Local food is always a big part of travel, and Uyghur cuisine is no exception! On the first day of my trip to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 2005, I immediately fell in love with Uyghur cuisine. It’s influenced by Muslim cuisine with a Central Asian flavor, and distinctly different from the rest of China.
The key ingredients are lamb, beef, cumin, and chili pepper, with other essentials including chicken, carrots, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, butter, and fruits. If you’re a lover of lamb, then Xinjiang will be a paradise. If you’re not already a lamb-lover, then chances are you soon will be!
Here are the top must-try Uyghur dishes in Xinjiang. As a backpacker, most of the dishes I tried were mainly on the street or at a bazaar and great. Based purely on my experience, the best street food was in Kashgar and Yarkant. Find a food stall that’s busy with local people and allow it to give you a full and happy stomach.
Laghman
Laghman are handmade pulled noodles that are served with a meat ragout of deep-fried lamb, vegetables, peppers, and oil. The amazing thing about this dish is that both the noodles and the ragout are amazing.
The handmade noodles are incredibly chewy with a thick texture – here they’re made from wheat flour, not rice flour like in other parts of China.
The meat in the ragout has a heavy, rich taste, with a great punch from the spices such as cumin, garlic, and bell peppers.
This man from a big local restaurant is demonstrating how they prepare their signature noodle.
The noodles are great, so I never got tired of them, even after eating them many times. But the laghman sauce with steamed buns was also great for a change.
Samsa
In Xinjiang, Samsa refers to a roast bun stuffed with minced fried lamb and well-cooked sweet onions. A good one is crispy on the outside with juicy, tender meat on the inside. Every stall has its own flavor created from a special blend of spices, such as cumin, black pepper, onion, and other herbs.
Samsa makes the best snack food and I would often grab a couple when rushing for a long-distance bus or strolling through a bazaar.
They are baked in a tandoor oven, which gives them a think and crispy skin.
Polo (Pollo)
Polo (pollo), Uyghur pilaf, is a rice dish cooked with lamb, carrots, onions, and peppers by steaming in oil and broth. Mutton suet is also used to give it an even richer taste. It’s a super tasty dish but one that’s also fatty and heavy. However, once you start eating, it’s so delicious that you might not be able to stop until you’re polished off the whole lot!
Lamb kebab
The Uyghur lamb kebab is special for the top quality meat used, along with the blend of spices such as cumin, pepper, chili, and ginger. Cumin especially plays an fantastic role in adding both fragrance and taste. It’s usually grilled over a charcoal fire, producing meat smoke to stimulate your appetite.
Meat innards
This is a must-try dish, not necessarily for its taste (for some people), but for the experience! When strolling around a bazaar or on the streets, you may notice a stall like the one below. Yes, they do serve what you can see here.
I ordered a plate at this stall, and I got…
…this! This is lamb meat that has been stuffed into its intestine (just like a sausage), served alongside other innards. The taste was good, but the texture was a totally new experience!
Fruits
Xinjiang is famous for its fruits. When traveling there, be sure to try some of the local varieties. You can tell what fruits are the best by looking at the display on the fruit stalls. My trip to Xinjiang coincided with the best season for figs, melons, watermelons, and pumpkins. At the bazaar, merchants and shoppers alike will look for those fresh and juicy fruits to stay hydrated in the hot, dry weather. They are such a luxurious way to quench your thirst and stay hydrated!
Throughout my trip, figs were my favorite fruit to snack on. I never knew how delicious they were! Sweet, a little sour, and extremely juicy. At the fig stalls you’ll always see people surrounding the baskets, carefully picking the good ones and tasting them on the spot. When I felt thirsty at the bazaar, I joined them and enjoyed some fresh, sweet, and juicy figs.
It had never occurred to me that you could eat pumpkins like fruit. This stall sold steamed pumpkin and was extremely popular – every piece of pumpkin was sold as soon as it was ready and put on the plate. I queued up to try a piece and found it extremely juicy and sweet.
