Life

Cooking up a storm in Beijing's markets

By Shannon Aitken (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-24 08:02

A man checks out potatoes at Dongjiao Market in Chaoyang district. Photo/China Daily

While eating out can sometimes seem just as cheap as cooking at home, we don't always know what additives are going into what we're eating. Thankfully, Beijing has a fantastic range of fresh-produce markets that not only make it healthier and affordable to cook at home, but which make shopping a whole lot of fun. Here are just a few of the best markets around town.

Chaonei Nanxiaojie Vegetable Market

Despite its convenience, this market is less known by Westerners than many of the other produce markets in Beijing.

A large, two-floor market, it stocks everything from fresh figs in summer to dried fruits, meat and eggs.

Where: Chaoyangmen Nanxiaojie, just south of the Chaoyangmen Police Station, Dongcheng district.

Open: 7 am-7 pm

Chongwenmen Market

This market is an old favorite with the locals in the surrounding areas, so be prepared to fight for the marketers' attention.

It stocks fresh meat, vegetables and noodles, but there are also bucket loads of dried foods, nuts and spices, as well as cooked food, to fuel up you while you shop.

Where: 1 Chongwenmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng district.

Open: 8 am-7 pm

Dayanglu Market

This large marketplace is one of Beijing's major wholesale produce markets.

It is divided into halls and hangars of specific produce, including vegetables, fruit, seafood, meat and seasonings, and even has a 45,000-cubic-meter cold-storage facility just for bananas.

Where: Zhouzhuang Lu (east of the Shilihe Bridge on the East Third Ring Road), Shibalidian, Chaoyang district.

Open: 7 am-5.30 pm

Tel: 6747-2596

Web: www.dylsc.com

Dongjiao Market

This expansive market offers everything a chef could want.

Starting at Xidawang Lu, it stretches east for about a kilometer out to the Fourth Ring Road. Most of the shops, however, are at the west end.

In addition to all your groceries - including hard-to-find favorites such as beetroot - you can also stock up on crockery, espresso machines, wine glasses, stationery, snow shovels and so much more.

Where: 12A Xidawang Lu, Chaoyang district (about 900 meters south of Shin Kong Place).

Open: 8.30 am-5 pm

Sanyuanli Market

Compared to many of the other fresh produce markets, this is quite small and only takes up one floor.

The quality of food, however, is excellent and it condenses the best of the other markets down to a relatively digestible number of options.

This is also the market of choice for many of Beijing's Western chefs, which means that some of the marketers have become hip to the foreign trade and upped their prices. Be sure to bargain when buying.

Where: Shunyuan Jie (opposite Jingkelong Supermarket), Chaoyang district.

Open: 5 am-7 pm

Xinfadi Market

This is more than just one market - it's a town of markets.

If you're after a quick shop, this is not the place. But if you love a day of strolling and making unexpected discoveries, then this is heaven.

With whole warehouses dedicated to particular produce - such as one just for mushrooms - this is wholesale at its best. Much of the produce is sold directly off the backs of the hundreds of trucks coming in from the countryside.

There is a massive fruit area, as well as a wonderful shop that just sells dried mushrooms from Fujian. Also check out the monstrous warehouse of pork and countless shops offering kitchen and restaurant supplies.

Where: Fengtai district, Nanyuan West Road (at the Xinfadi Bridge on the Jingkai Expressway).

Open: Varies depending on vendors