Uyghur food in South Australia
This has been a fabulous year for eating. My last excursion left me walking around the somewhat sleepy town of Adelaide in South Australia. Much to my surprise, Adelaide houses a quite extensive and very functional Chinatown. Not littered with cheap knick-nacks and expensive furniture, Adelaide Chinatown is home to many supermarkets, bakeries, and small specialty shops. On the western cusp I found this little unassuming place: Tangritah Uyghur.
Excited by the discovery, my long time friend Kristen and I ventured in on her lunch hour. Inside was quaint and simple; card tables with clear plastic table cloths, firm chairs, a few near-east looking paintings and a single حلال sign in arabic. There were two old Chinese people running the shop; a kind older Chinese woman took our order and an older Chinese man cooking the dishes. Of course, the very first thing I asked for was the infamous “羊肉串” - a lamb kebab dish so tasty, it actually prompted me to learn some Chinese so that I could order it with ease.
This was followed by dumplings in soup. Not to be confused with soup dumplings. Ground meat in a fresh hand made dumpling, floating in what I can assume was a cilantro and garlic based chicken broth. This alone was the most fantastic thing I ate in my 2 weeks in Australia.
Kristen was feeling a little under the weather, I insisted the soup would cure what ails her.
The last dish we had resists description: a simple stir-fry of eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers. The texture of the eggplant alone was incredible. Crispy and roasted on the outside, like butter inside. Just a hint of heat and spice from somewhere, but the tomatoes still held their texture and taste.
Our meal was coupled with some naan bread and cardamom tea; truly fantastic. I exchanged a سالام with the old man on my way out. I would have gone back if I wasn’t flying back to Brisbane the next morning.
