It’s all about the lamb. On yet another freezing afternoon, I biked over to the Dongsi 东四 area with a friend and gorged on mutton at Crescent Moon Uighur Muslim Restaurant (Wanwan yueliang 弯弯月亮), a Xinjiang restaurant. Quite apropos as Xinjiang, located at the northwesternmost corner of China, is even colder than Beijing, and Xinjiang Uighur food is awfully cozy. Mutton, naan and noodles dominate the menu, with vegetables usually popping up in the form of onions, tomatoes, and peppers. And of course, there’s the famous dapanji 大盘鸡, directly translated as “big plate of chicken.” This is not an aggrandizement nor false advertising. My first encounter with this dish was on my travels in Urumqi, and the big… READ MORE | 3 Comments
