Lamb Skewers

Lamb skewers (yángròu chuàn) are the most recognisable street food of Xinjiang, now found throughout China wherever Uyghur food stalls operate. Small cubes of lamb — ideally from the leg or rib — are threaded alternating with fat pieces onto thin metal skewers, then grilled over charcoal while being basted repeatedly with a rub of cumin, chilli flakes, dried garlic and salt. The cumin-forward seasoning is distinctly Central Asian and sets these apart from generic Chinese barbecue. The fat pieces are essential: they baste the lean as they render, keeping the skewer moist. Xinjiang lamb itself has a mild, less gamey character compared with Mongolian or Inner Mongolian breeds, attributed to the diet of local grasses. Night markets in Urumqi and Kashgar are filled with the smoke of dozens of simultaneous braziers.