Explore the Diverse Uyghur Cuisine, from Handmade Laghman Noodles to Irresistible Dapanji

During my semester abroad in Beijing, I had the opportunity to try Uyghur cuisine for the first time and was immediately impressed. The handmade noodles were rich, the spices were hot, the vegetables were colorful and crunchy, and the meat was tender. I was even more delighted to discover that there is excellent Uyghur cuisine in Germany, such as Taklamakan in Munich.

Taklamakan Restaurant, located at the Isartor in Munich, offers traditional cuisine from Xinjiang, a province in China that is home to the Chinese Uyghur minority. Uyghur cuisine is characterized by Central Asian, Turkish and Chinese influences. It contains handmade noodle dishes, dumplings, spicy kebabs and a variety of rice dishes. Flatbread is also a common accompaniment, and the use of lamb is particularly pronounced.

Where does the name of the Restaurant come from? Taklamakan is the second largest sand desert in the world and covers about one seventh of the area of Xinjiang province. An Uyghur proverb says: ‘if you go in, you never come out,’ and that sentiment is reflected in this restaurant as well.

In today’s post, I will focus entirely on the popular noodle dishes of Xinjiang and Taklamakan and introduce two of the absolute classics, laghman (拉⾯ in Chinese) and tohu kordak or better known as dapanji (⼤盘鸡 in Chinese).

Let’s start with Taklamakan Läghmen, the homemade version of this highly popular dish in Xinjiang. It contains the traditional hand-pulled noodles, tender pieces of beef and colorful vegetables. The hand-pulled noodles, as the name suggests, are made by stretching and pulling the noodle dough by hand. As a result, the noodles are often considerably longer and thicker than conventional pasta (e.g. spaghetti).

The origins of Laghman can be traced back to the Chinese lamian (拉面, ‘stretched noodles’), which were introduced to Beijing from Shandong during the Ming dynasty in the 15th century. Crafting these noodles requires great skill and according to ancient Chinese tradition, it takes years, if not decades, of practice to master this technique. The process of making La Mian is akin to magic, transforming a lump of dough into countless noodles in a short amount of time through skillful pulling, swinging, twisting, and beating.

When the pasta is ready, tit are served with a spicy, aromatic broth, fresh green and red peppers, and small, tender pieces of beef. The texture of the filling noodles, the easy to chew aromatic beef, the crunchy vegetables, and the spiciness of the broth create a wonderfully full flavor.

Our absolute favorite in almost every Uyghur restaurant and especially in the Taklamakan is the Dapanji or Tohu Kordak. Dapanji is Chinese and means “big chicken dish”. According to one theory, the dish originated in northern Xinjiang, where it was first created by a migrant from Sichuan from a mixture of red chili peppers, chicken, and potatoes.

The name says it all with this dish: a large plate full of chicken on the bone. It is accompanied by wide noodles, bell peppers and potatoes. The plate is seasoned with garlic, ginger, chili, cumin and Sichuan peppercorns. Cooking oil and soy or beer are used for the sauce. It is really the mixture that makes the difference, many different taste buds are appealed to and there is really something for everyone.

Taklamakan has some of the best dapanji I have had the pleasure of eating in Germany, sensationally tender chicken cooked on the bone, which gives off delicious flavors and makes the meat juicier. Hearty noodles and potatoes that impressively absorb the spicy flavor of the sauce. So if you ever find yourself in Taklamakan Restaurant, you really have no choice but to order the Dapanji.

What do you think? Have you ever tried Uyghur noodle dishes and are you impressed by the incredible variety of Uyghur cuisine? Please give us your feedback, we look forward to your comments and suggestions.