Uyghur Cuisine and Flavors of the Silk Road

A hands-on in-person cooking class culminating in a dinner served with wine and beer. This class is limited to 12 students. Review our registration and cancellation policies here.

In this class, Linda is excited to share with you flavors of Central Asia, through which the Silk Road connected the Eastern and Western parts of Eurasia, politically, economically, and culturally. Across the Silk Road, foods that have similar history and flavors are localized, but they all share a lot of similarities: heavy use of lamb, mutton and beef, wheat, spices and root vegetables.  

When Linda lived in China, her most memorable Chinese meals came from the Uyghur community. There is a small community of Uyghur people in every city, and they bring beautiful foods like cumin-dusted roasted leg of lamb, sweet sun-dried green raisins and the most wonderful breads. The most iconic Uyghur bread is their Nang Bing which is a large round bread intricately decorated and speckled with sesame and onion seeds. Besides practicing laminated dough making, you’ll also be using wheat to make handmade noodles and flaky filled pies.

MENU

Uzbek Samsa—Flaky Beef Meat Pies

Uyghur Nang Bing—Onion and Sesame Flat Bread 

Uyghur Yang Rou Chuan—Grilled Cumin Lamb Skewers 

Kazakh Laghman Pulled Noodles in Beef, Potato and Tomato Stew

This menu contains the following common allergens: Egg, Soy, Dairy, Wheat. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to cook along, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket.

Let’s Cook Together!

Linda Tay Esposito is a teaching chef whose food represents a tribute and a commitment to the authenticity of the cuisines of the Pacific Rim. For the last two decades, Linda has shared her passion and knowledge of East and Southeast Asian cuisines by teaching at many notable cooking schools in the Bay Area. An all around food professional, Linda works on placemaking projects by building equitable food systems through the intersectional lens of food, sustainability and equity. She led the development of La Cocina’s municipal marketplace as well as the food program at the Presidio Tunnel Tops. She currently works on ground floor activation initiatives at several affordable housing projects in San Francisco. Linda's specialties include Malaysian cuisine, Chinese cuisine, and various Southeast Asian cuisines. She teaches both public and private cooking classes and hosts pop-up dinners at 18 Reasons.

_{Photo by Linda Tay Esposito}