With "Piyazi", Xinjiang people can eat meat in large quantities

▲ Piy?z means onion in Persian. Photography/Flying through the window D young people Picture/Picture Chong·Creativity

-Fengwujunyu-

Why do I always have tears in my eyes?

Because of my deep love for Piyazi

Maybe even Xinjiang people don’t realize that “Piyazi”, also known as onions, is an unbeatable character in Xinjiang cuisine.

It’s no wonder, who said Xinjiang’s gourmet wife is so amazing? Nang is the staple food of Xinjiang people; mutton is also the most famous thing in the world; there are also the heroic pilaf, the unique style of strips, and the small and exquisite baked buns...everything makes people want to gain weight. Want to indulge in it.

▲ Nang, the staple food of Xinjiang! Photography/Teacup Stork Picture/Picture Chong·Creativity

However, these delicacies that are well-known in the "foodie world" are actually inseparable from the cooperation of Pi YaZi - naan needs to be seasoned with Pi YaZi, and mutton relies on skin. Pi Ya Zi relieves greasiness. Baked buns are stuffed with Pi Ya Zi crumbs. Pi Ya Zi is an indispensable ingredient in rice pilaf and steamed rice noodles. Even the Xinjiang Grand Theater in Urumqi is affectionately called the "Piyazi Grand Theater" because of its similar shape.

▲ "Piyazi Grand Theater" in Urumqi. Photography/Dajiang L Picture/Tu Chong·Creativity

Piyazi may be just a short-lived supporting role in a certain dish; however, looking at the entire Xinjiang flavor stage, it can be called a resounding protagonist!

Piyazi is to the people of Xinjiang, just like garlic is to the northerners, and green onions are to the people of Shandong. It is naturally indispensable for cooking, but eating it raw is even more wild and unrestrained.

As the saying goes, "If you eat meat without garlic, the taste will be half as bad." For Xinjiang people who like mutton the most, Pi Ya Zi has replaced raw garlic and become the "sacred meat accompaniment" to relieve fatigue and enhance the flavor. ”, and also has the effect of lowering blood lipids. Therefore, with a "skin" in hand, you can let go of your belly, eat meat, and have a carnival of fun.

▲ Pi Ya Zi is a vegetable, so you can eat mutton with Pi Ya Zi, rounding it off can also be considered as a weight loss. Photography/Guardian Angel Picture/Picture Chong·Creativity

In Xinjiang, the most common way to cook mutton is undoubtedly stew. Good ingredients often only require the simplest cooking method. A large piece of mutton is stewed in a pot until the meat is tender. During this period, onions, ginger, salt, pepper and other seasonings are added in appropriate amounts according to personal taste. However, after taking it out of the pot, a lot of skin Teeth strips are essential.

The original stewed mutton is delicate and soft, with a rich meaty aroma; the skin is spicy and crispy, but has a sweet aftertaste in the mouth. The tastes of the two complement each other and the flavors are consistent. When the tender and juicy stewed mutton meets the sweet and spicy taste of the skin, it is the "gold wind and jade dew meeting each other", which is enough to win the world.

▲ The retro enamel teapot is the standard for teapots. Photography/User Wolf of the North Picture/Picture Chong·Creativity

The "tank meat" invented by the people of Kashgar is a pocket version of stewed mutton. There are retro enamel tea jars arranged on the stove, in which ingredients such as mutton, carrots, and skin yams are added. In some places, some Xinjiang specialty "Qiamagu" is also placed. This time, the mutton and Pi Ya Zi had a "long conversation" in a small tea vat. They blended together during the continuous stewing, and Pi Ya Zi disappeared without a trace, turning into the fragrance of the meat and the sweetness of the soup.

▲ A pinch of salt is enough to bring out the flavor of the lamb. Photography/Sheep-herding star

And the most famous barbecue in Xinjiang needs Piyazi to assist.

The cooking method of barbecue can be called a "minimalist style": in terms of ingredients, mutton is often "three lean and one fat". There is no need to add additional oil, and the mutton oil in the fat meat will naturally come out sizzlingly. It comes out and penetrates into the lean meat; for seasoning, you only need to sprinkle a handful of salt on it, or drop a puddle of salt water on the plate, and add a handful of cumin at most, and the flavor of the barbecue will be fully revealed.

