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.
