Xinjiang food

Any takers for Xinjiang food here? I can't get enough of it. When I was working up in Dongguan last year (an armpit of a town 30 mins from Shenzhen), the only place I truly liked to go for dinner was the Xinjiang restaurant across from the international convention center. The place is run by a half Han, half Uygur woman. Unlike a lot of Xinjian restaurants, the food is not so Han-ized. My favourites:

大盆鸡 with 白皮面

羊肉串

涼皮

馬肉

I was quite surprised by how much I liked the horse meat. It was extremely soft, but with a very rich flavour.

HK doesn't really have any decent, affordable Xinjiang places, so my wife and I often make a quick trip over the border to have dinner in Dongguan with friends who are still there. I imagine we could find a place in Shenzhen if we bothered to look.

I almost forgot. I can't have Xinjiang food without drinking quite a lot of beer. It is just one of those types of food that absolutely must be taken with beer. My wife is not a heavy drinker, but if you put her in a Xinjiang restaurant, she'll finish at least two large bottles of beer (which is enough to put most HK women under the table).

There is an authentic Xinjiang Restaurant in Cosco Center at Central/Sheung Wan in Hong Kong.

I remember my Xinjiang local tour guide said that he missed Xinjiang food while in HK and had managed to find a Xinjiang restaurant in TST which had cost him a fortune for very very common food. And we shamelessly ate almost all of his delicious "nang" (bread) (because he didn't eat our food).

There are a lot of Xinjiang-style restaurants in San Gabriel and Monterey Park. There is one in Rowland Heights.

I loved the food made by the muslim community in Kunming. I don't know if that would be "Xinjiang" food exactly though.

Xinjiang food is a distinct type of Muslim food. Here in Kunming we have Muslim places, run by the Hui people (the muslim "nationality," although many people argue that it is their religion alone that makes the Hui a nationality, and in all other aspects they are basically the same as the Han). The dishes are almost the same as any Han restaurant, except they adhere to Muslim dietary rules. You won't find any pork on the menu. Xinjiang food, of course, also adheres to those dietary rules, but the food also has its own style. Lots of noodle dishes (ban mien is my favoritie), mutton on a stick, indian style nan bread, the da pan ji ... the food has a really distinctive flavor. So any old muslim food definitly isn't Xinjiang food! I can't get enough of it myself, Xinjiang food is great.

There used to be lots of Uighurs selling mutton on sticks in Beijing in the -80's. Wonder if they are still there. The kebabs I've had in Urumqi and also in Xian were great, too.

Tsunku - the little muslim places near the university in Kunming had a definite non-han style, as does all muslim food I've had. I'm confused by your post.

Xinjiang food is great. I like the nan, and xinjiang la mian. I also like the bagels (don't know the real name). The beer is good. Xinjiang heipi, and Xinjiang regular are both pretty good. I wonder if they have that in Hong Kong, though.

What's confusing? There are plenty of muslim places here where the only real difference is the lack of pork on the menu (and the pictures of mecca on the walls). They still serve old grandma's potatoes, all sorts of chao veggies, and tieban beef though. There are different dishes that you can make when you're using mutton and beef as your staple that you can't make with good old pork. However, Xinjiang food is distinctly different. It is truly more middle eastern, and the Chinese influence is minimal. If you want to try a good, cheap "real" Xinjiang place try the one at the end of Yuanxi Lu, near one of the Yunda gates. There is a Xinjiang place right across the street from a very large Muslim (Hui) restaurant. Go to the Muslim place one night, the Xinjiang place the next night -- the difference should be apparent. The Muslim place has good food too, but it is Chinese food to be sure, whereas the Xinjiang place has their own regional dishes.

Has anyone ever tried this Pasha Xinjiang fusion restaurant owned by an Uighur female dancer in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong? http://www5.chinesenewsnet.com/MainNews/SinoNews/Hongkong/zxs_2004-11-04_502289.shtml

RTHK just showed a programme featuring the Uyghur dancer Pasha (as mentioned in Ian's post above) tonight. -> 民間樂土 (Folk Music)

The programme shows her travel to Kashgar, Avanti, and Urumqi and introduces Uyghur music. Pasha speaks in Cantonese (the narration is also in Cantonese). In Xinjiang she speaks in Uyghur to the local people, and to her son in English. There are Chinese subtitles.

Quite an interesting programme.

It's ironic that the food of an Islamic people is the kind has to go down with a lot of alcohol.

But I can't argue with that. Because even the most devout Uyghurs here in Xinjiang tend to eat their Xinjiang food with a lot of alcohol.

Xinjiang food is a distinct type of Muslim food. Here in Kunming we have Muslim places, run by the Hui people (the muslim "nationality," although many people argue that it is their religion alone that makes the Hui a nationality, and in all other aspects they are basically the same as the Han). The dishes are almost the same as any Han restaurant, except they adhere to Muslim dietary rules. You won't find any pork on the menu. Xinjiang food, of course, also adheres to those dietary rules, but the food also has its own style. Lots of noodle dishes (ban mien is my favoritie), mutton on a stick, indian style nan bread, the da pan ji ... the food has a really distinctive flavor. So any old muslim food definitly isn't Xinjiang food! I can't get enough of it myself, Xinjiang food is great.

Is there a difference between Hui restaurants and Xinjiang restaurants? Personally all the Chinese Muslim restaurants that I have seen in Shanghai serve similar dishes.

Is there a difference between Hui restaurants and Xinjiang restaurants?

Hui food, I think, tends to very similar to Chinese food but is halal (清真), whereas Xinjiang Muslim food is more Central Asian-like.

It's ironic that the food of an Islamic people is the kind has to go down with a lot of alcohol.

Several Hui and Xinjiang restaurants in Xi'an that I've visited had signs which prohibited drinking alcohol on the premises. I think it depends on how religious the individuals are, much like in Turkey, Lebanon, etc.

Bumping this up. I'm in HK and have eaten at Pascha. It's mediocre (to be nice) especially given the prices compared to what one would/should pay, especially back in the mainland. The 大盘鸡 was absolutely tiny and priced at $80HK, and it wasn't even that great...

So, my question is, does anyone know of a place to get quality Xinjiang food in Shenzhen, and provide an address/directions? I would actually make a trip to get some seeing how I've got a multiple entry visa.

I'd either take a bus from Wanchai or the KCR from TST East.