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Focus> Life & Art> Content
Friday, October 05, 2018, 15:21
Handy fare for the Xinjiang traveler
By Pauline D Loh
Friday, October 05, 2018, 15:21 By Pauline D Loh

Nang are standard feature in Xinjiang cuisine. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Is your image of Chinese food limited to thoughts of sweet and sour pork, squirrel fish, Kung Pao chicken and wanton or dumplings? Think again. China is home to 56 ethnic groups, and every one of them has a distinctive cuisine.

Xinjiang grapes are legendary. There are the light green manai putao, so long and juicy that they are named after the horse's udder

Let's visit Xinjiang, where the Uygurs celebrate life with great music and good food. Some of China's best-known folk songs were composed in Xinjiang, or inspired by its music, but the region's culinary secrets have been relatively undiscovered.

Lamb is a popular meat here and the food is halal. Oven-baked breads such as nang are stacked high on market stalls.

There are significant residual influences from the Ancient Silk Road, and the most famous banquets here are based on a meat and rice dish reminiscent of the pilaf and biriyani of other Muslim communities.

This is shouzhuafan, or "rice eaten with the hands." Richly flavored spicy meats such as chicken or lamb are cooked with saffron-scented rice, which is studded with onions and carrots. More fried onions, fresh coriander and raisins-made from the famous Xinjiang grapes-are added as garnishes.

On feast days and celebrations, this dish becomes the centerpiece for friends and family. A huge platter is placed in the middle of the picnic, and guests help themselves, sharing the dish.

ALSO READ: Straight outta Xinjiang 

The lamb, tender and fragrant, helps this dish stand out, but it is the carrots that make it truly special. Xinjiang carrots come in many vibrant colors, from deep orange that's almost red to a bright sunshine yellow. They are incredibly sweet, and a Xinjiang pilaf must have plenty of carrots mixed into the rice.

Another signature dish that is unique to the region is the dapanji, a tomato-based spicy chicken stew cooked with lots of onions, bell peppers and potatoes. This is often served with nang, the round flatbreads which are the size of a large pizza.

Another highlight is whole roasted lamb, simply marinated with salt and crushed spices and slowly cooked on a spit over an open fire.

Salads of freshly cut herbs, onions and tomatoes are served on the side, but in Xinjiang the table is always blessed with spectacular fruits.

Lamb skewers are standard feature in Xinjiang cuisine. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Huge red jujubes, the size of a baby's fist, honey-sweet white apricots that are bite-sized but full of flavor, soccer ball-sized pomegranates that easily break open to expose their jewel-like seeds, and the grapes …

Xinjiang grapes are legendary. There are the light green manai putao, so long and juicy that they are named after the horse's udder. There are golden sultanas, deep purple raisins and a lovely red grape that smells just like roses.

Eating out in Xinjiang would appeal to the adventurous.

Streetside snacks are sold in the bazaars, and their fragrance stops tourists in their tracks.

There are stuffed nang, or baozi, with the dough formed around spicy mutton and onions, and then baked. These savory buns full of meat and juice offer the hungry traveler instant gratification.

Xinjiang chuan'er, lamb skewers, are a standard feature in any bazaar. The aroma of cumin and fennel over the flames will set the mouth watering. Stop for sticks of lamb belly, whole kidneys, intestines and tripe. They are all delicious.

READ MORE: Valley of roses

Xinjiang cuisine is a treasure waiting to be discovered and it deserves more recognition. Once found, however, it is a cooking style that you will find hard to forget.

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