Photos: Omar Restaurant in San Gabriel
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Orkexi Omar stir-fries mutton and vegetables at Omar Restaurant, a new restaurant in San Gabriel that specializes in Uighur cooking from the Xinjiang region of China. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Spices are sprinkled over mutton kebabs on the grill. Mutton is the favored meat in Xinjiang and figures prominently on the menu at Omar. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Hand-made noodles are topped with stir-fried mutton and vegetables. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Bread and wheat products are a big part of the Uighur cuisine and the restaurant is working on installing a specialty oven to bake its own nan, a Uighur staple. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Owner Munire Omar hand-pulls noodles, which are made in-house. The restaurant also offers the rolled-and-cut variety. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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The Xinjiang meatloaf sandwich has a thin crust and a ground meat and onion filling. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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The fried mutton ribs are a popular dish at Omar Restaurant. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)