The food at Xinjiang Hotan Night Market is really mouth-watering!
Hotan not only has Hotan jade, but also so many delicacies that it makes your mouth water.
A treasure land of southern Xinjiang cuisine, the food here blends ethnic characteristics such as Uyghurs and Tajiks, plus the unique products of the desert oasis, forming a delicate tongue flavor in the roughness. The following Hetian delicacies, miss is equal to nothing 👇
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🔥 Hotan hardcore food TOP list
1. Hotan baked eggs
- Desert Charcoal Miracle: Eggs, goose eggs and even ostrich eggs are buried in charcoal ash and slow roasted. The advanced eating method will poke open the eggshell and pour honey, saffron water, sweet and salty intertwined!
- Must-visit: Hotan Night Market (the largest night market in Xinjiang), where you can see a whole row of “black briquettes”-like eggs at the baked egg stall.
2. Kumaiki (Desert Meat Nang)
- Original charcoal pit barbecue: minced lamb mixed with skin teeth (onions), wrapped in dough cake buried in sand pit charcoal grilled. The crust is crispy, the meat juice permeates the dough, the wild way of eating directly torn with your hands!
- Hidden way to eat: Locals will serve it with a bowl of yogurt or herbal tea to relieve thirst.
3. Hetian herbal tea
- "Longevity secret recipe": boiled with fennel, cinnamon, cloves and other dozens of spices + herbs, the tea soup is slightly bitter and sweet, helps digestion and warms the stomach. In night markets, it is common for elderly people to sit around a copper kettle and drink slowly.
4. Red Willow Roast (Tawakawafu)
- Wilder than ordinary lamb skewers: Large pieces of lamb ribs are skewered with red willow branches, grilled over charcoal until the outer layer is crispy, the resin aroma of the willow branches penetrates into the meat, the amount of meat is 3 times that of ordinary meat skewers!
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🍜 A paradise for carbohydrates
6. Wu Mashi (Wada Noodles Lung Zi)
The gorgeous transformation of lamb offal: lamb lungs infused with flour paste, steamed and sliced, served with rice intestines, lamb belly, drizzled with chili oil and vinegar, soft and glutinous like tofu, without any fishy smell.
7. Wada Tomo Mooncake (Bahali variant)
Nut Bomb: Heavier than regular Baja Li, walnuts, almonds cover the surface, the dough is mixed with Wada date puree, sweetness explodes but dates are rich.
8. Chamagu stewed lamb
Desert ginseng stew: Chamagu (desert carrot) clear and sweetened slag, slowly stewed with lamb to produce a milky white rich soup, sprinkled with a handful of parsley, autumn and winter nourishing must.
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Wada food map
Hotan Night Market (New Night Market): Beijing East Road (formerly Renmin Road Night Market relocated here), offering everything from roasted eggs to roasted pigeons, the busiest after 8pm.
Gujang Bagh Township: Experience the farmer’s version of Kumaiqi, charcoal pit roasting requires advance reservation.
Around Unity Square: old-fashioned herbal teahouses and local mooncake workshops are crowded.
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💡 Foodie tips
✅ Hotan taste is salty and spicy, afraid of heavy mouth can advise "Achaziyak" (less salt).
✅ Some stalls at the night market only accept cash, keep some change.
✅ When trying to bake eggs, priority is to choose goose eggs (more moist taste), ostrich eggs suitable for multiple people to share.
The delicacies of Wada are as precious as an oasis in the desert. Take a bite of Kumai and drink a pot of medicinal tea, and you will find: the smoke and fire here is more warm and moving than jade. 🐫✨