Zhua fan

[Dejah]

I enjoyed this zhua fan at a party last weekend. The cook said it was not Chinese but is Asian. She sent me the recipe and it contains shredded carrot, lots of cumin, cubed lamb, onions and raisins. The whole thing was done in a roaster in the oven. It was very good.

Anyone familiar with this?

[liuzhou]

Don't know it, but the ingredients suggest Xinjiang.

Edited February 12, 2008 by liuzhou (log)

[NancyH]

Dejah- would you post the recipe? It sounds delicious!

[DylanK]

抓饭. It's rice pilaf! From ancient Persia to everywhere in Central Asia and everything that touches its borders.

[DylanK]

Zhua fan and a roasted quail from a fancy, purple-tablecloth Xinjiang restaurant in Xuzhou.

[Dejah]

Dejah- would you post the recipe?  It sounds delicious!

←

Here's the recipe that Ping sent me:

Here is my lamb rice's recipe

ingredients:Lamb (2-3 lb) Dice

            -Carrots(3-5 lb) Shred

            -Onions(3 lb) Chop

            -Raisin(1 1/2 cup)

            -Rice(5-6 cup)

            -Cumin(1/2)

            -Oil(3/4 cup)

How?      In a big wok, heat up oil, add cumin for a min,,then add the lamb and the onions.

Fry for about 5 minutes.

Stir in carrots to mix together.

Wash the rice  in a big bowl and make sure to keep water only 1cm above the rice. Do not over water.

In a big roaster put 1/3 lamb mixture in the bottom and add 1/2 rice.

On top of rice, add some raisin.

Put 1/3 lamb mixtures add rest rice and raisin,and top with remainder lamb mixtures.

Cook      In the oven 400 for 45 min. Stir the lamb rice from bottom to top then put back into the oven 325 till the rice cooked. You might need to stir it a few times to make sure the rice cooked evenly.

[Ce'nedra]

It can still be categorized as Chinese, can't it? But regional Western Chinese cuisine specifically (or maybe more to the point, Xinjiang)?

[XiaoLing]

Interesting, my Russian friends told me about this exact dish.

They said that the recipe came from Russia's Asian republics and they are traditionally cooked outdoors over a slow fire. Either way, it's delicious!

[Dejah]

Interesting, my Russian friends told me about this exact dish.

They said that the recipe came from Russia's Asian republics and they are traditionally cooked outdoors over a slow fire.  Either way, it's delicious!

←

As is paella traditionally!

I guess there are variations of this dish all over the world. Would biryani fit into this catagory?

Even tho' I love paella, I've made it so many times that zhua fan is going to be a nice change.

[mrbigjas]

Dejah- would you post the recipe?  It sounds delicious!

←

Here's the recipe that Ping sent me:

Here is my lamb rice's recipe

ingredients:Lamb (2-3 lb) Dice

            -Carrots(3-5 lb) Shred

            -Onions(3 lb) Chop

            -Raisin(1 1/2 cup)

            -Rice(5-6 cup)

            -Cumin(1/2)

            -Oil(3/4 cup)

How?      In a big wok, heat up oil, add cumin for a min,,then add the lamb and the onions.

Fry for about 5 minutes.

Stir in carrots to mix together.

Wash the rice  in a big bowl and make sure to keep water only 1cm above the rice. Do not over water.

In a big roaster put 1/3 lamb mixture in the bottom and add 1/2 rice.

On top of rice, add some raisin.

Put 1/3 lamb mixtures add rest rice and raisin,and top with remainder lamb mixtures.

Cook      In the oven 400 for 45 min. Stir the lamb rice from bottom to top then put back into the oven 325 till the rice cooked. You might need to stir it a few times to make sure the rice cooked evenly.

←

wow, that sounds quite a bit like the afghan dish qabili palau.

[Ce'nedra]

Hey guys, I found this awhile ago and forgot to post it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the same dish.

It's actually a recipe by Fuchsia Dunlop.

Polo (Lamb Pilaf)

This version of pilaf, known as 'polo', comes from the Xinjiang region of north west China

Servings: 4-6

Level of difficulty: Easy

Preparation Time: 20 minutes, , plus soaking

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

400g rice, (ideally Turkish medium-grain rice called baldo or Italian arborio or carnaroli)

400ml hot water

1 pinch Salt

1 handful dried sultanas, (about 30g)

2 tbsp groundnut oil

6 lamb chump chops

2 Carrots, cut into strips

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1.5 tsp ground cumin

For the side-salad:

1 salad onions, red or white, finely sliced

1 pinch Salt

1 green pepper, finely sliced

1 bunch Coriander, finely chopped

1 dash of chilli oil, to taste

1 dash of black vinegar, (such as Chinese Chinkiang vinegar), to taste

Method

1. Cover the rice in the generously-salted hot water, and leave to soak until the water has cooled.

2. Half an hour before you start cooking, set the sultanas to soak in hot water.

3. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the lamb chops for a minute or two over a high heat until browned.

