Reposted from the web

Summary: This Urumqi food account introduces four Hui Muslim banquet restaurants and the dishes that shape local halal dining. The English version keeps the original restaurant names, photos, food details, and practical observations without adding outside claims.

I returned to Urumqi for a wedding and ate at four Hui Muslim restaurants. I am sharing my experience with you now.

Silk Road Rice Fragrance (Silu Mixiang) is a restaurant in the New District where Hui Muslims host guests. It has a large private room that can seat twenty people at two tables.

We started the meal with three-tier tea (sanpaotai), which includes goji berries, red dates, and rock sugar. Then the dishes arrived: spinach with chickpeas, cold-tossed beef shank, beef stew with vermicelli, dry-pot beef tripe, beef medley, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), sweet platter (tianpanzi), stir-fried bean sprouts with chives, snowflake meatballs, stir-fried black and white lung, steamed opium fish, lamb with braised flatbread, sauced stuffed eggplant, and stir-fried mushrooms. This included traditional Hui Muslim banquet dishes like meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha) and sweet platter (tianpanzi), as well as newer banquet dishes that have become popular in Urumqi over the last few decades, such as snowflake meatballs and steamed opium fish. These dishes represent the current taste of Hui Muslim banquets in Urumqi.

















The Jinyue Loulan Banquet Hall in Anningqu Cultural Tourism Town has a great environment. It is very spacious, bright, and the banquet hall is huge.

Before the meal starts, they set out nine appetizer plates, usually filled with dried fruits, preserved fruits, candies, and small pieces of fruit. Then they clear the appetizer plates to officially start the meal, serving cold dishes first, followed by hot dishes, and finally the main courses. We ate cold-tossed beef, spinach with gluten, cold-tossed chicken, fern root noodles, stir-fried beef tripe, Dongxiang-style hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, sweet platter (tianpanzi), vegetarian pilaf, flower-roll chicken, meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow-braised meat, steamed opium fish, and meatballs. Dishes at traditional Urumqi banquets are generally lighter than street food, with less chili and salt. The cold-tossed chicken is not made into spicy peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji), which actually suits the tastes of people from inland China better.



















Jinhaiwan is the most popular Hui Muslim banquet hall in the Dawan area of Urumqi. I held my own wedding here five years ago, and coming back now brings back many memories. The cold dishes at the banquet included spicy beef shank, cold-tossed chicken, blueberry yam, and mixed vegetable salad. Hot dishes included hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow-braised beef, oil-seared meat, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow noodles with grilled meat, steamed sea bass, stir-fried meat with Awei mushrooms, red-braised meatballs, lotus root and lily stir-fry, and sweet platter (tianpanzi). The staples included thin-skinned buns (baopi baozi), oil towers (youtazi), pilaf with preserved fruits, and grilled flatbread. I was too busy to really eat at my own wedding, but this time I finally enjoyed a great meal.



















The next day, we went to Jiamei Banquet on Liyushan Road for the post-wedding meal (xiatang). We ate cold-tossed chicken, cold-tossed beef shank, oil-seared meat, spinach with gluten, braised meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), oil towers (youtazi), stir-fried beef tripe, sweet platter (tianpanzi), hand-grabbed meat (shouzhuarou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, red-braised carp, yellow-braised meat, pearl meatballs, and soup. For the post-wedding meal, the restaurant also provides a bowl of minced meat noodles (saozimian). This place is the best among the Hui Muslim banquet restaurants I have tried in Urumqi. The lamb is the most tender and fresh, and the beef shank has the best texture and is the most flavorful. Their minced meat noodles (saozimian) are also delicious and very satisfying. However, they do not have as many tables, so they are used more for engagement parties or post-wedding meals, and are a bit small for a full wedding. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Urumqi Hui Muslim Home Cooking: 15 Halal Dishes is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: My mother-in-law came to Beijing in March and made us 15 Urumqi Hui Muslim dishes: big plate chicken with belt noodles (dapanji pidaimian), lamb hand-torn noodle soup (yangrou jiupianzi), Xinjiang meatball soup. The account keeps its focus on Urumqi Halal Food, Hui Muslim Food, Xinjiang Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

My mother-in-law came to Beijing in March and made us 15 Urumqi Hui Muslim dishes: big plate chicken with belt noodles (dapanji pidaimian), lamb hand-torn noodle soup (yangrou jiupianzi), Xinjiang meatball soup (xinjiang wanzitang), dry-mixed noodles with lamb bean paste (yangrou zhajiang ganbanmian), lamb sour soup wontons (yangrou suantang huntun), Jingzhe oil tea eggs (jingzhe youcha dan), thin-skinned buns (baopi baozi), lamb vermicelli soup (yangrou fentang), cold-dressed chicken (liangban ji), diced stir-fried noodles (dingding chaomian), sour soup noodles with minced meat (suantang saozi mian), fragrant bean flower rolls (xiangdou huajuan), plate noodles (panzi mian), flavored fried starch jelly (fengwei zha menzi), and lamb and celery dumplings (yangrou qincai jiaozi). Since the official account can only insert 10 video channel clips, I will share the first 8 this time.