When the time is right, put the shiny meat skewers on the naan, cut a few slices of skin and eat the meat one bite at a time. The greasy taste caused by the fat will be completely eliminated by the skin. What remains is a charming smoky smell and a long-lasting barbecue aroma.

▲ The authentic way to eat Xinjiang barbecue. Photography/wangzfjuv Picture/Tu Chong·Creativity

In Urumqi and other places in northern Xinjiang, there is also a kind of kebab called "Seppi" (pronounced similar to "CP"), which involves removing the spleen of a sheep. When it is empty, stuff it with chopped skin teeth, minced fat lamb, minced lamb liver, etc., then seal it and bake it on the rack. When the fat and the skin melt together, the rich aroma of the oil and the fragrance of the skin are intertwined, and the resulting taste is no less delicious than the extremely tender roasted kidneys.

In addition to mutton, Pi Ya Zi is also a companion of horse meat, beef and other ingredients. Kazakh Naren usually has a lower floor, and a large amount of horse meat and leather teeth are arranged on the upper floor, and a pot of milk tea is cooked to relieve greasiness and digestion; there is also a kind of "horse intestines", where horse meat is stuffed into the horse intestines. After making it, cut it into thin slices and eat it with skinny strips. It also has a wonderful flavor.

▲ Horse intestines, a very unique Xinjiang delicacy. Photography/Nowhere to Come/Pictures·Creativity

Therefore, for Xinjiang people, mutton is indeed the irreplaceable overlord on the table, and Piyazi is the irreplaceable partner of mutton. Xinjiang is It tastes like mutton, but it also tastes like skin.

If when it comes to mutton, Piyazi is just a supplement, then in the staple food, it is the core ingredient that affects the flavor. In Xinjiang, the three major staple foods are naan, pilaf and pulled strips. In the middle, Piyazi can "debut in the C position" and control the whole game.

▲ Xinjiang’s Pi Ya Zi Naan. Photography/Lanlan LAN Pictures/Tu Chong·Creativity

Naan is firmly at the top of the list of staple foods for Xinjiang people. However, few outsiders know that crispy naan bread is often coated with salt water and chopped onions on the surface before baking, and then placed in a naan pit for baking. Under the catalysis of heat, the bread expands and turns into a brown color, and the noodle will turn into burnt black particles and adhere to it. The spicy and slightly sweet flavor penetrates into the naan, making its taste richer and layered. feel.

When the baked naan comes out of the pit, the wheat aroma of the naan mixed with the fragrance of the skin wafts out. Taking a bite, it makes people feel like they are on a farm in late autumn, with the wind blowing the wheat waves, the fresh land, and everything in front of them. A ripe golden color.

▲ The combination of naan and meat requires onions to bridge the gap. Photography/Mutu_21 Picture/Tu Chong·Creativity

In Xinjiang’s pilaf, soy sauce and curry are not added to add color, nor are ginger, star anise, peppercorns and other spices added for seasoning. Only the original rice, mutton, carrots, yellow radish, and our protagonist Pi Yazi are stir-fried, fused, and intertwined together in the big pot. Only the aroma of the mutton, vegetables, and rice itself is exuded.

When people in Xinjiang make pilaf, they usually use a large, thick iron pot, which conducts heat slowly and allows the heat to dissipate slowly and continuously to complete the "stewing" process. After being simmered for a long time, it was finally served, but it was difficult for diners to find the whereabouts of Piyazi in the rice - after finishing the seasoning, it had already "finished and left" and melted itself into the hot rice. You see It is nowhere to be seen, but there are traces of it everywhere in the rice.

▲ The pilaf is fried and simmered in a large pot, and the taste is amazing.

Photography/Happy Photographer cdf picture/Picture Chong·Creativity

Compared with the low profile in the "Zhaofan", Piyazi appears to be very aggressive and sweeping in the Xinjiang people's "Tiaozi".

