''Dapanji'' ( zh, s=大盘鸡, p=Dàpánjī, l=big plate chicken) or ( ug, تۇخۇ قوردىقى , чоң тәхсә тоху қорумиси; also spelled ), is a type of chicken
stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables a ...
. It is a popular dish that originated in
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
.
Etymology
''Dapanji'' means "big plate chicken" in Chinese. In its Uyghur name, (, Чоң, ''qong'') means "big", (, Тәхсә, ''təhsə'') means "platter", (, Тоху, ) means "chicken" and (, Қорумиси, ''ⱪorumisi'') means "fried".
History
Dapanji first appeared in Shawan in the late 1980s. The dish gained popularity in Xinjiang in the mid-to-late 1990s. It is said to have been invented in Shawan, Northern Xinjiang, by a migrant from
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...
who mixed hot chili peppers with chicken and potatoes in an attempt to reproduce a Sichuan taste. Although Shawan is generally believed to the place of origin of the dish, there are also other claims of origin, including an invention by a
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...
native at
Chaiwopu Lake
Chaiwopu Lake () is a freshwater lake located in Dabancheng District, some 45 km southeast of Ürümqi, in Xinjiang, China. The lake receives (at least theoretically) water from several streams from the Bogda Shan range.
The lake is almos ...
near
Ürümqi
Ürümqi ( ; also spelled Ürümchi or without umlauts), formerly known as Dihua (also spelled Tihwa), is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of the People's Republic of China. Ürümqi developed its ...
. Some believed the dish was originally served in a number of smaller plates, but later a large single plate was used instead which gave it its name. The dish was served by restaurateurs along the Xinjiang highways as a quick fix for truck drivers who often arrived at an odd time of the day. Its rich flavor and heartiness quickly made the dish a favorite of the region and the dish then spread to the rest of China.
Ingredients and preparation
The main ingredients are
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...
,
bell pepper
The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...
s and
potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Uni ...
es, cooked with
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...
s,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...
,
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...
,
chili pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
star anise
''Illicium verum'' is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to northeast Vietnam and southwest China. A spice commonly called star anise, staranise, star anise seed, star aniseed, star of anise, Chinese star anise, or badian that closely resemb ...
cooking oil
Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and may be called edible oil ...
, also optionally
soy sauce
Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...
and
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
.
The chicken is cut into bite size pieces (usually unboned), sautéed with spices and coarsely chopped vegetables and simmered in broth, providing a savory and spicy stew. It is usually served with '' laghman'' (wide, hand-stretched noodles; known as ''latiaozi'' or ''kudaimian'' in China) and shared by family and friends in a communal manner.
Other variations of the dish may be served with ''
nan
Nan or NAN may refer to:
Places China
* Nan County, Yiyang, Hunan, China
* Nan Commandery, historical commandery in Hubei, China
Thailand
* Nan Province
** Nan, Thailand, the administrative capital of Nan Province
* Nan River
People Given name
...
'' (馕包大盘鸡), a staple bread widely consumed in Xinjiang, usually served baked or roasted in Xinjiang restaurants and other places. With the sauce, the bread becomes very soft and moist, producing a melt-in-the-mouth savoury texture.
See also
*
Dak-bokkeum-tang
''Dak-bokkeum-tang'' (, ---湯), ''Dak-dori-tang'' () or braised spicy chicken is a traditional Korean dish made by boiling chunks of chicken with vegetables and spices.
* The ingredients are sometimes stir-fried before being boiled. It is a '' ...
*
Xinjiang cuisine
Uyghur cuisine ( ug, ئۇيغۇر تائاملىرى, , ; zh, s=維吾爾菜, p=Wéiwú'ěr Cài, links=no) is a cuisine of the Uyghur people, which is also consumed outside of Xinjiang. Signature ingredients include roasted mutton, kebabs, and r ...