1. Big plate chicken with belt noodles (dapanji pidaimian)

My mother-in-law brought free-range chicken all the way from Urumqi. First, stir-fry the chicken with plenty of oil. Add chicken pieces, dried chili skins (lapizi), and ginger slices to the pot. Then add salt, Sichuan peppercorn powder, black pepper powder, tomato paste, bean paste, green onions, and garlic. Stir-fry until the blood is gone, then add soy sauce. Next, stew the chicken in a pressure cooker, adding water, the chicken, and potato chunks. After opening the pot, take out the potatoes, then add green onions, garlic, and vinegar.

Once finished, stretch the belt noodles; they taste best soaked in the big plate chicken broth.







2. Lamb hand-torn noodle soup (yangrou jiupianzi)

First, stir-fry lamb slices with tomatoes (yangshizi), green onions, and garlic. Add soy sauce and stir-fried potato slices, then add water. Stretch the dough and tear off small pieces into the pot. Finally, add black pepper powder and cilantro, and finish with a splash of vinegar.







3. Xinjiang meatball soup (xinjiang wanzitang)

For the Iftar meal, my mother-in-law made this Xinjiang specialty meatball soup using meat ground fresh at the Ma family shop in Douban Alley. The secret to the fried meatballs is pouring hot oil over the black pepper powder while mixing the filling. The best base for the meatball soup is broth made from beef marrow bones. You can add side dishes like spinach, king oyster mushrooms, tofu, carrots, or wood ear mushrooms.















4. Dry-mixed noodles with lamb bean paste (yangrou zhajiang ganbanmian)

Zainab said Urumqi has its own local version of bean paste noodles. I had never noticed it before and was very curious, so I finally got to eat it this time. These are hand-rolled cut noodles; our cutting board is still not quite big enough. Besides lamb, the bean paste sauce includes potatoes, carrots, and celery. It uses Pixian bean paste, so the flavor is completely different from Beijing-style bean paste noodles.

















5. Lamb sour soup wontons (yangrou suantang huntun)

I especially love the stewed lamb sour soup wontons (hong dong) made by Xinjiang Hui Muslims. After the lamb is stewed, add tomatoes, spinach, scallions, and cilantro. The wontons have the classic lamb and onion (piyazi) filling.













6. Jingzhe oil tea eggs (jingzhe youcha dan)

March 5th is the Awakening of Insects (Jingzhe), when all things come back to life. In the morning, we ate this seasonal Xinjiang Hui Muslim delicacy, Jingzhe oil tea eggs. Stir-fry eggs with dried fruits like raisins and walnut kernels, then pour in brewed brick tea and add rock sugar. Traditional oil tea with egg (youcha dan) must be stir-fried with mutton fat, but we use olive oil.













7. Thin-skinned steamed buns (baopi baozi)

Thin-skinned steamed buns (manti) filled with mutton and onions. Manti is a classic Silk Road snack. It spread to Central and West Asia with Turkic soldiers during the Mongol conquests and was later spread further by the Ottoman Empire. The word manti comes from mantou. Even today, the Wu dialect uses mantou to refer to meat-filled flour dishes. In 1330, the first year of the Zhishun era of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial physician Hu Sihui wrote the Principles of Correct Diet (Yinshan Zhengyao). It records many ways to make mantou, all using mutton, mutton fat, green onions, dried tangerine peel, and salt for the filling. It even mentions the term thin-skinned mantou.











8. Mutton noodle soup (yangrou fentang)

This is the festive noodle soup made during the Mawlid (Zhuo Bailati). First, braise the mutton, then stir the pea starch and let it sit overnight before cutting it into starch blocks. Next, make a topping with cabbage, small radishes, mutton slices, and tomatoes. When you eat it, soak some fried dough (youxiang) in the soup. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Urumqi food account introduces four Hui Muslim banquet restaurants and the dishes that shape local halal dining. The English version keeps the original restaurant names, photos, food details, and practical observations without adding outside claims.

