The finest item that emerges from the kitchen at Dolan Uyghur Restaurant in Chantilly is the Uyghur polo. Known around Central Asia by many slightly different monikers (plov, pulao, and, as it’s written on the menu here, polow are just a few), the rice dish is as omnipresent as laghman in Xinjiang restaurants. I’ve plowed through plates of it with gusto, from food courts to a tiny village in the brick-hued Flaming Mountains, at the edge of the Taklamakan desert.
The short-grain rice is cooked in a meaty broth, imbuing every bite with a rich, glancingly sweet flavor. Don’t consider it sticky rice, exactly, though it does have a satisfying dose of glutinous adhesion. Think of it instead as an al dente collection of grains that’s spotted with tender chunks of meat (beef, in this case, though lamb is more typical), carrots, and raisins. The last of those is especially important.
Turpan, about two hours southeast of Xinjiang’s capital, Ürümqi, is China’s largest producer of raisins. Americans can only dream of the diverse varieties produced there, each more sugary and nuanced than the last. The golden raisins in the polo at Dolan are a reminder of this sweet fact.
According to the DC-based Uyghur Human Rights Project, the DC region is home to roughly 2,500 Uyghurs. The DMV also currently boasts eight Uyghur food businesses. One of the newest of these is Dolan, the second restaurant from owner Hamid Kerim, who is also responsible for a Dolan location in DC.
Many of us have heard of the Uyghur genocide taking place in Xinjiang. Because of this, the Chinese government does not make it easy for foreigners to spend time there. All the more reason to fall in love with the aromatic cuisine here at home.
13872 Metrotech Dr., Chantilly
Feature image by Rey Lopez
This story originally appeared in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
