Maybe the first of its kind in the country, the
Uyghur Kitchen Food Truck opened in Boston last week. You can find a small number of Uyghur cuisine restaurants at various spots across the country, but it doesn't seem there are any other food trucks. According to their website, the "
Uyghurs are a Turkic people" and their "
history reflects the exchange of languages and religions that occurred along the Silk Road." The Uyghur are concentrated in the
Xinjiang, an autonomous region in northwest China, bordering Russia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. I don't believe I have ever eaten Uyghur cuisine before.
Uyghur cuisine commonly uses noodles and lamb, cumin and black pepper. The
kawaplar, or kebabs, are a popular dish. It is said that the usual way to eat such a kebab skewer is to keep it parallel to your mouth, and then use your teeth to slide a piece of meat off the skewer. The Uyghur Kitchen Food currently has a simple menu, concentrating on chicken and lamb. You can get a simple skewer of grilled meat, or have it atop a salad or within a wrap.
On Tuesday evening, their second day in operation, I stopped by the truck parked on Stuart Street, around the corner from the Back Bay station. I ordered a lamb and chicken skewer, to check out the quality and taste of their primary items. Be advised though that as the food truck has just started, it will take them some time to get in the groove and perfect their cuisine.
Their lamb is marinated in a mixture of onion, garlic and pomegranate juice, with a mixture of cumin and salt as a finishing touch. That is supposed to be a common way the Uyghur season their kebabs. I love lamb, and was impressed with this lebab. The meat was juicy and tender, and the spices were tasty and well balanced. I would have loved a glass of Sake with this kebab. The chicken kebab was a bit dry, though the spices gave it a good taste.
I would recommend their lamb kebabs and I look forward to seeing how the truck changes and improves in the near future. I'll be dining there again soon so will keep my readers updated.
