🍽️ Cup Mutton

Mutton stewed in enamel cup, southern Xinjiang home dish.

Cup Mutton is a home-style dish of Kashgar and southern Xinjiang. As the name suggests, bone-in mutton, carrot and chatham saussurea (a local turnip) are placed in an individual enamel cup with salt and water, and slow-cooked beside the embers of a tandoor. One cup per person: the broth is clear, the mutton falls off the bone, the carrots turn sweet and soft, and the taste is minimalist yet deeply savoury. It is eaten by breaking naan bread into the soup, mixing wheat aroma with meatiness. With no complex seasoning, it relies entirely on good mutton and slow heat. It is the most down-to-earth street food beside Kashgar's tandoors and a daily warming meal for local families.