Tarim Garden Xinjiang Cuisine

Big Plate Chicken (Da Pan Ji)

Half a chicken braised with potatoes and dried chilies in a cumin-heavy sauce, served over hand-pulled wide noodles that drink up the broth — the definitive Xinjiang dish and the clear reason to visit

Lamb Skewers (Yang Rou Chuan)

Cumin-dusted chunks of lamb grilled over high heat with a slightly charred exterior and juicy interior — straightforward, authentic, and better than most versions in the region

Hand-Pulled Noodles (Lagman)

Thick, chewy hand-pulled noodles tossed with a sauce of lamb, tomato, peppers, and onion — a Uyghur staple that showcases the kitchen's noodle-making craft

Samsa

Flaky baked pastries filled with seasoned minced lamb and onion — more closely related to Central Asian baking than Chinese dim sum, with a satisfying savory richness

Polo (Lamb Rice Pilaf)

Slow-cooked rice pilaf with lamb, carrots, and raisins — a Silk Road classic that reads simultaneously familiar and completely foreign to anyone eating it for the first time

Nan Bread

Thick Uyghur flatbread with a sesame-dotted crust, baked in a tandoor-style oven — order it to mop up the Big Plate Chicken sauce