Oftentimes when people return from traveling Xinjiang and the Silk Road, the very first thing they want to get their hands on is a Xinjiang cookbook with authentic Uyghur recipes and Hui recipes.

Unfortunately – at least as far as  I can tell – this does not exist in English.

Fortunately there are plenty of online resources that can help…if you’re willing to dig and find them! I’ve decided to take a few minutes here to share with you a few of my favorite Xinjiang foods as well as the recipes that will allow you to cook them at home.

Each dish will have an internal link that will give you more details about the specific dish, as well as an external link to an authentic recipe for you to use.

Uyghur Bread Recipe – Naan (馕)

You can’t make Uyghur bread at home, right? Believe it or not, with the use of a good pizza stone or some clay quarry tiles, it is possible. It might not be exactly the same as what you remember in Xinjiang, but it will be the next best thing.

Big Plate Chicken Recipe – DaPanJi (大盘鸡)

Big Plate Chicken is probably one of the most tried and failed recipes in all of Xinjiang. Most people just don’t realize that the secret behind what makes DaPanJi so special is the red sauce. The DaPanJi recipe I’m sharing here is a bit difficult because there are some unfamiliar ingredients (Hsao Xing Wine for example), but this can be overcome.

If you don’t have access to a Chinese supermarket to get rice wine, a pale dry sherry will do the trick (apple juice will do if you don’t want to visit the liquor store). Also, the Xinjiang spice can be either a complex mix of spices, or you can just substitute cumin.

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Uyghur Polo Recipe – Pilaf (抓饭)

Although I believe this dish is more “Central Asian” than “Xinjiang”, it is still a dish that most people absolutely love when they travel here to Xinjiang. There are quite a few different types of polo that the Uyghur people make, but the most common is what you see here (and what the recipe describes).

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As requested on the FarWestChina Facebook page, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite pages on an old Xinjiang Airlines in-flight magazine circa 1994. Check it out:

I have shown an inflight public announcement from this same Xinjiang Airlines magazine, but this is by far my favorite 2-page spread. Xinjiang Airlines was acquired by China Southern back in 2003, so it’s likely you’ve never heard of them before.

You’ve probably never heard of Mohe Tobacco either.

Why is that? Well, for starters it’s because they are no longer in business. According to Baidu, the Mohe Factory was forcibly shut down in July of 2005. They claim it’s because the tobacco wasn’t up to standard, but my theory is that they finally realized that Mohe contained more than just tobacco.

Pot is another well-known favorite of the region and it is my theory (mind you this is just a theory) that this product contained more than this ad claims. What do you think? Am I out of line to even suggest this?

My absolute favorite line in this ad:

You often meet such a sight:the smoker speechlessly squats down by the Mohe tobacco vendor’s stall, cuts a sheet of newspaper into a small strip two fingers wide…picks up a small amount of tobacco grains…and rolls slowly up. On his face ripples an expression of perfect contentment…

For those of you that keep up with current events in Xinjiang and the deadly riots in Hotan (a.k.a. Khotan), I want to extend an apology for the ill timing of last week’s post entitled The Many Ways to Travel to Hotan. Obviously the sad news of the riots in Hotan have not only claimed the lives of many people, it has also made traveling there impossible for the time being.

Because I maintain a full-time job during the week, I usually write any articles the weekend before and schedule them to publish throughout the week. Such was the case here, where the travel article was written a few days before the deadly riots and was completely forgotten. To those whom this might have offended…I apologize.

What Happened in Hotan?

If you don’t keep up with Xinjiang news, let me catch you up on what happened last week. On Monday, July 18th 2011, a deadly clash between Uyghur civilians and Chinese police has left at least 18 people dead. According to Chinese reports this includes 2 policemen, 2 hostages and 14 Uyghur.

Chinese media claims that this was a “long-planned, unprovoked, terrorist attack” whereas Uyghur organizations insist that about 100 locals had “peacefully gathered to protest a police crackdown imposed on the city for the last two weeks”.

