liuzhou

Clam and mustard greens soup. Chicken and okra with a olive oil, lemon juice, gnger, garlic, chili and green onion dressing.

Another Xinjiang dish which most visitors wind up eating in Xi'an, where it has been adopted, is the well-known Big Plate Chicken - 大盘鸡 (dà pán jī). Many of those visitors assume that they are eating some ancient, traditional Muslim dish but they are wrong. While it is agreed that it is a modern dish, there are two conflicting theories as to its origin, neither of which are related to any Muslim cuisine or tradition. The most widely accepted story is that the dish was invented in the north Xinjiang county of Shawan (沙湾县 - shā wān xiàn) in the early 1990s by an immigrant from Sichuan who was trying to recreate his home town flavours, but using locally available chicken and potatoes. The inclusion of Sichuan peppercorns in nearly all recipes supports this theory as Sichuan peppercorns are not otherwise part of Xinjiang cuisine. The second story is more sketchy - it suggests that the inventor was from Hunan instead and that it was invented near Ürümqi (乌鲁木齐 - wū lǔ mù qí), Xinjiang's capital. Whichever story you believe, the dish became popular in the mid to late 1990s. I remember being introduced to it in Xi'an in 1997, when it was described as a 'new dish'. The dish caught on in its birthplace, then spread out along what was the Silk Road to Xi'an, then all over China. Some say it was aided in this by its popularity with long distance truck drivers. So what is it? Simply a delicious stew of bite-sized chicken cooked and served on-the-bone with potatoes, onions and bell peppers. It is, of course flavoured with the traditional Chinese holy trinity of garlic, ginger and chilli and spiced with star anise, cumin and the Sichuan peppercorns. It is usually served with wide, hand-pulled noodles known as 拉条子 - lā tiáo zi in Chinese or laghman in the local languages of Xinjiang. These may served with the dish or after the dish has been eaten, to mop up the remaining sauce. Alternatively, it can be served with naan bread (馕包大盘鸡 - náng bāo dà pán jī), my favourite way to have it. Again, the bread is to soak up the sauce. A word of warning. Most restaurants serve this either large or small. Yes, small big plate chicken! The small version (shown above) is easily enough to feed two to three people. Or more when served with other dishes. A large one will feed your entire extended family including the dog. I have often seen noob customers order the large for two,usually a couple with the man saying "I m hungry! Lets get the large one!" It keeps the restaurant staff amused when, to the customers' shock, they deliver enough food for the week.

It must be my birthday or something (it isn't). Dropped in to visit a friend this evening and was presented with this. 荔枝蜜 (lì zhī mì), lychee honey from her family plot and apiary. 100% organic and 100% orgasmic!

Looking for something else, I just came across this menu with an interesting item. Rabbit orzotto with broad beans & wild garlic I'd be having that if I were anywhere near the restaurant.

Indeed. A lot of Chinese liquor comes in exceptionally attractive bottles. The blue and white one, in particular, is a true work of art, I think.

Full English Chinese Breakfast!

Is this classified as a gift? Maybe; maybe not. I'm going with maybe. I was recently approached by an old associate who asked if I would be wiling to join a (汾酒 - fén jiǔ) fenjiu tasting panel. Fenjiu is one type of the Chinese spirit, 白酒 (bái jiǔ). It is the only type I can drink - relatively mild and more subtle that other varieties.The deal is that they send me maybe two bottles of fenjiu a month, I taste it and send them my tasting notes. They pay me for tasting it and writing my notes and send me the bottles (and the contents) for free and gratis! So I call it a gift. The blue one is a 30-year old at 53% ABV, while the green is a mere lad of 20-years and 42%. I know the blue one sells for over $200 USD in the USA. Not so sure about the green but if it is available it will only be a little cheaper. So, today at 11:32 am, the first two bottles turned up. Here they be. I won't be tasting them immediately as I'm on medication which doesn't agree with alcohol, but the course will be over in a day or three. I may post my thoughts somewhere in the appropriate section of the forums.

