Maxiangxing

In 1840 the Henan Hui refugee Ma Sifa fled flooding to set up a roadside cooking stall at Nanjing's Huashen Temple. In 1845 he moved to the Hui quarter, built a small house and took the auspicious name Maxiangxing, with his son Ma Shengxiang carrying on the trade.

By the Republican era it had become a gathering place for the celebrated, and its 'four famous dishes' — beauty's liver, phoenix-tail shrimp, egg shaomai and squirrel fish — carried its name across three centuries.

The kitchen holds to authentic halal cookery, with exacting knife work and heat control that turn humble ingredients into delicate signature dishes, forming a distinctive strand of Nanjing Hui-Muslim cuisine.

Recognised as a China Time-Honoured Brand by MOFCOM in 2006.