Uyghur Lagman

If you love Asian cuisine, you should try Uyghur lagman. It’s a combination of rich meat sauce with fresh vegetables and delicate noodles that are similar in taste and shape to spaghetti. The special feature of these noodles is that they are handmade: the dough is stretched into long strips and soaked in vegetable oil.

Yield: 4 servings.

Cooking time: 2 hours.

Caloric value: 112 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Cuisine: Uyghur.

Ingredients

• flour (high-grade) – 520 g;
• purified water – 150 ml;
• egg С 1 – 1 pc;
• rock salt – 1 tsp;
• vegetable oil for greasing.

For the sauce:

• beef (meat) – 450 g;
• white onion – 200 g;
• garlic – 3 large cloves;
• napa cabbage – 500 g;
• tomato paste – 60 g;
• purified water – 750 ml;
• cilantro, parsley – a bunch;
• red bell pepper – 1 pc;
• green beans (frozen is fine) – 160 g;
• star anise – 1 pc;
• salt – to taste.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients for the noodles. The water should be cold, and the oil should be refined (odorless).

2. Get the products for the sauce. You can use any vegetables (seasonal), but carrots are usually not added to Uyghur lagman. Napa cabbage is essential. Meat can be either veal (beef) or lamb.

3. Start with preparing the noodles. Mix water, egg, and salt.

4. Sift the flour into a large bowl and gradually start pouring in the prepared liquid, mixing it with the flour after each addition.

5. All the flour should clump together. Continue kneading.

6. When the dough acquires a uniform and dense structure, finish the process.

7. Transfer the flour mixture into a bag and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

8. Then knead the dough again – it will become more pliable and smooth.

9. Roll the ball into a thick pancake with a diameter of 20 centimeters.

10. Cut it into strips 2-2.5 centimeters wide.

11. Generously brush them with oil on all sides, then transfer to a bag and leave on the table for about 40 minutes.

12. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Remove the leaves from the napa cabbage and cut off the thin outer edges – only the thick middle part will be needed.

13. Cut it into pieces about 3-4 centimeters long.

14. Clean the bell pepper from the seed box and cut it into fairly large pieces.

15. Slice the onion into half rings.

16. Cut the meat into thin slices.

17. Finely chop the garlic cloves with a knife.

18. In heated oil, fry the onion until transparent.

19. Add the meat and continue frying over high heat for a couple more minutes.

20. Add the bell pepper to the pan.

21. Then add the green beans. The heat must always be at maximum. Heat everything together for about 3-4 minutes.

22. Next, add the napa cabbage.

23. Stir the vegetables and add the tomato paste.

24. Pour in hot water.

25. Add star anise and salt.

26. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

27. Two minutes before the end of this time, add the chopped greens. At the end, remove the pan from the heat and leave it covered until the noodles are ready.

28. Take the first strip of dough out of the bag and form it into a rope (do not roll it too thin). Grease a large dish with oil and lay the spiral preparation on it, starting from the center.

29. Lay the next ropes next to each other in a circle and generously oil them.

30. The preparations can be placed in the second and third layers, the main thing is that everything should be thoroughly soaked in oil.

31. Then flip this three-tier stack over so that the first layer is on top, and start unwinding the ropes, starting from the very center.

32. Now it's time to pull the noodles. For this, you need to roll and twist the rope with one hand while pulling it with the other.

33. Stack the resulting preparations in piles and brush them with oil again.

34. Next, find the ends in each pile and wind the noodles around both hands like threads.

35. Then start hitting the dough against the table, simultaneously stretching it in different directions. You should get a thin, evenly thick thread. Prepare all the noodles in this way.

36. Boil water in a large pot, add salt. Dip the first small batch of preparations into the boiling water and, to prevent the threads from sticking together, stir them with a fork.

37. When the noodles have boiled for 4-5 minutes, scoop them out with a colander.

38. And place them on a tray greased with vegetable oil. Drizzle some more oil on top and toss with your hands.

39. When all the noodles are ready, transfer them to a large serving dish.

40. Place the meat sauce on top.

Uyghur lagman is served hot. If the dish is not planned to be served immediately, the noodles should be boiled last so that they are piping hot, while the meat sauce can simply be reheated. You can serve spicy pepper and a bit of fresh herbs with lagman. Try it, it's very delicious!