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province (陕西 - shǎn xī), not to be confused with neighbouring Shanxi Province (山西 - shān xī) and much of its cuisine comes from the surrounding countryside. Another popular winter warmer comes from Qishan County (岐山县 - qí shān xiàn) to the west of the capital. 臊子面 (sāo zi miàn), minced pork noodles, for obvious reasons, is not part of Xi'an's Muslim cultural heritage so don't go looking for it in the Muslim Quarter. The dish consists of fatty pork belly which is minced (or chopped) and cooked in a strongly flavoured stock with vinegar and chilli. Other ingredients can include carrots, tofu, green beans, day lily, eggs, wood-ear fungus, etc. Beware of bad translations on menus. The first character in the name 臊 (sāo) has more than one meaning. It can mean 'shy' or 'bashful', but the alternative meaning to watch for is 'urine scented'. So, if you see 'urine smell noodles' on the menu, go ahead and order it! The dish does not smell of urine at all. In the local dialect, with the 子 (zi) added, 臊子 (sāo zi) simply means minced or diced meat (as part of a dish). It is sour, spicy and fragrant.

I haven't eaten White Rabbit for decades. My teeth aren't up to it. But I'm told the rice paper wrappers remain.

Yes. Rice paper. God knows what the candy is made from!

Yes probably. But I think the idea is to cut down plastic use as much as possible. Plastic is now running around in our bloodstream and everywhere from the Arctic to Antarctica. I don't think anyone is claiming this will work in every application, but it could in many.

Edible Food Wrap Developed From Algae and Cinnamon Compound May Be the Food Packaging Solution We Need Interesting idea. Maybe?

Although the kebabs above are known throughout China, the dish which most people rightly associate with Xi'an is this, even if they have never actually eaten it. Image by NNU-1-05100104 from Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license*. 羊肉泡馍 (yáng ròu pào mó), literally 'sheep meat soaked bread' is a stew containing lamb or mutton in a lamb broth with torn up bread (馍 - mó) and noodles. A hearty, filling dish which is very welcome in Xi'an's bitter winter. Usually served with pickled or raw garlic and chilli sauce. Recipe here. There is an alternative, less common version which uses beef instead - 牛肉泡馍 (niúròu pàomó). The best place to try this is in the Muslim Quarter. * To my surprise, I don't seem to have a picture of the dish, despite having eaten it literally hundreds of times. I would have gone out to the local Xi'an restaurant and had some for lunch, but we are in our 5th day of appalling non-stop monsoon rains. I'll replace the Wikipedia picture with one of my own later.

Caterpillar wars: time to pick sides in battle of Colin v Cuthbert

What amused me most was all the idiots in the comments who didn't realise that the reference to the "17m-wide stove" was deliberate hyperbole!

North and west. Xinjiang is China's westernmost province, bordering various 'stans'. - Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It also borders Mongolia to the north and Tibet to the south. The local language is more Turkic than Chinese. Great food! 船儿 (chuàn ér) is the common name in Beijing where they liked to stick 'er' on many words.

Yes. By Plazotta of Germany.

New toy arrived today. I'm sure it will get used.

Just noticed this post. They are rather short for cooking chopsticks. Mine are 16½ inches long. I don't get the 'tongs' reference. I've never seen them used like tongs. Can you clarify, please?

Linguine with mushroom and summer truffle sauce.

Probably the one Xi'an food that people throughout China have eaten, whether they have actually been to the city or not, is 羊肉串 (yáng ròu chuàn). They are sold in night markets everywhere in the country - China's most ubiquitous street food. They are lamb/mutton kebabs. Who doesn't like food on sticks? When I lived in Xi'an there was nothing I liked better of an evening than to go out, either alone or with friends and find a street stall selling Yang Rou Chuan. They weren't hard to find. See the last Chinese character in the name which looks like a kebab! They are available in some restaurants, but are more commonly found as street food. Bite size pieces of mutton (fatty tail meat is the prime choice) are threaded on sticks and grilled over charcoal while being sprinkled with cumin and chilli. They will omit the chili if you are not a spice lover. Me, I ask for extra! It is astonishing how many of these you can get through on a warm summer evening in the open air, washing them down with a cold beer in good company. Some stalls sell only these; others also offer alternative meats such as beef or chicken and also sheep offal. Due to Xi'an's large Muslim population, pork is rare. Outside any of Xi'an's universities is a good place to look for kebab stalls and they are often cheaper than in the touristy Muslim Quarter. I regularly ate them for a year at the same stall beside Northwest University near the South Gate of the wall. Cheap and cheerful.

Yeah, you can use it pretty much as you would rice. When I could get it, I usually used it in salads.

Yes, cucumbers are a rare exception. The smacked cuke is very common (although I know people who won't touch it). I've eaten donkey in Beijing but never seen that salad or any other. Interesting.