I returned to Urumqi for a wedding and ate at four Hui Muslim restaurants. I am sharing my experience with you now.

Silk Road Rice Fragrance (Silu Mixiang) is a restaurant in the New District where Hui Muslims host guests. It has a large private room that can seat twenty people at two tables.

We started the meal with three-tier tea (sanpaotai), which includes goji berries, red dates, and rock sugar. Then the dishes arrived: spinach with chickpeas, cold-tossed beef shank, beef stew with vermicelli, dry-pot beef tripe, beef medley, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), sweet platter (tianpanzi), stir-fried bean sprouts with chives, snowflake meatballs, stir-fried black and white lung, steamed opium fish, lamb with braised flatbread, sauced stuffed eggplant, and stir-fried mushrooms. This included traditional Hui Muslim banquet dishes like meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha) and sweet platter (tianpanzi), as well as newer banquet dishes that have become popular in Urumqi over the last few decades, such as snowflake meatballs and steamed opium fish. These dishes represent the current taste of Hui Muslim banquets in Urumqi.

















The Jinyue Loulan Banquet Hall in Anningqu Cultural Tourism Town has a great environment. It is very spacious, bright, and the banquet hall is huge.

Before the meal starts, they set out nine appetizer plates, usually filled with dried fruits, preserved fruits, candies, and small pieces of fruit. Then they clear the appetizer plates to officially start the meal, serving cold dishes first, followed by hot dishes, and finally the main courses. We ate cold-tossed beef, spinach with gluten, cold-tossed chicken, fern root noodles, stir-fried beef tripe, Dongxiang-style hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, sweet platter (tianpanzi), vegetarian pilaf, flower-roll chicken, meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow-braised meat, steamed opium fish, and meatballs. Dishes at traditional Urumqi banquets are generally lighter than street food, with less chili and salt. The cold-tossed chicken is not made into spicy peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji), which actually suits the tastes of people from inland China better.



















Jinhaiwan is the most popular Hui Muslim banquet hall in the Dawan area of Urumqi. I held my own wedding here five years ago, and coming back now brings back many memories. The cold dishes at the banquet included spicy beef shank, cold-tossed chicken, blueberry yam, and mixed vegetable salad. Hot dishes included hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou), yellow-braised beef, oil-seared meat, sauced meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), yellow noodles with grilled meat, steamed sea bass, stir-fried meat with Awei mushrooms, red-braised meatballs, lotus root and lily stir-fry, and sweet platter (tianpanzi). The staples included thin-skinned buns (baopi baozi), oil towers (youtazi), pilaf with preserved fruits, and grilled flatbread. I was too busy to really eat at my own wedding, but this time I finally enjoyed a great meal.



















The next day, we went to Jiamei Banquet on Liyushan Road for the post-wedding meal (xiatang). We ate cold-tossed chicken, cold-tossed beef shank, oil-seared meat, spinach with gluten, braised meat-stuffed tofu (jiasha), oil towers (youtazi), stir-fried beef tripe, sweet platter (tianpanzi), hand-grabbed meat (shouzhuarou), yellow noodles with grilled meat, red-braised carp, yellow-braised meat, pearl meatballs, and soup. For the post-wedding meal, the restaurant also provides a bowl of minced meat noodles (saozimian). This place is the best among the Hui Muslim banquet restaurants I have tried in Urumqi. The lamb is the most tender and fresh, and the beef shank has the best texture and is the most flavorful. Their minced meat noodles (saozimian) are also delicious and very satisfying. However, they do not have as many tables, so they are used more for engagement parties or post-wedding meals, and are a bit small for a full wedding. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Urumqi Hui Muslim Home Cooking Guide: Everyday Halal Food in Xinjiang (Part 1). On January 22, 2020, Zainab and I returned to Urumqi, where she had lived until she was 18, in a residential compound with over sixty years of history. It is useful for readers interested in Urumqi Food, Hui Muslims, Xinjiang Travel.

On January 22, 2020, Zainab and I returned to Urumqi, where she had lived until she was 18, in a residential compound with over sixty years of history. We originally planned to have a good time in Urumqi, but then Xinjiang launched a Level 1 emergency response on January 25. All restaurants closed, and the residential compound was semi-locked down, so we had to stay at home. During these days of staying at home, my mother-in-law made us delicious food with great variety every day, and we were able to taste all kinds of authentic Hui Muslim home-cooked dishes from Urumqi (Part 1).





The menu of what we ate these past few days is as follows:

January 22

Lunch: Four types of banmian (hand-pulled noodles with toppings): celery and meat, pickled cabbage and meat, eggplant and meat, and onion and cherry radish with meat.

