Xuanhua Oil Dough Dumplings

Last updated 2026-11-08 — Xuanhua, as a district of Zhangjiakou, is not very large, but its streets are quaint. Cars weave through Gulou Street, lined with Ming Dynasty architecture — gray city walls, brick-paved roads, long streets with old trees and vintage storefronts — offering a charm quite distinct from the bustling urban landscape of Beijing. We arrived at a restaurant grandly named “Coarse Grain Restaurant,” spotlessly clean. Sitting by the window, an ancient urban scene unfolded before us. While chatting, a bubbling “Zhangbei Lamb Hotpot,” a generous plate of “stir-fried mushroom cubes,” and four steaming baskets of oil dough dumplings were served. I took a closer look — the dumplings in the basket were truly lovely, hand-pinched with four holes facing upward, resembling the mouth of a pomegranate, crystal clear and fragrant. The server then brought out the dipping sauce. At the sight of it, I couldn’t help but exclaim in praise: cubes of lamb, mushrooms, and daylily buds bound in a savory broth, truly appetizing. As someone from Beijing, faced with such a distinctive and flavorful snack, I could only indulge. Picking up an oil dough dumpling and dipping it in the mushroom sauce, I took a bite — crispy, refreshing, savory, and chewy. Section Chief Li eagerly explained, “Oil dough is a great food — nourishing, spleen-strengthening, and energizing. Mushrooms are practically vegetable meat, and eating them regularly can help prevent cancer. Xuanhua makes all kinds of oil dough dishes — cat’s ear noodles, steamed fish-shaped noodles, scalded dough dumplings — each one delicious. But there’s one downside: you can only eat until you’re about 60% full.”