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Middle Eastern and Chinese Tastes in KashkarChinese Food in the Middle East
Spring Volume: 2017 Issue: 24(1) pages: 13 to 14
In a previous issue, we discussed Yugur and Uyghur
foods but with no mention of Kashkar, an important
city ruled at one time or another by Tibetan,
Persian, Turkic, or Mongol people. Many living there
were Muslims in this large city more than two thousand
years old. Then and now, more than thirty different
ethnic populations lived and live here. It was on the ancient Silk Road and a city whose
name meant ‘place to find jade.’ It was bounded by
Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, is close to
Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan, and India, and on the edge of
the Taklimakan Desert. The city looks Chinese, but
much of its food does taste more Middle Eastern than
Chinese. An imperial envoy of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian (164-
114 BCE), did visit here when it was called Shule; that
was in 119 BCE. One of this envoy’s tasks was to make
alliances in this Chinese territory. He did not succeed
all that well because there was lots of Uyghur culture,
lots of Uyghur economics, Uyghur politics, and their
food, too. This place had many farms, pastures, and
local products, and many people did follow the Islamic
rule eating, in their attire, art, and architecture as their
heritage was Middle Eastern. This Oasis city had many traditional bakeries, one of
China’s largest mosques, a Sunday Animal Market,
a crowded bazaar, and a huge night market. Day and
night one could buy beasts and breakfast, dried fruit
and pilaf, and a dessert called zonga. Here was a local
take on sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, matang
which was their nut nougat covered in creamy yogurt
curds drizzled with brown sugar syrup. There were
spices in dora dermak shops where the most popular
one was a mixture called tetitku. People here had a strong sense of family, and they were
hospitable. Different generations did live together in
one compound, and strangers were warmly welcomed.
They always washed both hands before and after
eating; and they never sat with the soles of their feet
facing others as most often they sat on their heels. At
meals, they tore their naan, their bread, into small
pieces, never bit into a whole one. They accepted a cup
of tea with two hands and never brought dirty dishes
into a mosque or a cemetery. Kashkar was and still is home to Indian, Christian, Arab
people, and many Islamic and Chinese cultures. This
was a Buddhist commercial hub with its own unique
charm, a place where females were never allowed into
a mosque, non-Muslims never allowed to attend a
Friday worship service. The Heyigah Meschit or main mosque had a tower
for sightseeing, showed many exhibitions, and had a
museum of Western regional things. The main shopping
street did and still does sell lots of gold jewelry, many
handicrafts, and all kinds of pottery. Five hundred
years ago, there was a school here that spread Islamic
culture. This was an international place connecting China with
Western Asia and Europe. During the Yuan Dynasty
(1271 - 1368 CE), the fiefdom of Genghis Khan and his
second son, Chagatai, ruled. In the second century CE,
art was popular and colorful, and folks bought many
water jugs, bowls, plates, trays, drinking cups, and
mugs in many colors. They still do. People here lived in homes with skylights and terraces,
but no modern conveniences. The Kazahks ate usng
their hands, their Han neighbors used chopsticks. Both
ate much nang, and those who were Turkic ate theirs
Muslim style flavored with cumin, chili, cinnamon,
garlic, saffron, sesame, and yogurt. They put sugar on
top, their lamb pies were pan-grilled and stuffed with
carrots and onions. They adored lagmen and other noodle dishes made
Uyghur style, and their whole lambs were fat, popular,
and two-years old. They were sold with red silk tied
around their necks, their mouths stuffed with fresh
caraway. Chicken was cooked with carrots and onions,
mutton called polu came fried with onions, rice
steamed with carrots and onions, too. Kebabs were
called kawaplar and made with beef or lamb, seasoned
with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds, then grilled after
soaking them in milk, butter, salt, and sugar. Here and in Taiwan they make Big Plate Chicken
and called it dapanji. It is made with chili peppers,
potatoes, hand-pulled noodles, and served with gravy.
Some is boiled with raisons, sliced onions, carrots,
small cubes of fried beef, and cubes of fat; the raisons
grown and dried in Turfan and called museles. Beverages could be horse milk which they called kymyz
or xibe, and eaten with sheep entrails accompanied
by dongxiang, which is a thick soup of mutton served
with steamed twisted rolls. The Muslims also enjoyed
roasted fish with rice as long as it was halal. The
Uyghurs ate sangza or crispy twisted fried bread or
baked buns called kao baozi at breakfast, and lamb
yutaza, a steamed many-layered bread at other meals. At lunch or dinner, everyone enjoyed nangbaorou
which are pan-grilled lamb pies, pamirdin or baked
pies stuffed with lamb, carrots, and onions, or both
with kao baozi, their crispy buns filled with onion,
potato, mutton, spices, and a sauce called shorpa. It is
close to lamb soup. Some people born here did tell us they enjoy kawaplar,
their lamb or beef made as kebabs. These came
seasoned with chili powder, black pepper, salt, and
cumin. They also ate a pilaf of lamb, carrots, peppers,
and rice made with lots of oil, and drank black tea,
kvass, or a non-alcoholic beverage made with honey
they called gewasi. This if made with nuts and honey
was called matang. Many Middle-Eastern breads
are loved in this region, including the one in the next
column.
Nang Bing, A Local Flat Bread |
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Ingredients:
1½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1½ cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup pastry four
1 cup wheat germ
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon peanut oil
Optional are: various seeds such as sesame, nigella,
fennel, ground black pepper, and/or coarse salt
Preparation:
1. In large bowl with a dough hook, mix yeast, salt,
sugar, and 1 cup warm water, and let stand until foamy,
then add a quarter cup more flour, the wheat germ,
butter, and the oil and mix until dough comes together.
2. Preheat oven to 500 degree F, and insert a pizza
stone. Punch the dough down, cover it, and let it rise
until double in volume. Then put it on a floured surface
and divide iy into four parts. Let them rest for fifteen
minutes before rolling one flat and into a seven-inch
circle. Put it on a floured baking sheet, and repeat
until all are made and have been able to rise another
half an hour.
3. Slightly prick the dough with a fork, brush with water,
and sprinkle with desired seeds, then transfer to the
hot stone and bake until golden, about three minutes.
Then serve.
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