Afternoon: Tangfan (noodle soup).

January 23

Morning: Milk tea with shredded potatoes, dried chili peppers, and meat.

January 27

Morning: Tangningningzi (a type of fried dough twist) soaked in milk.

Lunch: Shredded potato and guoyourou (oil-seared meat) banmian.

Afternoon: Fentang (starch noodle soup).

January 28

Lunch: Baobaozi (steamed buns with thin skin).

Afternoon: Bantang (a thick noodle soup).

January 29

Lunch: Lamb leg zhuafan (pilaf).

Afternoon: Tangfan with nang (flatbread).

January 30

Lunch: Mayezi (fried sesame dough crisps) and egg sanzi (deep-fried dough twists).

Afternoon: Chive pockets and homemade yogurt.

January 31

Afternoon: Fried menzi (steamed meat paste) and pickled cabbage with vermicelli.

February 1

Afternoon: Dapanji (big plate chicken).

February 2nd

Morning: Milk tea with soaked nang and steamed youxiang (fried dough).

Afternoon: Onion and lamb fat meat dumplings.

January 22

The first meal back in Urumqi, four types of banmian: celery and meat, onion and cherry radish, eggplant and meat, and pickled cabbage and meat—delicious. This time, the latiaozi (hand-pulled noodles) were made using the 'panzi mian' method, where the dough is rolled out and then coiled to rest.













The tangfan we had in the afternoon was made with mianqizi (small square dough pieces), not hand-torn dough pieces, so it was quite simple.



January 23

Woke up in the morning to boil milk tea using special brick tea, served with shredded potatoes, dried chili peppers, meat, and steamed buns.









January 27

Breakfast included milk, jiaomaji (peppery chicken), steamed youxiang, and tianpanzi (sweet dish). A particularly tasty way to eat is soaking tangningningzi in milk.



At noon, my mother-in-law taught me how to make latiaozi. Urumqi Hui Muslims make latiaozi in two ways: 'panzi mian' and 'zhangzi mian'. Panzi mian is the coiled method like the Uyghurs use, while this time we made the simpler zhangzi mian.

First, knead the dough.



Knead the dough to this consistency; you have to judge how much water to add by feel, don't add too much at once.



Cover the dough with a basin to let it rest. After resting for a while, the outside will become smooth, and then you start kneading it again. Kneading needs to be done three times, with about ten minutes of resting in between, until the surface is completely smooth. You can prepare the banmian toppings while the dough rests. Next is rolling the dough, roll it to the thickness of a finger, then brush with oil, and cover with the basin again.









Wait until the banmian toppings are ready before cutting the dough; cut only as much as you will eat. After cutting, roll it thin, stretch it out, slap it on the cutting board, and finally toss it into the pot. A dish of Xinjiang zhangzi mian is finished.





We ate two types of banmian: guoyourou and shredded potatoes. The guoyourou is a home version, not the restaurant version. First sear the meat in oil, then add chili peppers, then onions, and you can also add cabbage. For the shredded potatoes, you must add meat, dried chili peppers, and tomatoes; the tomatoes eventually melt into a sauce and disappear.



















We had fentang for dinner. The first step is to stir-fry the meat slices, then add garlic, then green onions, dried chili peppers, and tomatoes, then add various vegetables; you can mix and match vegetables as you like. Next, add the lamb broth that was previously stewed and frozen. After the broth melts, add pea starch jelly cubes, then add the large chunks of previously stewed lamb, and finally add pepper and cilantro for flavor. The most classic pairing for fentang is youxiang. After eating the lamb, break open the youxiang and soak it in the fentang; that is the authentic Urumqi Hui Muslim lifestyle.



















January 28

Woke up in the morning and had a bowl of fentang with youxiang, very delicious.



At noon, we made baobaozi with onion and meat filling, and finally sprinkled with pepper powder.













In the evening, we had bantang. The method is similar to tangfan, but instead of tearing dough pieces, you just rub the dough with your hands and drop it into the pot. Also, anything liquid can be soaked with nang!







January 29

We were having zhuafan for lunch, so I went out in the morning to buy front leg meat at the entrance of the compound. Nowadays, front legs come with ribs attached; you can't buy just the front leg. Some shops have very fatty ribs, so you have to choose carefully.







Then I also bought dried chili peppers; Xinjiang home cooking basically requires them.



This is the most expensive kind.



This is the cheapest kind.



Went home and cut the front leg and ribs.





