the name suggests, like flat coke with ginger and lemon, but it hits the spot and is a good finish to our more than complete meal.

After dinner what followed was a friendly game of Beijing Monopoly, which in the end started sounding like Battleship played among disgruntled army generals. And after a midnight snack of Nissin Seafood Cup Noodles, we went to sleep to prepare of the day ahead.

While we did not join the group for the hike on the following day, we did join everyone for a hearty breakfast. Complete with Whole Wheat Baguettes, Fried Peanuts, Sauteed Bamboo Shoots, Boiled Organic Eggs (you can tell they're good when they don't all look the same), White Bean Salad, and Millet Porridge.

We went back to the city a few pounds heavier than we arrived, albeit very happy with the outcome of the weekend. I guess my only regret is that I have yet to find something like this in the Philippines. But in a way, it will make me look forward to the next time I will have the chance to join in on another memorable hike.

To follow on this Jetsetting Foodistas series: The sushi that will "knock you out", a cozy little pizza nest, and the best italian takeout.

Reviewed by Hannah.
Photography by Hannah, Jisoo, and Mr. Lee.
Special Thanks to Hui Jie of Beijing Hikers.