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Uyghur cuisine: Chow mein meets kabob

Hana Baba
/
KALW
Zuli Abai, owner of Eden Silk Road restaurant, Fremont

The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority in Western China who have been marginalized for years there.

Their origins are interesting — Chinese with Turkic and other central Asian influences. Their food is a fusion of Chinese, Arabic, Kazakh, Afghan and Turkish flavors and dishes. 

There's a small Uyghur community in the Bay and a few restaurants, like Fremont's Eden Silk Road Cuisine.

The owner is Zuli Abai, who came here six years ago from China’s Xinjiang area. He tells us about the food in his kitchen while his team cooked dinner one night.

Hana Baba is host of Crosscurrents, KALW's weeknight newsmagazine that broadcasts on KALW Public Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area.