michael's vineyard: Xinjiang Soup Meal (新疆汤饭 Xinjiang Tang Fan): Family Recipe

Xinjiang Soup Meal (Tang Fan) is an incredibly hearty dish all-year round, with plenty of vegetables, proteins and delicious soup. It's also extremely versatile because you can choose your favorite veggies and meat to add! It's one of the most popular dishes in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

Ingredients:

1. Peanut oil (recommended) corn oil, or canola oil.

2. Veggies: 2-3 Tomatoes, 1-2 potatoes, 1/4 radish, shiitake mushrooms(Xianggu), cilantros, 5 to 7 garlic cloves, 1 small ginger, 1 green Chinese onion, carrots (optional), 4 to 6 celery sticks (optional)

3. Meat: Any lean meat of your choice. Cut into small dices.

4. Sauce and seasonings: 1 can of tomato sauce, Chinese style vinegar, Chinese style light soy sauce, Chinese style dark soy sauce, salt, ground black pepper, Chicken powder

5. Short-cut pasta (penne, elbow, Farfalle, etc.)

Some pictures ( for newbies...)

Chinese style light soy sauce: “Lee Kum Kee” brand

Chinese style dark soy sauce: “Lee Kum Kee” brand Mushroom Dark Soy Sauce.

Chinese style chicken powder:

Preparation:

Step 1. Mince the peeled garlic cloves, peeled ginger, and Chinese green onion. Peel potatoes, radish, and carrots. Cut all veggies and meat into small pieces.

Step 2. Put the wok on the burner. Use high heat for the burner. Pour in 100ml (3.4 ounce) of oil.

Wait until the oil is hot enough before adding anything! Let oil warm up for about 3 minutes. Cooking ingredients in tepid oil will not deliver delicious taste.

Step 3. After the oil is hot, add ginger, Chinese green onion, and pork tenderloins. Stir for about 30 seconds.

When the redness on the meat begins to diminish, immediately move to the next step.

Step 4. Add ONE SMALL SPOON of vinegar and ONE SMALL SPOON of DARK soy sauce. stir gently to avoid sticking. This step should take NO LONGER THAN 20 SECONDS.

Step 5. Don’t lower the heat. Add all the chopped veggies to the wok except cilantros and celeries. Stir for 30 seconds. Then, Add 1 small spoon of salt, 1 small spoon of ground black pepper, 1 small spoon of Chinese style chicken powder, 2 small spoons of vinegar, 1.5 small spoons of light soy sauce, 1 small spoon of dark soy sauce. Keep stirring for another FOUR MINUTES in this step.

Step 6. Don’t lower the heat. Keep stirring until you see juice coming out of the veggies and the veggies become moist. Use a spoon and taste the soup to see if you need to add more seasoning. If it tastes bland, add salt to increase saltiness, add ground pepper and chicken powder together to increase delicious flavor. It IS OKAY FOR NOW TO MAKE IT SAITIER because you will add water in the next step.

Step 7. Add cold clean water and 1 can of tomato sauce. Stir well. The water and tomato sauce need to be a little above the veggies

Step 8. Cover the lid and wait for the water to boil.

Step 9. When the water is boiling, you can finally lower the heat from high to medium. Taste the soup to add seasonings if needed.

Step 10. Let the soup cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add the celeries. Then, add the short-cut pasta. Stir well.

Optional: in the picture below, hand made dough sticks are used in authentic Xinjiang style, instead of packaged pasta.

Step 11. Add 2 small spoons of vinegar. While the soup and pasta are cooking, taste the soup to see if more seasonings should be added, such as salt, ground pepper, or chicken powder. The soup is supposed to have sour taste from tomatoes and vinegar as well as delicious taste from chicken powder and ground black pepper.