Ingrediënten
Baking tools:
- thin rolling pin 50 cm,
- (piece of broomhandle)
- non stick frying pan,
- bottom 22 cm diameter
Chicken (for 2 persons):
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seed
- ½ teaspoon szechuan pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Chinese anise
- 2 chicken legs chopped in half
- 2 peeled potatoes in thick slices
- 1 red and 1 green pepper
- 2 coarsely minced spring onions
- 1 clove garlic
- salt
- small piece fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons rice wine or sherry
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- coriander leaves
‘Bread’ (makes 2):
- 250 g plain flour
- 150 ml warm water
- 2 g salt
- 35 g molten butter
Bread from the Chinese province Xinjiang (‘New Border’) the domain of the Uyghurs, which they themselves call East Turkestan. Uyghur people are originally nomads, speaking a Turkish dialect. They settled in this region around 840, were converted to Islam in the 10th century, were occupied by the Chinese in the 18th century and annexed to that country in 1955 after al kinds of entanglement during the Sovjet regime. In 2010 their dalai lama Rebiya Kadeer was in the Netherlands to ask attention for the discrimination against this minority.
Uyghurs live very traditionally, reject the atheism of Chinese communism and do not like modernisation. And so even their food preparation is traditional. For Qatlima nan you do not need more tools than a rolling pin and a frying pan, after all nomads had to carry everything when travelling.
Spicy chicken (Da pan ji = chicken on a large plate) is a popular restaurant dish in Xinjiang. Obviously Chinese influence. Today the population of the province is 6 million Chinese against 8 million Uyghurs.
- Chicken: Sauté the spices in oil, fry the chicken pieces light brown, add potatoes, whole peppers, onions, garlic and salt, sauté for a minute. Add the ginger in pieces, the rice wine and the soy sauce. Cover and simmer until done (45 minutes). Add tomatoes in segments after 20 minutes. Sprinkle with coriander leaves before serving.
- Bread: Mix the flour in a bowl with the warm water and the salt. Knead an elastic dough. Cover and leave to rest for a quarter of an hour.
- On a floured working surface roll the dough out to a circle of 45 cm diameter. Spread with molten butter. Roll tightly around the rolling pin. Cut through along the length to losen the dough from the pin, divide the dough into halves lengthwise. Roll up both long dough strings tightly from the small side. Roll out to 22 cm diameter. Brush the flour away.
- Lightly grease the frying pan with butter. Fry the dough rounds on either side till light brown and crunchy.
- Chicken: Sauté the spices in oil, fry the chicken pieces light brown, add potatoes, whole peppers, onions, garlic and salt, sauté for a minute. Add the ginger in pieces, the rice wine and the soy sauce. Cover and simmer until done (45 minutes). Add tomatoes in segments after 20 minutes. Sprinkle with coriander leaves before serving.
