Tengri Tagh Uyghur Cuisine

This New Uyghur Spot Is the Best Reason to Eat in Midtown Right Now | Eater NY

"I visited the new Uyghur restaurant that opened in April at 144 West 37th Street (between Sixth and Seventh avenues) in Midtown Manhattan and was struck by its narrow, high‑ceilinged dining room with zig‑zagging gray panels and Uyghur decorations like miniature tanburs and embroidered skullcaps; the owners and chefs, Ruxianguli Balati and her husband Kudusi Simayi, run the place—she makes the noodles and dumplings while he handles soups, stir‑fries, pastries and breads, with Simayi tending the stove wearing a skullcap as Balati takes orders behind the counter. The focused 30‑item menu represents Silk Road Uyghur cuisine, combining influences from Turkey and Central Asia with Chinese elements, and leans heavily on noodles and dumplings with lamb predominant: the hand‑pulled lagman ("handmade noodle with Uyghur stir‑fried lamb," $14) features thick, floppy strands heaped with chunky, tomato‑tinged lamb and slippery, almost crunchy cloud‑ear fungus; the thick‑skinned manti are spectacular and come with a coarse, oily red chile paste; and the samsa meat pies ($3 for two), dotted with black and white sesame seeds and bulging with a single meatball, outshine many empanadas. I liked their take on da pan ji listed as "chicken mixed with spices braised in potatoes" (three sizes: $15, $26, $37), which is noticeably more approachable than the Sichuanized versions—mild green chiles in a sparse gravy dotted with black Asian cumin seeds, leeks and onions, no Sichuan peppercorns, and a touch of sweetness from red bell peppers. Other items include a lamb‑dumpling soup called "ravioli" ($11), a cold fungus vegetable side ($6), simple sides like bean jelly, chives with scrambled eggs, and $1 tea‑boiled eggs, and throughout the food's honest simplicity and uncomplicated flavors made me feel as if I were eating in someone's kitchen in Kashkar, redolent of the Silk Road." - Robert Sietsema