So you read about the 10 best Xibei restaurants in Shanghai and are addicted to the cumin, lamb and naan bread?
Here are some of the northwest area of China’s best dishes that will please the whole family.
1. Lamb Fried with Naan 羊肉炒馕
This dish showcases a combination of the best things about the Uighur’s unique cuisine: lamb and naan. And nothing is tastier than fried bread! Just try this dish at Miss Ali and you’ll be addicted.
Miss Ali（阿里家）Jing’an Location: 2F, 20 East Yuyuan Road, near Tongren Road. 愚园东路20号2楼, 近同仁路.
2. Rice Pilaf 手抓饭
This dish makes the rounds in most east & central Asian cuisines, but here steamed rice is fried in lamb fat with carrots, sultanas and chunks of lamb. Try it made in a giant wok at the Muslim Market.
Muslim Market Corner of Aomen Road and Changde Road. 澳门路和常德路的路口.
3. Yogurt 酸奶
Sounds simple, but the yogurt from Xinjiang is not like the watery, drinkable stuff you get in most Chinese supermarkets and convenience stores. Made in the region with sheep or cow milk, this thick, fermented dish is a delicious dessert at any Xinjiang restaurant. There’s usually no sugar added, although you may get a drizzle of honey if you’re lucky. Try it A Luo where you can also choose to top it with raisins and nuts.
A Luo Xinjiang Restaurant（阿罗新疆餐厅）People’s Square Location: 9F, 2-68 West Nanjing Road, near People’s Square. 南京西路2-68号新世界城9楼, 近人民广场地铁站. Xuhui Location: 2F, 1 Dapu Lu, across from SML Plaza. 打浦桥路1号, 近玉兰广场二楼 (日月光对面).
4. Pulled Noodles in Beef Broth 牛肉拉面
The KFC of China – if KFC were freshly made to order and actually good for you! La Mian is hand-pulled to order, mostly by Hui minorities, on what seems like every street corner in Shanghai. Watching the hand pulling is half the fun, and even after years of seeing them turn a block of dough into 256 perfectly symmetrical strands, it still seems like a magic trick. Try them at any Lanzhou Lamian in town.
Lanzhou Lamian（兰州拉面）Huangpu Location: 638 Middle Fangbang Road, near Luxiangyuan Road. 方浜中路638弄, 近露香园. Jing’an Location: 326 North Wulumuqi Road, near West Nanjing Road. 乌鲁木齐北路326号, 近南京西路.
5. Roujiamo 肉夹馍
Sometimes called a Chinese hamburger, this dish usually consists of pork (a rare non-halal dish) that has been stewed for hours in a fragrant broth spiked with cinnamon, cloves, star anise and other delicious spices. Zhu Que Men’s version uses a mother broth that has been on the boil for over 20 years. Or try the lamb version at Dunhuang Xiaoting.
Zhu Que Men（朱雀门）Zhabei Location: 101 Zhenping Road, near North Zhongshan Road. 镇坪路101号, 近中山北路. Jing’an Location: 477 Aomen Road, near Jiangning Road. 澳门路477号, 近江宁路.
Dunhuang Xiaoting（敦煌小亭）Changning Location: 591 Dingxi Raod, near Xinhua Road. 定西路591号, 近新华路. Jing’an Location: 333 Changde Road, near Beijing Xi Road. 常德路333号, 近北京西路. Xuhui Location: B1, 580 Tianyaoqiao Road, near Lingling Road. 天钥桥路580号星游城B1楼, 近零陵路.
6. Da Pan Ji 大盘鸡
Translated directly, this dish is called “Big Plate of Chicken” and it lives up to its name. Usually, a whole chicken is stewed in a tomato based sauce with potatoes for heft and peppers for spice. The chicken is cut into smaller pieces, but is always on the bone. Sapar Xinjiang Expedition does a great version of this, piled on a plate of thick noodles to make it a meal unto itself.
Sapar Xinjiang Expedition 20 Yuyuan Zhi Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu. 愚园支路20号, 近乌鲁木齐北路.
7. Liang Pi 凉皮
The English name of this translation is “cold skin”, but don’t let that turn you off. Made of flours from beans, wheat or rice, these cold noodles are jelly like in texture and usually a pale yellow or white color. Zhu Que Men makes their strands in-house, then tosses them with a delicious vinegar sauce and tops them with julienned cucumber.
Zhu Que Men（朱雀门）Zhabei Location: 101 Zhenping Road, near North Zhongshan Road. 镇坪路101号, 近中山北路. Jing’an Location: 477 Aomen Road, near Jiangning Road. 澳门路477号, 近江宁路.
8. Yang Rou Pao Mo 羊肉泡馍
This starchy noodle dish has both vermicelli and bite-sized bits of pita bread, torn up and tossed in the lamb broth. “Pao” in this case means to soak and that’s exactly what the bread (“mo”) is doing – soaking up all that lamb broth goodness. When you order it at Dunhuang Xiaoting, the bread comes out freshly-baked and whole on the side of the soup dish, so you can tear it to your desired size.
Dunhuang Xiaoting（敦煌小亭）Changning Location: 591 Dingxi Raod, near Xinhua Road. 定西路591号, 近新华路. Jing’an Location: 333 Changde Road, near Beijing Xi Road. 常德路333号, 近北京西路. Xuhui Location: B1, 580 Tianyaoqiao Road, near Lingling Road. 天钥桥路580号星游城B1楼, 近零陵路.
9. Kao Baozi 烤包子
If you’ve lived in Shanghai for any length of time, you’ve tried baozi, fluffy buns stuffed with a variety of flavors. The Xibei version of this dish bakes the buns in a kiln instead of steaming them in a bamboo basket. The version at the Muslim Market is stuffed with spiced, fatty lamb, or you can get a steamed version with lamb and pumpkin.
Muslim Market Corner of Aomen Road and Changde Road. 澳门路和常德路的路口.
10. Sinkiang Beer 新疆啤酒
Although most of the restaurants we recommend are halal, many of them also serve up the local brew, a black beer made with hops from Loulan, an oasis town in Xinjiang. Miss Ali also serves the golden of this brew, which I’ve never spotted outside Xinjiang except here.
Miss Ali（阿里家）Jing’an Location: 2F, 20 East Yuyuan Road, near Tongren Road. 愚园东路20号2楼, 近同仁路.
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