The Uyghur tandoor kebab: whole racks or legs of lamb rubbed with egg, flour, and spices, then roasted against the walls of a clay tonur oven until lacquered outside and juicy within. It is the oven-baked sibling of the Uyghur street chuan, sold hacked into pieces at Kashgar and Urumqi bazaars.
Also known as: tonur kawap, tunur kawap, Uyghur tandoor lamb, kao quan yang, toghach kawap, Xinjiang tandoori lamb
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg lamb leg or 2 racks, on the bone
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp coarse chili flakes
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
- flatbread and raw onion, to serve
How to make it
- 1
Slash the lamb to the bone every 3 cm so heat and seasoning can reach inside.
- 2
Whisk the egg, flour, cumin, chili, ginger, salt and water into a thick slurry and paint it over every surface; rest 1 hour.
- 3
Roast on a rack at 220°C for 20 minutes to set the crust, then drop to 180°C for 45-55 minutes more.
- 4
Rest 10 minutes under foil, then hack into pieces along the slashes.
- 5
Serve on flatbread with raw onion, cracked golden crust facing up.
Pro tip: The egg-and-flour shell is the home stand-in for the tonur's clay wall — it traps steam inside the leg, so never trim it off before resting.
