We ordered the big plate of chicken, little nubs still on the bone, over silky, extra-long housemade noodles. The flavors are wild. Magnetic. Ginger and garlic, star anise, onions and all that marrow seep into the long-simmered sauce. I begin to understand my friends’ obsession with the opening of this new restaurant, which debuted late last year.
“It’s as close as you could possibly get,” says my friend, who has eaten Uyghur food at its source. “If you like the food, this is the best you could ask for.” It was a strong endorsement.
Unlike my well-traveled friends, I haven’t been to the far corner of China, the Xinjiang region nestled next to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, also known as East Turkestan, with its Uyghur cuisine—we-gur—but I have dined at Queen Amannisa in Crystal City. It is, says owner Emam Maimaiti, the only fine dining Uyghur restaurant on the East Coast.
Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Chinese flavors influence the food—the Kashgar community is Muslim, so there’s no alcohol at the restaurant—but the combination makes the food taste vastly different from its culinary forebearers.
Although the Amanni-style laghman—chunks of stir-fried lamb and green peppers—is the restaurant’s signature version of this noodle dish, try it chopped instead. When cut into bits, the chewy texture of the noodle, again housemade, stands out against the peppers while absorbing a full-frontal meaty savoriness.
Kabobs become a study in texture. The meat is tender and sandpapered in seasoning. You can feel the spices. Our friends remember watching street vendors throwing spices on the meat as it turned over the fire. It’s done the same way here. This lashing of spices isn’t just adding layers of flavors; it’s physically building a sensory experience. The spices aren’t just a part of the dish; they are its manifestation.
A cucumber salad is a subtle delight. Queen Amannisa offers one gratis (as well as a slice-per-person of housemade nan; it’s thick and chewy, though dry, and decorated with sesame seeds). That salad is dressed simply, fragrant with sesame oil, balanced with vinegar and seasoned with plenty of salt. If you thought cucumbers were boring, if you thought house salads were boring, you will remember this simplicity fondly.
Was everything mind-blowing? No, of course not. Manta, Uyghur-style dumplings, seal in a mound of lamb and onions so juicy it creates its own soup, was low on flavor. Ditto with the samsa, though instead of doughy dumplings, the crust is bready, stuffed with greasy lamb and decked with sesame seeds. Lamb mixed with peppers tasted more like the Chinese food we’re used to in this country, and while it was still delicious, I wasn’t transported.
There’s still more to explore there. I haven’t yet ordered the rice dish, polow, the housemade yogurt or tasted some of the vegetable dishes, though I’m curious about tiger skin fried pepper.
Just as I’m finishing writing this an IM pops up from my friend: “Planning a trip back?”
( March 2016 )
Notes:
320 23rd St. S, Arlington
Open for lunch and dinner daily
Entrees $13-$29