A handful of Hui or Dungan people from Kazakhstan call New York City home, and you can find their cuisine celebrated in Brooklyn..
Lagman House in Sheepshead Bay is not only preserving the culture through food but also offering it to one of the more diverse sections of the city.
Dungans are Muslims originally from the northwest regions of China who migrated to the former Soviet republics in Central Asia.
For owner Gulshat Azimova, her family settled in Kazakhstan before she made her way to the United States in 2012.
It was there where she learned to perfect Dungan cuisine, making food — particularly the popular Lamian noodles — by as early age 12. She continued so for her family, which includes five children.
“When I was younger — a child — I see how my mommy cooked,” Azimova said. “She taught me how to make dough and how to pull it, so now I can cook like my mom.”
She opened Lagman House in June of 2018.
“Dungan food is special because in general, there is not a lot of Hui people… There is not a lot of us,” said Aliakbar Azimova, Gulshat’s second-born son.
Like most restaurants amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Azimovas had to adjust on the fly to ensure their doors stayed open, offering delivery and later, take-out as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s re-opening plan entered its later phases. As New York continues to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, the more things are set to stabilize for Lagman House.
Lagman House, 2612 E. 14th St, Brooklyn, NY, 11235, (718) 872-5979. Open 6 days a week (Tuesday-Sunday)
Watch the video above about Lagman House on amNY TV to learn more about their incredible cuisine.
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