Lagman – Uzbek Hand-Pulled Noodles with Beef and Vegetables

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

👉 Lagman (also written laghman) is the great noodle dish of Central Asia: long, chewy hand-pulled noodles served with a rich sauce of meat, peppers, tomatoes and vegetables. It came to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan with the Uyghur and Dungan people, whose cooks are famous for stretching a single piece of dough into metres of noodles. In Uzbekistan lagman is usually served in a bowl with plenty of spicy, cumin-scented broth, while the Uyghur version is thicker, almost like a stir-fry. Both are eaten with a splash of garlic vinegar and chili oil.

How to Make Lagman

1. Make the dough. Mix the flour and salt, add the warm water and knead for 10 minutes until very smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Shape the noodle ropes. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a rope as thick as a finger. Brush well with oil, coil on a plate, cover and rest for at least 30 minutes – this relaxes the gluten so the noodles stretch easily.
3. Cook the meat. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pot over high heat. Brown the meat for 5–6 minutes, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables. Add the carrot and radish, cook for 3 minutes, then the peppers for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin and star anise and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
5. Simmer the sauce. Pour in the hot broth, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes while you make the noodles.
6. Pull the noodles. Take one oiled rope, hold the ends and gently stretch it, bouncing it on the counter, until it is long and about 3–4 mm thick. Fold and stretch again if you like thinner noodles.
7. Boil. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2–3 minutes, until they float and are tender but chewy. Drain and rinse briefly.
8. Serve. Divide the noodles between deep bowls, ladle the meat, vegetables and broth over them and top with fresh herbs. Serve with chili oil and garlic vinegar on the side.

Tips for the Best Lagman

• Resting the oiled dough is the secret of hand-pulled noodles – if it tears, let it rest 15 minutes more.
• Cut all the vegetables into similar thin strips so they cook evenly.
• Add more broth for Uzbek soup-style lagman, less for thick Uyghur-style laghman.

FAQ

What is the difference between lagman and laghman?
They are two spellings of the same dish. Uzbek lagman is usually served with broth like a soup; Uyghur laghman is thicker and more like a noodle stir-fry.

Can I use store-bought noodles?
Yes – thick fresh noodles or udon work best. The dish will still taste great, though hand-pulled noodles are chewier.

Can I make lagman with chicken?
Yes. Use boneless chicken thighs and chicken broth, and reduce the simmering time to 15 minutes.

👉 More from Central Asia: Uzbek plov, manti and Azerbaijani dushbara.

Footnotes:

No time to pull noodles? Use thick fresh noodles, udon or thick spaghetti – cook them according to the packet and pour the sauce over.
Uyghur-style laghman: cook the sauce with less broth so it stays thick, and toss it with the noodles like a stir-fry.