Xinjiang – Uyghur Food

Recently, while visiting a street festival in Toronto, I was delighted to find a stand of Uyghur food. After the event, I decided to research more about possible places where I can taste Uyghur food in Toronto.

Uyghurs are a minority Turkic ethnic group that mainly live in China in a region called Xinjiang. Their food is a mixture of Central Asian Turkic and Chinese influences.  Kebabs and fried rice coexist. Hand-pulled noodles are common. The most common meat is lamb. Spicy food is common. Because the majority of Uyghurs are Muslims, the food is typically Halal.    

I found a few restaurants. I decided to visit two of them. Here is what I found:

Kroran

Kroran is a typical Uyghur restaurant located in East Toronto. Their menu is very simple but is very traditional. The name “Kroran” or “کروران “ (In Mandarin “Lóulán” = 楼兰 ) was an ancient kingdom located in today’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region in China. It was a key point of the ancient Silk Road.  

The first order was a “Kroran Lengmen” (楼兰过油肉拌面 = Noodles with stir-fried meat). The name suggests stir-fried meat with noodles Kroran style. Lengmen can be found using the names “ له‌گمه‌ن “ that might be derived from Chinese 拉面 that is the name given to the hand-pulled noodles.   

 It has handmade hand-pulled freshly made noodles, with stir-fried lamb and vegetables.  Among the vegetables, they used carrots, peppers, chilies, and cabbage. A truly Uyghur experience.

I ordered a Ziq Kawap. This name is another transliteration of the famous Shish Kabab and is prepared seasoned with cumin and chili powder. It is served with Nan bread. This is one of their most popular dishes.

 Zip Kawap

Xin Jiang Restaurant

  

Xin Jiang Restaurant also serves Uyghur food. But its style reflects the presence of other ethnicities that coexist in this region and the Chinese influence over the food. They also serve Halal meat, but the variety of dishes is reflected in a larger menu.

A typical dish from the area is the Lamb soup. I decided on one.  

It is prepared with noodles and green vegetables. Later, after reading the name of the dish in Chinese (回民羊肉粉汤), I realized that the style of the soup is from the Hui people, a minority group of Chinese origin, who speak in Mandarin but follow the Islamic faith. Because they follow the Halal rules, their food has some Turkic and Central Asian influence.

I ate a fried rice Xinjiang style, a dish where the mixes of eastern western influences coexist (新疆特色炒飯). The typical Chinese fried rice with eggs and beans, but with carrots and almonds, ingredients that are commonly found in the local pilaf rice. The meat used was ox meat.  

Xinjiang Fried Rice 

Tea served like in a Chaikhane