INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS:

350 g Riso Scotti Jasmine rice
600 g chopped mixed beef (or lamb)
900 ml water
3 slices of ginger
3 tablespoons of seed oil
1 diced onion (middle size)
4 tablespoons of soya sauce
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
400 g of carrots cut into strips
50 g of soaked raisins salt

PROCEDURE:

Wash the rice until water is clear, drain it and keep it back. In a pot, bring water to the boil, add the meat after having removed the fat part, the ginger and let it boil a couple of minutes. Put out the fire. Strain the meat with a skimmer, filter water and keep it back to cook the rice. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the fat removed from the meat and cook until it becomes crunchy. Lower the flame and cook for about 8 minutes, until the fat becomes coloured. Add the onions and cook until they are transparent. Raise the flame, add the blanched meat, and brown it on all sides. Add the soya sauce, the cumin and stir carefully. Cover with a lid and cook on a gentle heat for 20 minutes, adding some of the water used to blanch the meat. Add carrots and raisins and cook for 5 minutes. Put out the fire, pour the rice in the pad and distribute it evenly on the surface. Pour the liquid kept back until the rice is covered. Bring it to the boil, cover the pot and lower the flame to the minimum. Cook for about 5 minutes, put out the fire and let rest for about 8-10 minutes. When the rice is ready, mix all ingredients and add salt, if needed.

The region of Xinjiang, in the far western area of China, is a wonderful place from the natural point of view, full of snowy mountains and rocky deserts. Placed in the meeting point of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, it’s the seat of the Turkish-Islamic people of Uyghurs. The prevailing flavours are the ones associated with the Middle East: cumin, hot pepper, garlic and saffron make tasty the typical dishes based on peppers, tomatoes and aubergines. Meat is typical in the dishes of this region and in many preparations it’s cooked together with rice, the so-called Polo. Usually, the ethnic groups present in the region of Xinjiang have different methods to cook and eat their food. Hans use chopsticks, while Kazakhs eat with their hands.