Street food & snacks · Xinjiang
Xinjiang Lamb Skewers
烤羊肉串 — Cumin-and-chili lamb kebabs grilled over open coals — the smell of every night market from Kashgar to Beijing, and the definitive Xinjiang street food.
The Uyghur technique is distinctive: fat and lean threaded alternately, grilled fast over red coals, seasoned only with cumin, chili flakes and salt. The fat renders into the lean as the skewer turns; the result is smoky, juicy and spiced in a way that instantly explains why the dish conquered every night market in China.
In Kashgar’s old town the skewers come with nan bread and unlimited tea; in Urumqi they come with laghman noodles. In Xi’an they close out the Muslim Quarter crawl. Order by the five-skewer handful, not the piece.
Where to eat it
- Kashgar old-town barbecue alleys
- Urumqi night markets
- Xi’an Muslim Quarter grill stalls
Named tables that do it well
- Tong Sheng Xiang — Local Institution
- De Fa Chang — Local Institution
- Fan Ji Roujiamo — Local Institution
- Lao Sun Jia — Local Institution
Routes that eat their way here
More dishes to know
- Dumplings (饺子)
- Jianbing (煎饼果子)
- Roujiamo (肉夹馍)
- Oyster Omelette (Ou Ah Jian) (海蛎煎)
- Cong You Bing (Scallion Pancake) (葱油饼)
- Yangrou Paomo (羊肉泡馍)