Lagman

Ingredients

Noodle dough

• 500 gstrong white flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 250 mlwarm water
• 1/4 tspbicarbonate of soda
• vegetable oil, for coating

Sauce

• 500 glamb or beef, in thin strips
• 4 tbspoil
• 1onion, sliced
• 4garlic cloves, chopped
• 1red pepper, in strips
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 200 glong beans or green beans, cut short
• 1white radish or daikon, in batons
• 1aubergine, in batons, if wanted

Seasoning

• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tsppaprika
• 1/2 tspground coriander
• 1 tspchilli flakes
• 600 mlstock or water
• salt and black pepper

To finish

• a handful of coriander, chopped
• 3spring onions, sliced
• black vinegar, at the table
• chilli oil, at the table

Directions

1. Mix the flour, salt and bicarbonate in a bowl. Add the warm water gradually and mix it to a rough dough. Turn it out and knead it for fifteen minutes. It should become very smooth and quite firm. Cover it and rest it for thirty minutes. Knead it again for five minutes. It should now feel noticeably softer and more elastic.
2. Cover it and rest it for another thirty minutes. Roll the dough out into a slab about two centimetres thick. Cut it into strips about two centimetres wide. Roll each strip under your palms into a rope. Work it into a long rope about a centimetre thick. Coat each rope generously in vegetable oil. Cover them with cling film or a damp cloth.
3. Rest them for at least an hour, and two is better. The oil stops them drying and the rest relaxes the gluten completely. Take one rope and hold an end in each hand. Pull your hands apart slowly and steadily. Do not jerk it, since a sudden pull breaks it.
4. Keep folding and pulling until it is the thickness you want. Set the pulled noodles on a floured tray. Heat the oil in a wok or wide pan over a high heat. Add the meat strips and spread them out. Let them sit for a minute before stirring so they brown. Stir-fry them for five minutes until well coloured. Add the sliced onion and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic and stir it for thirty seconds.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for two minutes until it darkens. Add the cumin, paprika, coriander and chilli flakes. Fry the spices for a full minute. Add the radish batons and cook them for three minutes. Add the pepper, beans and aubergine. Stir-fry everything for four minutes.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for two minutes. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring it to a simmer and cook for fifteen minutes. The vegetables should be tender but should keep their shape. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the pulled noodles in and stir once. Cook them for two to three minutes only. Test one: it should be tender with a slight chew.
7. Drain them and rinse them briefly under hot water. Now serving, which is done immediately. Divide the noodles between deep bowls. Ladle the sauce and vegetables over them. Scatter coriander and spring onion over each bowl. Serve black vinegar and chilli oil at the table.

Technique

• Rest the oiled ropes for at least an hour, or the dough snaps when pulled.
• Pull slowly and slap the strand against the surface; a sudden jerk breaks it.
• Fresh hand-pulled noodles cook in two or three minutes, not the time dried ones need.

Substitutions

• Shop-bought fresh thick wheat noodles, if hand-pulling defeats you.
• Beef in place of lamb, which is common.

Variations

• Suyuq lagman, the soupy version with more broth.
• Quyruq lagman, the dry version with a thick sauce.
• Guyru lagman, with the noodles fried in the pan with the sauce.

History

A hand-pulled noodle dish served with a stir-fried or stewed sauce of meat and vegetables, generally traced to Uyghur cooking in what is now China’s Xinjiang region, carried westward into Kazakhstan and neighboring Central Asian countries through Uyghur and Dungan Chinese Muslim migration and trade contact over the past century and more. Its hand-pulling technique for the noodles themselves, stretching and slapping a single length of dough repeatedly until it separates into long strands, shares a clear technical lineage with Chinese lamian noodle-pulling, reflecting that same underlying Central and East Asian noodle tradition rather than a separately invented method. Lagman developed distinct regional variations across Central Asia depending on which vegetables, meats and spice level a given country’s Uyghur, Dungan or broader population favored.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lagman?

Lagman is a soup & stew from Kazakhstan: hand-pulled noodles in meat-vegetable broth, Uyghur-influenced. A hand-pulled noodle dish served with a stir-fried or stewed sauce of meat and vegetables, generally traced to Uyghur cooking in what is now China’s Xinjiang region, carried westward into Kazakhstan and neighboring Central Asian countries through Uyghur and Dungan Chinese Muslim migration and trade contact over the past century and more. Its hand-pulling technique for the noodles themselves, stretching and slapping a single length of dough repeatedly until it separates into long strands, shares a clear technical lineage with Chinese lamian noodle-pulling, reflecting that same underlying Central and East Asian noodle tradition rather than a separately invented method. Lagman developed distinct regional variations across Central Asia depending on which vegetables, meats and spice level a given country’s Uyghur, Dungan or broader population favored.

How long does Lagman take to make?

Lagman takes 1 hour plus 2 hours resting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Lagman?

Yes, within limits. Shop-bought fresh thick wheat noodles, if hand-pulling defeats you. Beef in place of lamb, which is common.

What is the most important thing to get right in Lagman?

Rest them for at least an hour, and two is better. The oil stops them drying and the rest relaxes the gluten completely. Take one rope and hold an end in each hand. Pull your hands apart slowly and steadily. Do not jerk it, since a sudden pull breaks it.