A Visit to Columbus’ Only Uyghur Restaurant
Plus, one of our favorite international market finds: Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts
In this post:
Our first impressions of Kamil’s Uyghur Cuisine on Bethel Road
Where to find our go-to snack: spicy Sichuan peanuts
Food news around Columbus
Global Cuisine
A Taste of the Silk Road at Kamil’s Uyghur Cuisine
You can find Kamil’s novel menu at a new food court on Bethel Road.
By Bethia Woolf
In the new food court adjacent to Dayou International Market, there is a small eatery that currently has no signage or posted menu. There’s just a black payment counter, a small drink cooler—no indication of what type of food they are serving. It’s pretty easy to miss Kamil’s Uyghur Cuisine completely, but its presence is significant.
When I asked co-owner Kamil Abuduxukuer about opening the first Uyghur restaurant in Columbus, he proudly told me that they are also the first in Ohio. (The closest Uyghur restaurants I found were in the D.C. area and Chicago.)
There are about 10,000 Uyghurs in the U.S., according to an estimate by the Uyghur American Association. The Uyghur people are a Turkic ethnic group indigenous to East Turkestan, a region that is currently part of the People's Republic of China where they are a persecuted Muslim minority. Abuduxukuer estimates there are five to seven Uyghur families now living in Central Ohio.
With so few Uyghur (pronounced “wee-goor”) restaurants in the U.S., it’s a cuisine you may be less familiar with. Uyghur cooking is similar to that of other Central Asian countries along the Silk Road in that it has influences from both East and West. The Uyghurs are famous for their hand-pulled noodles borrowed from Eastern China, but also eat kebabs and pilaf dishes that draw from the Middle East.
The most well known of the Uyghur hand-pulled noodle dishes is laghman, a dish where boiled noodles are topped with a stir-fried, tomato-based sauce with meat, bell peppers and onions. Lamb (or mutton) seems to be the preferred and most traditional protein, and Abuduxukuer recommended lamb for all four of the dishes I tried. The sauce flavor was very savory and not overly spiced.
The hand-pulled noodles are also used in a dry-fried noodle dish korma chop that is reminiscent of a lo mein but with a little more mala (spicy and numbing). It wasn’t overly spicy but reminded us of Sichuan cumin lamb preparations. This was my favorite of the dishes our table sampled on our first visit.
Pearl noodles are diced up noodles stir fried with bell peppers, onion and lamb (or beef or chicken). The sauce is a little more vinegary than the other dishes and reminded us of a sofrito-base. It has a strong comfort-food vibe. Although the ingredients used in the three hand-pulled noodle dishes are similar, each has a distinctive flavor profile. We loved the toothsomeness and chewiness of the noodles in each of the preparations.
We also tried the pilaf, a rice dish where seasoned rice is topped with tender chunks of cumin-fragrant lamb, carrots and onion. It was a little plain, and I’d recommend the noodles as the way to go.
Kamil’s restaurant is still in the first month of opening and short-staffed. Once fully up and running, they hope to expand their offering with dumplings and other dishes—we hope so, too. In the meantime, we’re planning a return visit to try the lamb soup and the Uyghur-style chicken sauteé.
Find It:
875 Bethel Rd., Dayou International Market
Pantry Staple
Our Love for Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts
Team meetings at Columbus Food Adventures often involve snacks. Here’s one of our all-time favorites.
By Bethia Woolf
I don’t remember when I first picked up a bag of Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts, but I do remember that the old Fortune Chinese Restaurant was still open on Olentangy River Road, so it’s been quite a few years.
I have a penchant for trying new snacks from international markets, and there are many colorful packets that pique my curiosity. I try them once and never purchase them again. These spicy peanuts are different. It’s a snack that we perennially have in our pantry, and one that I can’t resist buying every time I see it.
Why are they so alluring? Perhaps it’s because there’s so much more going on than a regular pack of peanuts. There’s the slowly building heat, the distinctive floral flavor and numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns. They aren’t as greasy as many roasted peanuts can be but are just as satisfying. They are hard to stop eating, even as the heat builds. They’re perfect with a cold beer, but equally moreish without.
Every time I share the spicy nuts someone asks me where they are from. Locally, I usually find them at CAM International Market (often in the section where they have specials in boxes) or at Sunrise Market or Park to Shop. They are also available on Amazon in four-packs. You can also make them at home if that’s how you roll.
Harder to find, but also worth purchasing, are the Fei Hong Spicy Crunchy Magic Chili with Peanut. At Fortune, they used to toss these “Magic Chili” peanuts with deep-fried fish—a magical combination indeed.
Notes
Around the Columbus Food Scene
Flour, the new restaurant from the owners of Rooh Columbus, opened this week at 1540 Polaris Parkway. The self-described “modern pasta bar” features a dinner-only prix-fixe menu, with a choice of bread, salad and house-made pasta.
The new Columbus Buckeye Treat Trail was featured recently on the Food & Wine website. Experience Columbus launched the experiential trail this year, showcasing 17 local examples of the buckeye candy. Some of the businesses on the trail include Anthony-Thomas Chocolates, The Buckeye Lady and Krema Nut Company.
I can’t wait to try the peanuts, I go to Park n Shop frequently. Another interesting snack food is the Cucumber Lays that come in a tube (like pringles) at Yao Lee.