Author Notes
In the Chinese City of Kashgar in the Xinjiang province of Western China, this dish is standard lunch fare at the outdoor markets. Men set up shop with a fresh lamb or goat carcass, a charcoal fired grill cart and a large pot, and sell plates heaped with pulao, an Uzbek version of pilaf, and lamb kebabs which you eat with your hands. I will tell you, the pulao is made with the fatty parts of the lamb, and a lot of suet and oil, so I found it greasier and gamier tasting than we Yanks would like, so I've adapted the recipe a bit to lighten it up, and brighten up the flavor a bit. I didn't have a recipe for the kebabs, other than watching the men grill it, but the flavors and ingredients weren't hard to guess, and after a bit of research and experimentation, this is pretty damn close to the original. This is served with their traditional flatbread, a Nan, for which I posted a recipe here: http://www.food52.com/recipes... —Burnt Offerings
Ingredients
- Uighur Lamb Kebobs
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1.5 pounds
leg of lamb, lamb loin, or shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes
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1
large onion roughly chopped
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2
cloves garlic
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2 tablespoons
Canola oil
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2 tablespoons
Pomegranate molasses or 1/3 cup Pomegranatejuice
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1 teaspoon
ground cumin seed
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1/2 teaspoon
roasted, ground coriander seed
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1/2 teaspoon
allspice
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1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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3/4 teaspoon
cayenne pepper
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6 ounces
lamb suet (optional)
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8
bamboo or metal skewers
- Uighur Pulao
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1 pound
boneless lamb leg, shoulder or loin chopped into tiny pieces
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3 tablespoons
Canola oil
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1
large yellow onion finely diced
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4
large carrots, peeled and finely diced
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4 cups
water or chicken stock
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3
dried chiles - whole
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1
head of garlic, whole, unpeeled, cut in half
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2 cups
medium grain rice - Valencia is good for this.
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2 teaspoons
salt
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1 teaspoon
freshly ground pepper
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2
star anise
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2 teaspoons
ground cumin
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2 teaspoons
ground coriander
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1/2 cup
sultanas
Directions
- Uighur Lamb Kebobs
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Place the onion, garlic, oil, molasses, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne in a small food processor and process into a paste.
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Add the paste to the lamb, mix well, and marinate for 2 hours, refrigerated.
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Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes in water to avoid them burning. Prepare a charcoal grill with medium coals.
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Thread the lamb onto the skewers alternating each piece with a small piece of suet. This is the traditional method. The suet melts and flavors the lamb. I usually skip this step, but it does make it juicy. Don't crowd the lamb pieces on the skewer.
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Grill the kebobs, turning every 2 minutes or so, for about 8 minutes total, until they are cooked and have nice grill marks.
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Serve with pulao, Nan and a cold beer.
- Uighur Pulao
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In a large pot, heat the Canola oil over medium heat, add the lamb, and brown on all sides, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
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Add the onion and carrots, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are starting to soften, about 7 minutes.
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Add the water, chiles, and garlic,and bring to a boil.
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Add the rice and spices, bring back to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, add the sultanas, and cook for another 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed the water.
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Serve with Kebobs and Nan.
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