SEAToday.com, Jakarta-Aside from the more popular Hakka and Szechuan cuisines, Jakarta is now also favored by choices of dishes from China's northern regions such as Shanxi and Xinjiang. Xinjiang and Shanxi are two of 5 regions in Northwest China with a Muslim majority.
Its cities are dominated by the Uyghur ethnic minority, as well as several other Muslim groups such as the Hui and Dongxiang people, meaning the food is predominantly halal.
In Jakarta, we can taste the authentic cuisine of Xi’an City in Shanxi province from a restaurant named ‘Sulaiman’. Situated in the Gajah Mada area, West Jakarta, Sulaiman’s dishes are not your usual Chinese cooking such as Sapo Tahu or Shaguo Doufu, Mun Tahu or Men Doufu, or Cap Cai. You’ll find dishes with more herbs and spices like Tie Ban Hei Jiao, Da Pan Ji Mian, and Tang Cu Lao Hu Ban.
Tie Ban Hei Jiao is beef served with black pepper seasoning. Served on a hot plate with aluminum foil, beef is stir-fried with bell pepper, green onion, and sesame seeds. This is what spicy lovers would pick in the first place.
Da Pan Ji Mian is another popular dish from Northern China. Da Pan Ji means “Big Plate Chicken”, the dish itself consists primarily of bite-sized pieces of chicken (usually with the bone in) and potatoes, which have been sautéed in a medley of spices and coarsely chopped vegetables before being simmered in broth. The required ingredients are numerous, and include bell peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, ground cumin, star anise, ground Szechuan peppers, and cooking oil. The result is a hearty, savory, and mildly spicy casserole-like dish that is bursting with flavor. It is typically served with hand-pulled noodles or naan bread.
For a special Chinese New Year occasion, guests can have Tang Cu Lao Hu Ban. It is a grouper-based dish served in sweet and sour sauce and served with tausi and garlic. It symbolizes luck in life.
In many ways, the cuisine in Northwestern China, especially Xinjiang, differs from the rest of the country and is distinctly non-Chinese. Roasted mutton, thickly fragrant spices, and sugary sweet desserts take center stage when it comes to its signature dishes.
As part of the Silk Road, they felt the influence of other ethnic groups most profoundly and cherry-picked features of their cuisine, incorporating techniques and flavors from the Tibetans, Mongolians, Persians, Turkish, and numerous other nationalities. Liberal use of seasonings like cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, garlic, star anise, and saffron sets the cuisine apart from the rest of China.
So, have you tried any of the dishes? If you haven’t tried them yet, don’t wait too long, enjoy having the Northern Chinese cuisine, in Jakarta, SEATizens.