Ganfan

Ingredients

Rice

• 400 glong grain rice
• water, for cooking
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Meat

• 500 gbeef, in thin strips
• or 500 g lamb, in thin strips
• 2 tablespoonssoy sauce
• 1 tablespooncornflour
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper

Vegetables

• 200 glong beans, in lengths
• 2peppers, in strips
• 2tomatoes, in wedges
• 1onion, sliced
• 2carrots, in matchsticks
• 20 gdried wood ear, soaked
• 6garlic cloves, sliced
• 3cm ginger, in matchsticks

Sauce

• 3 tablespoonssoy sauce
• 3 tablespoonsvinegar
• 2 tablespoonschilli oil
• 1 tablespooncornflour
• 200 mlwater or stock
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• salt and black pepper

To cook

• 4 tablespoonsoil

Directions

1. Soak the dried wood ear in warm water. Give it twenty minutes to swell. Drain it and trim off any hard base. Slice it into thin even strips. Cut across the grain rather than along it. Toss it with the soy sauce and cornflour. Add the black pepper to it as well. Let it sit for fifteen minutes. That keeps the meat tender in a hot pan.
2. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Cook it in salted water until tender. Drain it well and keep it warm. It should be dry and separate. Whisk the cornflour into the cold water. Add the soy sauce and vinegar. Add the chilli oil and the sugar. Season it with salt and black pepper. Keep it beside the pan ready to go. Stir-frying moves far too fast to chop as you go.
3. Cut every vegetable before you start. Set them out in the order they go in. Have the sauce mixed and ready. Heat a wok or wide pan until very hot. Add half the oil and swirl it round. Add the meat in a single layer. Let it sit for thirty seconds without moving. Then stir-fry it for two minutes.
4. Lift the meat out and set it aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan. Add the garlic and ginger first. Fry them for thirty seconds only. Add the onion and carrot next. Fry them for a good two minutes. Add the long beans and peppers. Fry them for another two minutes.
5. Add the wood ear strips as well. Adding the tomato is done last. Add the tomato wedges to the pan. Fry them for one full minute only. Tomato collapses if it cooks longer.
6. Return the cooked meat to the pan. Stir the sauce mixture once again. Pour it into the pan all at once. Stir it constantly as it thickens. Judging the sauce takes a look. Add a splash of water if it stiffens too far.
7. Taste it and adjust the vinegar and salt. It should be sharp, savoury and hot. Spoon the hot rice onto plates. Ladle the topping over one side of it. Do not mix it together in the kitchen. Put extra chilli oil and vinegar on the table. The topping keeps two days refrigerated. Cook fresh rice for it each time.

Technique

• The Dungans are Chinese-speaking Muslims, called Hui in China, who fled west after the Dungan Revolt of eighteen sixty-two to eighteen seventy-seven was suppressed, crossing the Tian Shan in winter with heavy loss of life and settling in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
• Ganfan means dry rice, served with the topping separate from the rice, as distinct from suyfan which is the soup version.
• The sauce is deliberately sharp with vinegar, which is characteristic of Dungan food and cuts the richness of the meat and oil; making it milder loses the point of the dish.

Substitutions

• Any quick-cooking vegetables work in place of the ones listed.
• Chicken or lamb can replace the beef.

Variations

• Suyfan is the same idea served as a soup over rice.
• Some cafes serve it with hand-pulled noodles instead of rice.
• The amount of chilli varies widely from cook to cook.

History

Dungan dish brought by Muslim Chinese who fled to Kyrgyzstan in the 1870s, now everyday café food.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ganfan?

Ganfan is a main from Kyrgyzstan: rice topped with stir-fried meat, vegetables and a sharp sauce. Dungan dish brought by Muslim Chinese who fled to Kyrgyzstan in the 1870s, now everyday café food.

How long does Ganfan take to make?

Ganfan takes 30 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Ganfan?

Yes, within limits. Any quick-cooking vegetables work in place of the ones listed. Chicken or lamb can replace the beef.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ganfan?

Soak the dried wood ear in warm water. Give it twenty minutes to swell. Drain it and trim off any hard base. Slice it into thin even strips. Cut across the grain rather than along it. Toss it with the soy sauce and cornflour. Add the black pepper to it as well. Let it sit for fifteen minutes. That keeps the meat tender in a hot pan.