Rice Eaten with Hands
( 2005-09-13 )

Shou Zhua Fan, or "rice eaten with hands," is another specialXinjiangcuisine -- rice cooked with fresh mutton, carrots, onions, vegetable oil, melted sheep's fat, and raisins, and so on. It is eaten with the hands, hence the name Shou Zhua Fan.

There are more than 10 kinds of this rice dish, including mainly mutton, chicken, and vegetarian, with the most common being the one that uses mutton as the main ingredient. The dish is soft, delicious and nutritious. Shou Zhua Fan is not only a kind of well-nourishing cuisine, but also a feature of festivals, funerals, and weddings.

Since to cook one pot of the mixed rice takes six hours, at restaurants it is usually cooked early in the morning, and heated by microwave oven whenever ordered. Hence, the chewy texture and some of the taste might not be as good.