Police forces have placed checkpoints along the roads leading in and out of Hotan and have completely barricaded the area where this incident occurred so that no independent sources can verify either of these claims.

Where Exactly Did This Happen?

One of the usually fun places to visit in Hotan is an area known as the “Grand Bazaar” or 大巴扎 (dabaza). It is here where you can buy Uyghur trinkets, cloths, clothes, and some tasty Uyghur food.

About 200 yards to the southeast there is a police station guarded by a gate. Contrary to what you read in Xinhua or China Daily, this station isn’t in the “heart of the Grand Bazaar”, its a little ways south.

See below for a map of where all this took place or see this link on Google’s China Maps.

Crazy Things Worth Taking Note

What’s interesting are the discrepancies in the reporting and the strange trends that I’ve noticed. Check this out:

• China Daily claims that this attack took place at the “Naarburg Street police station” and even shows a picture. What you don’t realize it that this picture is actually cropped. The original photo reveals a sign that says this police station is located at 357 East TaiBei Street. I think I know why this is, but the picture cropping still seems sketchy to me.

Compare with the China Daily picture

• Another China Daily article chalked all this up to religious extremism, claiming that “They [the rioters] hang ultra-religious banners on the station building just to fabricate larger impacts.” As you can see in the picture above, no such banners are evident.
• Peter Dixie, a follower of FWC on Twitter, noted the presence of Chinese fireworks on the steps of the police station in the picture above. Important? I’m not sure. But I do know that most police don’t blow up fireworks in their spare time.
• Xinjiang officials have worked hard since 2009 to stop the “outside influence” of Uyghur organizations from the US and EU, so it would be counter-intuitive to blame this incident on them. Instead, a Chinese government think-tank has decided to place the blame on Pakistan.
• Considering how much China hates anniversaries (think 6.5, 7.4, etc.) I find it fascinating that the Chinese press has already named this the “7•18 事件” or “7.18 Incident”. Don’t you think they’d want to shy away from calling it by its date?

It took a few days, but China has finally released a few pictures of the incident, a few of which you can see below:

So you’ve heard of Khotan – also spelled Hotan – and you’re interested to travel there. As early as a decade ago such a journey would have taken days, but recently that time has been cut dramatically.

Traveling to Hotan has now become easier than ever thanks to the completion of a new railroad line and the addition of some flights. Below is a short guide to finding your way to one of the most well-preserved outposts along the Silk Road.

Travel to Hotan by Bus

By far the slowest way to get to Hotan is by bus, but that trip was made shorter thanks to the completion of the Tarim Highway, a 446km highway that cuts directly through the heart of the Taklamakan Desert. It’s an incredible opportunity to travel through the heart of one of the harshest deserts on the planet.

Bus tickets on this highway are cheap, running between 100-200 RMB depending on the class of bus you decide to take (there’s luxury, and then there’s lesser-luxury).They are also fairly easy to obtain and buses run on a regular schedule.

Tickets from Urumqi to Hotan will run you closer to 400RMB.

Travel to Hotan by Train

As of June 28, 2011, travelers can now reach Hotan by train from Urumqi via Kashgar. The entire trip takes 34-37 hours in total even though it’s really only the last 488km that were recently opened between Kashgar and Hotan.

A train isn’t much faster than a bus, but it is more comfortable. It’s also reasonably priced, ranging from 200RMB for a hard seat (don’t do it!) to well above 500RMB for a soft sleeper.

Click here to learn more about the Urumqi Train Station.

Travel to Hotan by Plane

Flying to Hotan is by far the quickest option of the three, and surprisingly there are a few options for such a small city. There are 4 flights that depart from the Urumqi Airport daily and then another two flights on random days.

You might here news of new flights from cities like Anhui, Hotan’s sister city inland, but in reality all of these flights first make a stop in Urumqi.

Flights from Urumqi to Khotan take about 2 hours and will cost between 700-1,000 RMB depending on the discount you can get.

