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)
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)
Hand-made noodles are topped with stir-fried mutton and vegetables. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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)
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)
The Xinjiang meatloaf sandwich has a thin crust and a ground meat and onion filling. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The fried mutton ribs are a popular dish at Omar Restaurant. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