4. Add the carrots and onions, cover and fry gently until they are tender.

5. Add about 450ml water from the kettle to cover, with cumin and salt to taste, and simmer for ten minutes.

6. Scoop out any excess liquid and set it aside.

7. Drain the rice and then lay it carefully on top of the meat and vegetables, making sure it does not touch the sides of the wok.

8. Return to the boil, and then cover and cook over a very low heat for 10-15 minutes.

9. Then turn the rice so that the top layer can absorb some of the meaty juices, and drizzle the reserved liquid around the edges of the pan.

10. Bury the drained sultanas in the rice. Cover again and leave on the stove until fully cooked, about another 10 minutes.

11. While the polo is cooking, prepare the side-salad. Sprinkle the onion with salt and leave for a couple of minutes. Then scrunch it with your hands, drain well and mix with the sliced pepper and coriander. Dress with chilli oil and dark vinegar to taste.

12. When the polo is ready, mix the carrot and onion into the rice, and place in serving bowls, topping each bowlful with a couple of lamb chops and a few sultanas.

13. Serve with the side-salad and a dollop of Greek-style yoghurt.

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/516585

[Dejah]

Hey guys, I found this awhile ago and forgot to post it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the same dish.

It's actually a recipe by Fuchsia Dunlop.

Polo (Lamb Pilaf)

This version of pilaf, known as 'polo', comes from the Xinjiang region of north west China

←

Yet another version!

Thanks, Ce'nedra.

[jo-mel]

Both recipes sound great! They are in my near future! Thanks!

I was curious about raisins in China, --- and they are -- or were there. According to Chang's "Food inCHinese Culture", there were raisins in the "Chinese dominions of Turkestan". Also, during the T'ang, Shanshi was the chief grape grower, and they sent parched grapes to the court. And by the 9th century, raisins were abundant in Yunnan altho at that time, Yunnan "could only facetiously be regarded as Chinese territory.

[liuzhou]

Yes there are raisins in China. Mainly from Xinjiang, but also other areas. All over China you can find street traders from Xinjiang selling raisins. I bought some yesterday from a man with bright blue eyes - from Xinjiang's Uighur people.

Here he is, talking to the grape lady.

Edited February 17, 2008 by liuzhou (log)

[miladyinsanity]

Xinjiang makes some really good raisins.

[Dejah]

Would raisins have been widely available, say 60 years ago? I remember my mom saying that my dad used to send containers of raisins back to Guongdong, China from Canada.

[Dejah]

It's taken me THIS long to make something I really enjoyed!

Here's the zhua fan I made using my friend Ping's oven method with Fushia Dunlop's recipe.

I didn't have any sultana raisins, so I used chopped dried apricots. It was delicious, but I think I miss the plump sweetness of the raisins. No subsitutions next time!

I used arborio rice.

[jo-mel]

Dejah -- that looks SO good! I like the idea of the arborio rice. It looks chewy and I like texture like that in rice.

Two questions -- is this the Ping recipe? Since I don't see carropt, I assume it is not the recipe Ce'nedra listed. Also -- is the lamb in dices or small slices?

[Dejah]

Dejah -- that looks SO good! I like the idea of the arborio rice. It looks chewy and I like texture like that in rice.

Two questions -- is this the Ping recipe?  Since I don't see carropt, I assume it is not the recipe Ce'nedra listed. Also -- is the lamb in dices or small slices?

←

Hi jo-mel,

The arborio rice worked really well. It was soft, chewy, but not mushy. I also just used it to make paella.

Ping and Fushia Dunlop's were pretty much the same. I used Ms Dunlop's for smaller quantities and clarity, but I used diced leg of lamb and Ping's oven method. The carrots were shredded, but next time, I think I'll dice them so they'll show up better. I had two lamb leg bones with some meat still attached. I put them on top of the rice to cook along. Daughter's BF will enjoy gnawing on them.

It definitely needed more than a pinch of salt. The fresh mint went well with the dish.

Hubby and I each had a small plate for supper (and a bit of the beef rendang for punch ) The rest was cooled off and packed away for tomorrow at daughter's.

[Ben Hong]

Would raisins have been widely available, say 60 years ago? I remember my mom saying that my dad used to send containers of raisins back to Guongdong, China from Canada.

←

Raisins were readily available in our region. I still remember that a handful of raisins was given to us after taking some gawdawful bitter medicine as a reward and to sweeten the mouth again. That was more that 60 years ago . To this day every time I eat raisins, I have "flashbacks".