First fry the onions, and after the onions are charred, sprinkle with large-grain salt, then add the meat. After the meat darkens in color, use another pot to stir-fry the carrots and yellow carrots. After the carrots and meat are charred, spread the meat over the carrots, add sugar, then spread the rice over the meat (we had too much meat this time, so it wasn't spread perfectly), cover and simmer for forty minutes, and it's done.



















January 30

A new day starts with a pot of milk tea.



On the left is the dough made with eggs for egg sanzi, and on the right is the dough made with sesame for mayezi.



For egg sanzi, first knead the dough with eggs, let it rest, roll it thin with a large rolling pin, then use a 'gong-gong-zi' (a special grooved rolling tool) to cut it into strips, coiling them as you cut. After cutting, deep-fry in oil, and sprinkle with granulated sugar when finished.



















Urumqi Hui Muslim version of mayezi: knead the dough with sesame, roll it thin with a rolling pin, use a 'gong-gong-zi' to cut into quadrilaterals, and deep-fry in oil.















Fresh milk bought at the compound entrance; drink the milk skin first, and scoop out a portion of the milk below to make yogurt.



The milk is from cows raised by Hui Muslims in Cangfanggou, Urumqi. The Uyghur uncle at the compound entrance sells both milk and nang.





The starter is Xiyuchun brand old yogurt; when eating, I sprinkled it with dried mulberries and raisins.









Urumqi Hui Muslim version of chive pockets, with chives, dried shrimp, ginger, and scrambled eggs as the filling. Using an electric griddle makes it a bit dry.















Ate using a family heirloom porcelain plate made in Ukraine in 1926, instantly transported back to a Hui Muslim home in the southern gate of Dihua city a hundred years ago.



Served with corn grits added with crushed walnuts.



January 31

Urumqi Hui Muslim banquet dish 'Fish Drilling Through the Net', which is fried menzi.

Bought meat at the market near home before the New Year and had it ground into filling. The filling for menzi needs to go through the meat grinder twice, finer than that for meatballs. After returning home, steam the filling into menzi, then slice it. When cooking, coat the menzi with egg and starch, deep-fry it, and finally sprinkle with cumin, chili powder, and salt.

















Pickled cabbage and vermicelli made with homemade pickled cabbage.





February 1

Preparation for dapanji: thaw and cut the chicken, add green onion segments, ginger slices, and garlic; knead the dough, roll it out, and brush with oil; peel potatoes and soak dried chili peppers in water.













Stir-fry the cleaned chicken in a pot, adding salt, Sichuan peppercorn powder, seasonings, soy sauce, tomato paste, dried chili peppers, garlic, and potatoes in order. Because we bought a layer hen, we had to use a pressure cooker after stir-frying; if it were a young chicken, it wouldn't be necessary. Put eight spoonfuls of water in the pressure cooker, taking eighteen minutes. After eating the chicken for a while, add the 'belt noodles' (wide hand-pulled noodles), which should soak up the dapanji sauce.

The secret to our family's dapanji is the seasoning made from over ten types of spices, a recipe left by Zainab's great-uncle. After making it, the dapanji absolutely has no raw taste, only fragrance. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Urumqi Hui Muslim Home Cooking Guide: Everyday Halal Food in Xinjiang (Part 2). A new day begins with milk tea soaked with nang (flatbread). It is useful for readers interested in Urumqi Food, Hui Muslims, Xinjiang Travel.







February 2nd

A new day begins with milk tea soaked with nang (flatbread).



The picture below shows steamed youxiang (fried dough), though we usually make the steamed version when there is no feast; like the fried version, it must be broken by hand to be eaten.



There is a saying: 'dumplings for departure, noodles for return,' and today we are making dumplings with piyazi (onion) and meat.



Rendering lamb tail fat, and once it is ready, adding it into the filling.







Then I used the lamb tail fat to make chili oil, a delicious companion for the dumplings.



I made three kinds: celery, lentils, and cabbage; the meat is a mix of lamb and beef, and every filling has piyazi and lamb fat in it.











Appendix: A century-old Soviet porcelain plate.

With the help of my neighbors, I found out the origin of the few porcelain plates left behind by Grandma Zainab! It turns out they were produced by the Budyansky Faience Factory in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, between 1926 and 1928, so they are nearly 100 years old now. Grandma was born in 1928, so these plates were likely bought by her father in Urumqi back then; they can be considered a witness to the history of Urumqi. I have been using these plates to eat for the past few days, and now I feel a bit differently about them.









The stone-lens glasses left behind by Grandpa Zainab.



I am heading back to Beijing, and I will always miss my home in Urumqi. view all