Enjoy your journey to Khotan!

All across the web, many writers are taking part in a movement known as “My 7 Links” wherein bloggers share one of their articles for seven different categories and nominates 5 friends to do the same. Normally I don’t take part in these kinds of games, but this particular one caught my attention so I thought I’d give it a go.

I have been nominated twice, once by my friend Matt at the blog Waiguoren Critic of South China and also by Jonathan at Retrotraveller. If you’re somewhat new to this website you might find a few of my picks for these categories to be fascinating, so I invite you to click through and read.

Enjoy!

1. FarWestChina’s Most Beautiful Article

5 Fantastic Mountain Scenes in Xinjiang, China

I’ve always felt people are misled by the idea that the Xinjiang province is just sand and camels. This article was my attempt to show that we have just as many mountains as we do sand dunes.

From K2 to Tian Shan to Muztag Ata along the Karakoram Highway, mountains almost completely border Xinjiang and in fact cut the province in half.

2. FarWestChina’s Most Popular Article

Kashgar’s Old City Bulldozed – Is Uyghur Culture in Danger?

Although it was written back in 2009, my most popular post continues to be my commentary on the demise of Kashgar’s Old City. It was by luck that I was able to obtain some of the first published photos of the destruction and it caused quite the stir in the China community.

In addition to these photos, I also look back with pride at the impartial way I was able to craft this article to show both sides of this interesting story.

3. FarWestChina’s Most Controversial Article

Uyghur Christian in Muslim Xinjiang

Unlike many bloggers I know, being controversial hasn’t been very difficult for me thanks to my subject matter. I could insert several articles here, but instead I’ll just stick with this one.

Nothing breathes controversy like religion, and this article on the sentencing of a Uyghur Christian to jail was no exception. Read all 91 comments if you like…I gave up after a couple days. Some people are so filled with hate and prejudice, it’s unbelievable.

4. FarWestChina’s Most Helpful Article

How China Taught Me to Drive Better

Chinese people are horrible drivers, right? Not so fast. I had the privilege of obtaining a driver’s license while in Xinjiang (it wasn’t easy, believe me!) and I quickly took a crash course into dissecting a Chinese driver’s mind.

My conclusion was a bit surprising, even to me, and the success of this article prompted me to continue the “China Taught Me” series of posts which have been very well-received.

5. FarWestChina’s Surprise Success Post

The TRUTH About Xinjiang’s Internet Situation

What’s it like to live in an area where censorship is so big that you can’t even get on the internet for 10 months? Read this article to find out.

When I wrote this article I didn’t think much of it – I merely described what was happening in a province that was cut off from the rest of the world. It surprised me, then, to find out that nobody else knew what was going on within Xinjiang. I had broken news that even the BBC didn’t know (and because that was true, they actually contacted me to write an article for them…and I did!).

6. FarWestChina’s Least Appreciated Article

Religion in the Xinjiang Desert: Worship of An Unlikely Object

I spent so much time putting this article together on a subject that has completely fascinated me since coming to Xinjiang. I published it thinking “Oh yea, wait until everybody on Facebook and Twitter get a hold of this!”

And then nothing. No comments, no tweets…nothing.

I still maintain that this is one of my favorite articles of all time, mixing pictures from the present and from history to describe a crazy desert phenomenon.

7. FarWestChina’s Most Proud Article

Why it’s Good to Live (or Travel to) Xinjiang

I love looking back at early articles that I wrote during my first couple years in Xinjiang. This article, written in November of 2008, is a great reminder to me of how I got to Xinjiang in the first place and why I continue to fall in love with the province more and more.

If you’re on the fence wondering if you should make a trip out here or relocate yourself, read this series first. Hopefully it will convince you.

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Which of these is your favorite? I’m just curious and I’d love to get your feedback. Maybe there’s one on here that you think should be on here and I’d like to know.

Oh yes, and I nominate Mark at Mark’s China Blog, Lauren at Abandon the Cube and  Charlie at Chengdu Living.