Xinjiang Zhua Fan / Polo (Uyghur Lamb Pilaf)
Not fried rice, silk road pilaf cooked from raw rice with lamb fat
Description
The Xinjiang Uyghur version of 'Polo' (Pilaf) eaten across Central Asia. Unlike fried rice which tosses leftover rice, this is the ancestor of pilaf. Mutton and massive amounts of yellow carrots are fried, then 'raw rice' is submerged in their oil and broth, and simmered until fluffy inside a giant pot.
Restaurants serving Xinjiang Zhua Fan / Polo (Uyghur Lamb Pilaf)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Raw rice
- Mutton(chunks)
- Yellow carrots(regular carrots work)
- Onion
- Lamb fat
- Cumin powder
- Salt
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Ingredients) Chop bone-in (or chunky) mutton. Julienne Xinjiang's special 'Yellow Carrots' and regular carrots into thick strips. Mince onions.
- Heat generous oil (lamb fat is best) in a massive iron cauldron. Fry the mutton until deeply browned, rendering the fat completely.
- Add onions for aroma, then dump in massive carrots. Fry until the carrots turn limp and dye the oil bright yellow.
- Season heavily with salt and cumin. Pour in water and boil.
- [Cooking Raw Rice]: Spread soaked 'raw rice' flat in an even layer completely over the ingredients (DO NOT MIX. The rice must sit on top as the top layer).
- Cover and simmer on low for
- mins-
- hour until the rice absorbs the mutton broth and steams fluffy.
- Once cooked, mix everything from the bottom up. Often garnished with raisins.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Pure mutton umami and the premium sweetness of oil-fried carrots、油で炒めた人参の極上の甘み
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Fry ingredients and cook with raw rice in a JP rice cooker)
Pairing
Lamb Skewers / Kawap(BBQ)
Trivia
[Trivia] Go to any Xinjiang bazaar, and you will see massive 1-meter cauldrons (Kazan) cooking Polo, filling the streets with the sweet scent of lamb fat and carrots. It is the absolute greatest feast, mandatory for Uyghur weddings and festivals.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] The characters 'Zhua Fan' literally mean 'Hand-Grabbed Rice', and it was traditionally eaten with hands, though modern restaurants use spoons. The rice, having absorbed lamb fat to its limit, shines golden. The intense sweetness of the carrots completely neutralizes any lamb funk.
Allergen
Mutton