Hello Chinese Muslim food lovers! It’s time for our Chinese Muslim food link roundup! Hope you find the links as interesting as we do!

Mad for mala: how Singapore’s taste for halal Chinese food has taken off

“The halal food in Singapore is very different from Xinjiang. So, I decided to set up shop and introduce Xinjiang dishes to the Muslim community here,” the 48-year-old said. The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the westernmost part of China that is home to largely Muslim-minority Uygurs, is known for food that is distinct from the rest of the country, with dishes such as roasted mutton and the use of thick, fragrant spices.

Tan’s restaurant, Yi Zun Noodle, specialises in beef noodles, a popular dish in Xinjiang. When she first opened in 2017, 80 per cent of her customers were Muslim, but she has since seen a greater number of non-Muslim customers.

We are familiar with Yi Zun Noodle and we went there once before the lockdown began. They serve authentic Chinese Muslim cuisine, specifically the ones from Xinjiang province. Ever since then, we noticed there has been an increase of China-style Chinese Muslim restaurants opening up in Singapore.

So why is Singapore developing a taste for halal Chinese food? It could be like how it started out in Malaysia. About 10 years ago, it’s not as easy to find China-style Chinese Muslim restaurants in Malaysia. When Mee Tarik Warisan Asli came about and opened branches in various places, that’s when we saw more of such businesses opening up.

Related: [SG] Yizun Noodle, [MY] Mee Tarik Warisan Asli

Online Hari Raya bazaars to stay for now in Singapore

Associate professor Lim Beng Soon, from the School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences at Singapore University of Social Sciences, said virtual bazaars are the safest option given the pandemic.

He added virtual bazaars will help people stay connected with their favourite stallholders even after the bazaars end.

Assistant Professor of Arts and Culture Management at the Singapore Management University, Hoe Su Fern, said virtual modes of gathering make culture accessible to a wider population across and beyond Singapore, but argued that online bazaars can never be a replacement for physical ones.

She said: “The Hari Raya bazaar is more than just a marketplace. It is an accessible social space that brings various communities and cultures together.”

“If physical bazaars do not ultimately return and stay online, we lose an accessible and common touchpoint for shared experiences.”The best stall, in our opinion, is an unassuming unit named Kampong House Mini Wok, which serves halal-certified zi char at very wallet-friendly prices.

Another piece of news from Singapore. Apparently, the Hari Raya bazaars would be held online again this year. We found out about this earlier this year and at one point, we even thought that maybe Malaysia would follow suit. Because let’s face it, Covid-19 is still here.

Then we found out that Ramadan bazaars set to make a return in KL and other cities in Malaysia. Obviously, this piece of news is good news to us! Because even though we’re selling most of our products on Shopee Malaysia and Shopee Singapore (more on that in our next post, insha’Allah!), there’s nothing more exciting than selling our products at Ramadan and Hari Raya bazaars.

Saudee Group inks deal with Top Standard Corporation to supply frozen meat to China

The Chinese halal foods market is deemed to be one of the largest growing food industry niche, expected to reach US$17 billion or RM69.7 billion per annum in 2021, second only to Indonesia at US$18 billion or RM73.8 billion.

With the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic having its genesis in China in 2020, there is an immediate demand for non-locally manufactured halal food and products. 

Malaysian halal certification is deemed to be at the highest international standard, and the penetration to the Chinese muslim market is seen to be a natural expansion progression for Saudee Group to embark into.

Finding halal food in China can be difficult! So this is definitely something to look forward to. Hopefully, it’d be easier for the Muslims, both the ones staying in China and the ones travelling to China, to find proper halal food.

Alternatively, you could also read our post ‘A Guide To Finding Halal Food In China‘ for some ideas.

That concludes our link roundup for this month! Found any interesting links? Let us know in the comment section and we’ll include it in the next link roundup. Have a good April!