14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (2024)

From braised chicken and noodles to buttery hand pies, there's something for everyone.

by Michelle NoBuzzFeed Contributor
14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (3)

Kathy Hoang / BuzzFeed

Found at the edge of China, Uyghur cuisine is defined by rich, hearty flavors.

The cuisine shares its main dishes with many of its Turkic, East Asian, and Central Asian neighbors. Lamb takes a central role in Uyghur dishes, while pork is completely absent — as a majority of the Uyghur people identify as Muslim.

From hand-pulled noodles and meat pies to bread and flour pudding and Uyghur-style bagels, read on to get a taste of Uyghur cuisine.

1. Samsa (Hand Pies)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (4)

arbuz.com

What is it? Flaky, tender, and buttery, these meat hand pies are baked, not fried, and usually made with lamb. They're enjoyed in many parts of Central Asia, including Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as the Xinjiang Uyghur region of China.

Recipe: Samsa (Hand Pies)

2. Laghman Noodles

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (5)

whattocooktoday.com

What is it? Hand-pulled noodles served with a colorful and flavorful mix of eggplant, onion, peppers, tomato, and garlic ragù.

Recipe: Laghman noodles

3. Kawaplar (Lamb Skewers)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (6)

cookeatblog.com

What is it? Lamb skewers rubbed with a spicy, gloriously mouth-numbing mix of Sichuan peppercorns, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, garlic, and more. As always, feel free to swap out the lamb for beef if it's not available near you.

Recipe: Kawaplar (Lamb Skewers)

4. Sangza (Deep-Fried Noodles)

@sabires_kitchen / Via instagram.com

What is it? Deep-fried flour dough noodles stacked into a pyramid shape. It's often served during Eid with a yogurt dip or herbal tea, or simply broken off as a snack. This recipe (below) even incorporates Sichuan peppercorns into the dough for an extra-hot kick!

Recipe: Sangza (Deep-Fried Noodles)

5. Ququre (Uyghur "Tortellini")

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (8)

thefooddictator.com

What is it? Boiled dumplings made with lamb, onion, and other vegetables. It's often served in a soup.

Recipe: Ququre (Uyghur "Tortellini")

6. Polo (Pilaf)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (9)

omnivorescookbook.com

What is it? One of the most popular dishes in Uyghur cuisine, this pilaf is traditionally made with carrots, onions, cumin powder, raisins, and a hefty portion of lamb meat. The recipe calls for cooking the meat first, then steaming it with the rice — for a final result of juicy and tender meat and super-savory rice.

Recipe: Polo (pilaf)

7. Quymaq (Flour and Bread Pudding)

@a_kitchen83 / Via instagram.com

What is it? Also known as Kuymak, this dessert is essentially a flour and bread pudding made by cooking together flour, butter, water, and spices in a pan. Meaning: You can probably make it with ingredients you already have in your pantry.

Recipe: Quymaq (Flour and Bread Pudding)

8. Uyghur Naan

@chocoholic_yl / Via Instagram: @chocoholic_yl

What is it? Some of the most beautiful bread in the world can be found in Xinjiang, where naan takes the shape of a soft flatbread decorated with seeds and punctured patterns. It's recognizable by its raised edges and flatter center. Although it wouldn't look out of place in an art museum, it's often sold as a street food.

Recipe: Uyghur Naan

9. Shurpa (Lamb Soup)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (12)

gastrosenses.com

What is it? This lamb and vegetable soup comes together easily with browned meat and roughly chopped carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, and onions. It's often served with samsas (meat hand pies).

Recipe: Shurpa (Lamb Soup)

10. Da Pan Ji (Braised Chicken and Noodles)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (13)

chinasichuanfood.com

What is it? Translating to "Big Plate Chicken," this simple dish consists of braised chicken served on a bed of noodles. It's simple and craveworthy, and is served in many cities in China beyond the Xinjiang region.

Recipe: Da Pan Ji (Braised Chicken and Noodles)

11. Uyghur-Style Fried Chicken

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (14)

thewoksoflife.com

What is it? This fried chicken isn't exactly native to Xinjiang but its spice rub is. Consisting of cumin, chili, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic powder, the mix is spicy and rich.

Recipe: Uyghur-Style Fried Chicken

12. Manti (Steamed Dumplings)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (15)

melangery.com

What is it? Steamed dumplings are nothing new but as the Mongol Empire (which once included China) is sometimes cited as their birthplace, this Uyghur iteration is as authentic as it gets. This recipe uses ground meat and pumpkin for a nourishing and filling meal.

Recipe: Manti (Steamed Dumplings)

13. Nokot (Chickpea Salad)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (16)

tamalapaku.com

What is it? A chickpea salad fragrantly infused with chopped herbs and carrots, then drizzled with a sweet ginger-vinegar dressing.

