Stopped by a typical Turpan village farm today for lunch. Like most farms in the region, they grow grapes which yields them around RMB 30k profit per year. To supplement their income during the tourist season, they open their home to tourists who want to experience typical Turpan cuisine in a farm. Obviously, these are village homes which have been approved by the government for serving tourists. One could always visit a non-approved village home but their hygiene standards may be suspect.
So far, this meal felt the "cleanest" on the palate, with fresh ingredients and crisp flavours that relied on the ingredients themselves and not on sauces and spices. My favorite kind of cooking.
Started off with an assortment of dried grapes, Turpan fried "noodle" dough and bread dipped in tea. Then appetizers of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers served alongside a beautifully spiced lamb pilaf. This lamb pilaf was far better than the one I had in the Urumqi restaurant the night before: one can separate each grain of rice and there was almost no oil left at the bottom of the bowl after consuming the rice (most pilafs or biriyanis suffer from excessive oiliness). I understand the pilaf is cooked in a tagine-like method. Finally, homemade noodles - plain al dente noodles with minced vegetables and meat sprinkled. Dessert was fresh watermelon.
The family that welcomed us was a typical extended family with the grandmother doing all of the cooking. The sons tended the farm whilst the daughters and daughters-in-law helped with the meals. The family is completed by two cats (apparently the sweetness of the grapes attract mice...) and three lambs (check out the pics).
To those who have enjoyed Peter Mayle's A Year in the Provence, this is the Turpan version.
PS. the tastiest type of fresh grapes are those known as "mares' teats" in the region.
