Lamb Skewers (Yangrou Chuan)

Lamb skewers (yangrou chuan) are the most widely consumed street food in northern China, found in every city from Xinjiang to Harbin in every form of outdoor market and night-market. The dish originated in Xinjiang Uyghur cooking, where grilling lamb over charcoal seasoned with cumin and dried chilli is a foundational cooking technique, and was adopted across the north through the migration of Uyghur street vendors and the general popularity of the flavour.

The preparation is simple and must be done correctly at high heat: cubed lamb — specifically fatty cuts that will char at the edges but remain moist inside — is threaded onto metal or bamboo skewers, alternating lean meat with fat. The skewers are laid over a charcoal grill and turned repeatedly. At the point of service, ground cumin and dried chilli flakes are applied to both sides and the skewers returned to the heat briefly. The fat renders and drips onto the coals, creating flares that add a degree of smokiness. Salt is applied last.

The cumin is the defining note. Chinese cumin (particularly the Xinjiang variety, grown in the hot, arid conditions of the Tarim Basin) has a warmer, more resinous quality than Western cumin and is used generously. The combination of lamb fat, char, cumin, and dried chilli is what makes the flavour so immediately identifiable.

Skewers are sold by the stick and eaten standing at the stall or walking. Quantities of five to ten sticks are standard for a snack; twenty or thirty make a meal when combined with bread. Cold beer is the conventional accompaniment in non-Muslim contexts; mint tea or herbal drinks at halal vendors.

The best skewers in China are a matter of serious dispute between the advocates of Xi'an's Muslim Quarter, Urumqi's evening markets, and the many Xinjiang-operated stalls in other cities. Freshness of the lamb and quality of the charcoal are the variables that matter most.