As long as I remember myself, Uighur food has been one of my favorites. It is forever associated with Central Asian republics possible only during summer vacations, mom and dad off from work, vegetables unavailable in cold Moscow, exotic flavors. Inside the Iron Curtain, from Moscow, -stan republics and their food were the mysterious “Abroad.” Pilafs, kabobs, manti, dimlama, shurpa, dolma, mashkhurda, and the most incredible fresh salads — heaven!
Lagman, lamb and vegetable stew — or sauce, or soup — was and is hands down my favorite one. Like with every national dish, there are many versions: more vegetables, less vegetables, more spice, less spice. More water — it’s a soup, less water — it’s a stew, less water, more starch — it’s a sauce.
It can be eaten by itself scooped with bread or over rice, pasta, with fired potatoes or mash. The classic way thought is lagman over boiled noodles. And those noodles have to be hearty and have a good chew to stand up to the sauce.
The answer to the noodles I found in Naomi Duguid’s book Beyond the Great Wall, a trip into little known outlying areas of China inhabited by non-Han people. Earlobe noodles are small, thick, and similar to orecchiette they have a little scoop to hold the sauce. They do not require any particular skills to come together.
This version of lagman is unusual with the amount vegetables and spices compared to the traditional more ascetic one. It’s a good one.
FOR THE LAMB SAUCE
WHAT WENT IN
— 2 lb lamb, cut in bite size pieces
— 5 Tbsp soy sauce
— 1/4 cup vegetable oil
— 1/4 cup butter
— 5 medium onions, chopped small
— 7 garlic cloves, sliced
— 3 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
— 1 Tbsp paprika
— 2 tsp black pepper
— 3 anise stars
— 1 Tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
— 1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
— 3 x 1/2” chunks of ginger, peeled
— cayenne pepper to taste
— 5 large plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
— 4 cups napa cabbage, sliced
— 1 green pepper, cored and sliced
— 1 red pepper, cored and sliced
— 3 celery stalks, sliced
— 10 oz spinach, stemmed if needed
— 2 cups water
THE PROCESS
1. Coat lamb in soy sauce and let it marinate while you’re preparing the rest.
2. In a large pot — Dutch oven is good, wok is good too, but if you have kazan, tall heavy pot like Dutch oven with rounded bottom like wok, it is the best — heat oil and butter and cook onions until very well browned. Add garlic at stir for a minute or so.
3. Add tomato paste and cook it for about 5 minuted, until it changes the color to a darker one.
4. In 3-5 minutes intervals, add all the aromatics, mixing them in as you go.
5. In about 15 minute intervals, add all the vegetables.
6. Add water, bring to a boil and let it simmer for another 20 minutes or so.
EARLOBE NOODLES
WHAT WENT IN
— 2 cups flour
— 1/2 tsp salt
— 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
— 1 large egg
— 1/2 cup barely warm water
THE PROCESS
1. With 3-5 turns, combine flour and salt in a food processor.
2. Add oil and egg and give a few more turns, until combined.
3. Gradually feed in the water until a ball forms.
4. Let the dough rest covered on a counter for a good two hours or over night in the refrigerator.
5. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
6. Divide the dough in 10 pieces and with your palms roll each piece into a 10” rope. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap so they won’t dry out.
7. Working with one rope at a time, pinch and squeeze to flat pieces of doughty about the size of your thumb distal phalanx, that end bone with a nail on it, and drop them into the boiling water. I usual do three ropes, boil them for 8-10 minutes, take them out on a plate and add some oil so they won’t stick. Then, I work with another three ropes. By the last batch, I get more dexterous and can do four.