Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine brings fusion food from Central Asia to Alhambra
ALHAMBRA -- Bugra Arkin, owner of Dolans Uyghur Cuisine, is introducing diners to a type of food most people might not be familiar with. Uyghur cuisine originates from the Uyghur region in Central Asia called Xinjiang and is influenced by a melting pot of cultures including Indian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and Chinese.
Arkin grew up in a Uyghur region of Eastern Xinjiang called Dolan, which is where the name of his Alhambra, CA restaurant comes from.
"In our restaurant, you can find like all of the elements of different cultures," said Arkin.
Dolans provides a fusion food experience featuring wok and kebab dishes. One of the most popular dishes, Laghman, is a traditional Uyghur dish of hand-pulled noodles topped with stir-fried veggies and beef. Another popular dish is Big Plate Chicken which is hand-pulled flat noodles with stir-fried chicken and a spicy broth.
Arkin shared that those who try his Uyghur cuisine for the first time are impressed and often ask how he invented it, but Arkin explains Dolans is a main hub of original Uyghur food.
"Uyghur community in L.A. is like pretty small, like we are roughly around a thousand people in L.A., but we don't have a specific area to live all together," Arkin said,. "And this is like a good place to gather for the Uyghur community too."
