From the kosher tandoor

The arrival of a plate of lamb kebabs should be a familiar experience for most multi-culti diners. Just a whiff of char-grilled meat recalls countless barbecues and standard-issue Mediterranean joints: half-remembered meals I enjoyed—then forgot. Although the plate in front of me now can be any of a dozen others by the looks of it, there’s much that’s different here. For one thing, this restaurant is kosher, and then there’s the lamb itself: tender and coated with a paprika-based spice blend that brings out the savory and adds a deliciously zesty edge. The last time I tasted anything like it, I was at a stall in Shanghai run by Uighurs—Turkish Chinese from the mountains of Central Asia.

But this plate isn’t in East Asia; it’s found at Tandoori Bukharian Bakery, one of the best of a handful of restaurants in Rego Park, Queens, that cater to the neighborhood’s sizable population of Bukharian Jews. No wonder Tandoori’s kebabs remind me of Uighur preparation since Bukharian Jews are Central Asians as well—émigrés from a swath that includes Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. They were drawn to the region from Persia some 2,000 years ago by flourishing trade along the Silk Road and, after a wave of emigration that began in the 1970s (and was given a boost by the fall of the Soviet Union), thousands of them arrived in NYC, most settling in Queens.

The Bukharian menu incorporates a diversity of influences, partly due to the fact that the cooking methods evolved in a region that was once a nexus of cultural exchange as well as an important stop on the spice trade. And it’s unlike anything you’ll find at a typical kosher place. I tried three of Rego Park’s Bukharian restaurants—Cheburechnaya and Restaurant Salute, as well as Tandoori Bakery—to get a taste of this unusual culinary heritage.

Like most other Central Asian cuisine, Bukharian cooking favors the meaty, heavy and hearty. Kebabs are central to the menu, and none were better than Tandoori Bakery’s spice-dusted lamb and lamb ribs. Salute’s and Cheburechnaya’s were on the mark too, but lacked the spice kick that made Tandoori Bakery’s so great. Don’t miss another wonderful staple, the lamb fat kebab: pure chunks of the stuff, grilled to a golden outer crisp and firm in texture but still moist and sweet. For options beyond lamb and beef, Salute and Cheburechnaya both offer a wide array of interesting choices of fish, quail and sweetbreads.

A typical Bukharian meal also bears traces of Uighur, Indian, Turkish, Persian and even Slavic cooking and features a heavy dose of fresh herbs and spices. Samsas, crispy spiced-meat-and-onion pies similar to an Indian samosa, are baked in a clay tandoori oven and served with a lively tomato-dill sauce. Tandoori Bakery’s were the best, crispier and meatier than those at Salute and Cheburechnaya. Chebureks, fried meat or vegetable pockets related to the Slavic burek, also get a lift from an herb-infused tomato dressing. Bukharian pilaf, called plov (or on some menus, Asian pilaf), is another menu mainstay, served family-style on a platter and laden with cumin, chickpeas, carrots and mutton. It’s heavy comfort food to be sure, but a topping of raw onions and fresh cilantro adds bite and freshness. Even French fries are given the herb treatment, covered with chopped garlic, dill, parsley and cilantro.

Bukharian soups are hearty and heavily herbed as well. A beef broth soup featuring its namesake noodle, lagman, a hand-made variety spun to intestinal length from a single piece of dough, is seasoned with anise, parsley and cilantro that thread a fresh, heady flavor through the broth. Pelmeni is a (slightly) lighter option, a rich chicken broth with cilantro, chickpeas and pelmeni meat dumplings. Cheburechnaya’s pelmeni were delicious, wonton-shaped dumplings balanced perfectly between soft and firm that provide a savory anchor to the herby broth. 

Root vegetables abound—particularly carrot and cabbage—and are usually pickled. One dish to try is morkchova, a salad of shredded and pickled carrots spiced up with garlic and red pepper flakes. It is cool and vinegary as a pickled salad should be and has a nice pepper punch, too. Ochor is another interesting veggie option, a plate of Japanese eggplants carved out and stuffed with a tangy and salty parsley-cumin mix.

Though much of the food is heavy, it’s easy to avoid stuffing yourself since many signature dishes—like kebabs, samsas and chebureks—can be ordered one at a time, and soups and salads are usually served either small or large. Smaller plates come cheap (nothing we ordered at Cheburechnaya cost more than $4), so you can cover lots of ground on the menu without feeling decadent.

All in Rego Park, Queens: Tandoori Bukharian Bakery ,99-04 63rd Rd., 718-897-1071; Cheburechnaya, 92-09 63rd Dr., 718-897-9080; Restaurant Salute, 63-42 108th St., 718-275-6860.