How many types of pimps are there in Xinjiang? Minced meat noodles, spicy egg noodles, eggplant meat noodles, leek meat noodles, oiled meat noodles... There are dozens of kinds at least, too many to count, so much so that people in Xinjiang often eat pulled rice noodles without being picky. Ingredients, you have a big plate in hand, you put whatever you have, and the styles are very different in different regions. However, only Piyazi is unbeatable and almost universal in the pasta world.

▲ According to friends from Xinjiang, only when the vegetables and noodles are packaged separately is the authentic way to eat Tiaozi in Xinjiang. Photography/Guo Lu LuGuo Pictures/Tu Chong·Creativity

La Tiaozi’s “work of carrying the tripod” When mixing noodles with oily meat, the essence lies in the oil, whether it is large pieces of meat, chewy noodles or bright color The dishes were all rendered brilliantly with oil. However, oil can make a plate of noodles, but it can also make the noodles too greasy. The appearance of Pi Ya Zi neutralizes most of the greasiness. Add a few cloves of garlic and the powerful combination will make people appetite.

The love that Xinjiang people have for their hometown is so intense that it makes them cry.

In the night market when the lights are on, a few plastic stools are moved away. Before waiting for the barbecue to come on, Xinjiang people often ask for a plate of "spicy red" - Piyazi pepper tomatoes, which can be regarded as a pre-dinner meal. Hors d'oeuvres. These three ingredients are sour, spicy, sweet and spicy, and are good at stimulating appetite. Add a few mouthfuls of "Deadly Wusu" and a night full of fireworks begins.

▲ "Pi Spicy Red", also called "Tiger Vegetable", as the name suggests, is a combination of Pi Ya Zi, peppers and tomatoes. Photography/Big Zoom Small Eye Picture/Picture Chong·Creativity

When barbecue comes on stage, Xinjiang people have to order another plate of skin noodles and hold the meat in one hand - it can be barbecue or roast lamb Legs, roasted kidneys, roasted lamb chops, roasted liver, etc., with the other hand, grab a few strands of leather teeth and stuff them into your mouth, making the mouth a battlefield where the meat and vegetables are tit-for-tat. When the troops are over, they raise a glass and drink, with a big heart. smooth.

Xinjiang baked buns, which are mainly made from shredded Pi Yazi, can be served as breakfast or afternoon tea, and are also popular as a late-night snack.

▲ Among the baked buns, Hotan ones are the cutest. Photography/The Stars of the Sheep Baby

Baked buns are available in many places in Xinjiang, but Hotan baked buns are the only ones that are round and famous throughout Xinjiang for their flavor. Despite the small size of the buns, the thin dough is almost filled with meat fillings. Among them, diced mutton leg meat, diced mutton oil and shredded skin yam are "three-thirds of the world", especially the mutton fat and skin yam are both delicious. The power makes the baked buns extremely tender and juicy, with rich layers and a sweet taste.

Baked buns fresh out of the oven have the best flavor and can be hard and round throughout, making them difficult to eat. People in Xinjiang often bring a bowl of local herbal tea, first buckle the flat end, wait until the dough is soft, then use a knife to pry it open from the bottom, forming an "edible bowl" filled with concentrated broth, and serve it while it's hot. After eating the meat and soup, he ate the dough soaked in the meat juice, and finally even the medicinal tea, sipped it all and left in a leisurely manner.

▲ Take a bite of Baozi when he is not paying attention. Picture/"Breakfast in China Season 2"

Just like how disgusted foreigners only talk about "barbeque kebabs" but don't know about barbecue, Xinjiang people wandering in foreign lands are always incomprehensible to people at the same table. "Eating Pi Ya Zi alive" is beautiful but helpless. After all, when it is used as an onion, it is just a dispensable condiment; however, when it is turned into a pickle, it is enough to make a meal lively.

Therefore, when homesick, each skin represents the Xinjiang people’s longing for their homeland, peeling off layers of homesickness, sometimes with a sweet aftertaste, sometimes with tears in their eyes.

"Did you choke on the onions?"

"No, I miss home."

- END -

Text丨September

*Special thanks to Kut and Lao Li