Recipe: Nokot (Chickpea Salad)

14. Girde Naan (Uyghur Bagels)

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (17)

uncorneredmarket.com

What is it? Xinjiang might be thousands of miles away from NYC, but these bagel-like breads sport the same glossy sheen. Unlike bagels though, these are crunchier on the outside and fluffier on the inside, and the hole doesn't actually go all the way through. Oh, and there's no cream cheese here — these are eaten with jam and butter, or dunked in soup.

Recipe: Girde Naan (Uyghur Bagels)

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14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (18)

BuzzFeed / Kathy Hoang

14 Incredibly Flavorful Uyghur Recipes Everyone Needs To Try (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous Uyghur dish? ›

1. Uyghur Polo / Pilaf. Known throughout Central Asia as “rice pilaf”, Uyghur polo is a tasty mix of rice, carrots and lamb meet slow cooked in oil. It is without a doubt that Uyghur polo is the most popular local dish in Xinjiang.

What spices do the Uyghurs eat? ›

Typical spices include salt, black pepper, cumin seeds, and red pepper flakes. Red pepper flakes are used to make laza (Лаза), a chili sauce made with garlic and hot oil and commonly served with läghmän or benschä, Uyghur-style dumplings. Animal fats and butter are also used for flavoring dishes.

What is the staple food of Uyghur people? ›

Naan: Naan is an important daily staple for Uyghur people, and is one of the most famous street foods. Naan is a type of flatbread traditionally cooked in a clay oven with cumin and chili powder. Kebabs: Lamb is a big part of Uyghur cuisine, and kebabs are a popular way to enjoy the flavorful meat.

Is Uyghur food healthy? ›

Uyghur food is highly nutritious and well balanced

The Uyghur people pay serious attention to their health and value a healthy diet, which is believed to have a significant role in maintaining fitness.

Is Uyghur a Mongolian? ›

Contemporary scholars consider modern Uyghurs to be the descendants of a number of peoples, including the ancient Uyghurs of Mongolia migrating into the Tarim Basin after the fall of the Uyghur Khaganate, Iranic Saka tribes and other Indo-European peoples inhabiting the Tarim Basin before the arrival of the Turkic ...

Do Uyghurs eat with chopsticks? ›

Eating with Your Hands: Eating with your hands is less common in a Uyghur restaurant (as opposed to in a home). Usually spoons and chopsticks are offered at the table.

What are the 14 spices used in Chinese cuisine? ›

15 Essential Chinese Spices & Herbs to Enhance Your Cooking
  • Red Sichuan Peppercorns. Sichuan peppercorns are berries, not peppers, from the prickly ash tree. ...
  • Star Anise. ...
  • Chinese Cinnamon. ...
  • Fennel Seeds. ...
  • Cloves. ...
  • Bay Leaves. ...
  • Ginger. ...
  • Sand Ginger.
Oct 10, 2023

What are Uyghurs called in Chinese? ›

Read a brief summary of this topic

There were more than 11,000,000 Uyghurs in China and a combined total of at least 425,000 in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan in the early 21st century. Chinese (Pinyin): Weiwu'er. Also spelled: Uygur or Uighur.

How to make Uyghur ice cream? ›

Cream is poured into a large bowl along with shaved ice, sugar, and flavorings, and then a big block of ice is plopped down in the center. The creamy mixture is then stirred and poured over the block of ice, making it cold.

Are Uighurs Turks? ›

There is a long history of the connection between the Turkish people and the Uyghurs. Both groups speak a Turkic language and the two groups share significant ethnic and cultural bonds. With Turkey being a Turkic country, the Uyghurs have been largely able to integrate within Turkish society.

What is the number 1 meat consumed in China? ›

Pork dominates China's meat market. In 2022, it took up more than 50 percent of the domestic meat consumption. China is by far the world's largest pork producer, consumer, and importer.

What is China's most known dish? ›

Peking Duck is one of the most popular dishes served for special occasions in China. The dish composes of roasted duck, slices of bread or thin pancakes, and chopped cucumbers or shallots. The skin of the duck is cooked to be crispy, but the meat is moist, and despite the amount of fat in duck, the dish is not greasy.

What are Uyghur noodles called? ›

Laghman (Uyghur: لەغمەن, leghmen, ләғмән; Kazakh: лағман, lağman; Uzbek: lagʻmon; Tajik: лағмон, lağmon; Kyrgyz: лагман, lagman) is a dish of meat, vegetables and pulled noodles from Uyghur cuisine and Central Asian cuisine. In Chinese, the noodle is known as latiaozi (Chinese: 拉条子) or bànmiàn (Chinese: 拌面).

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