The Best Kebabs in The World Are in China

By Halal Xplorer China Food February 3, 2022

The Best Kebabs in The World Are in China!

Xinjiang Lamb Skewers (Yang Rou Chuan)

Here’s the second of the dishes in my favourite 3 dishes I had in China (click here for the first one).

Often when I tell people my favourite was the kebabs there, they react in a confused or anticlimactic manner. As if almost they were expecting something a lot more oriental, a lot more “Chinese”. Confused thinking I just picked a Turkish dish from my travels there. Well no. This is a Chinese dish and boy do they love it there.

Extremely popular in northern China. You’ll find it everywhere in Beijing. It’s such a common sight to see vendors grilling numerous skewers and fanning away the wonderful fragrances skilfully! It’s always made to order, so you get the most flavoursome meat each time you order! There’s no one type of restaurant that serves this; you’ll find many types of restaurants offering this as a starter. That’s how popular it has become. However, in terms of origin it does go back to Xinjiang – where the Uyghurs reside.

Is it any different to Turkish/Middle Eastern kebabs?

It really is. Really. There are numerous thin and small meat chunks on each skewer. Apart from the notable size difference, the taste is also very distinctive. There’s a strong cumin flavour. Sooo addictive. Seriously, I didn’t think meat on a skewer could be so different/good. This is probably the single thing I had the absolute most of. Just writing this up is making my mouth water!