Laghmen

In case you want to try making some good Uyghur food tonight at home.  I got this receipt off a friend who spent hours watching her Uyghur friends cook.  Most locals don’t measure ingredients; it is all done by a general feeling of “that’s enough”.  She would then ask to take their handful or pinch of whatever and try to measure it according to our system of teaspoons and cups.  Hope you enjoy! 

Toppings:

3T. – ½ Cup of oil   
1 potato cut in thin cubes

150-300g. mutton cut in strips  
2 leaves of cabbage, cut in narrow strips

Ginger, diced or 1/8t. ginger powder 
½ large (very red) tomato, diced thinkly

1 small onion, cut thinkly  
3 hot gree peppers, seeds removed, cut in chunks

2t. salt       
1 dried hot red pepper, soaked 10min, sliced finely

2T. soy sauce* 
3-5 garlic cloves peeled and diced finely

Green beans, cut in 2 cm. pieces**      
Black or white pepper, optional

Dough:

1 heaping C. flour

1t.salt ( or a little less)

½ C. water

* Can substitute a combination of 1t. soy sauce and 1 T. black vinegar if desired

** Can substitute and/or add other vegetables such as 8-10 leaves of spinach or ½ an eggplant cut in chunks

Make the Dough:  Slowly mix water into flour.  When you push finger inot the dough and it leaves a small imprint it is ready.  Knead dough really well ( until it slowly rises back up when you push on it with your finger).  Let sit 10-15minutes.  More time makes it softer.  When you notice bubbles in the dough, it is ready ( but holes in the dough aren’t good and means it needs more time).  Flatten dough about 1 ½ inches think.  Put oil on each side and cut into strips 1 inch think. Stretch each trip a little by squeezing it in your hands.  With one hand holding the strip, rub your other hand back and forth across the other end of the strip moving down the strip, unitl it is long and approximately 1cm in diameter.  Oil the plate.  Before setting it aside coil each strip.  Coiling from the middle of the plate out.  Rub oil on each layer.  Cover and set while preparing vegetables.

Prepare the Topping:  Put 3 T oil in the pot and heat.  Fry meat and then add chopped ginger and onions.  Cook briefly and add salt and soy sauce.  Add green beans, potatoes, eggplant if using, red pepper, cabbage, and tomatoes ( stirring a minute between each).  When potatoes are almost cooked, add green peppers, garlic, pepper, and black vinegar.  Add spinach , if using and water.  Bring to boil.  Taste.  Take out and cover while preparing the noddles.

Make and cook the Noodles:  Boil water.  Stretch the noodles ( run through one hand and the other, roll to keep it round as also stretch).  For stiff dough do this 2 times; do only once if soft.  Wrap around hands ( one under, one over until hands are covered and dough is used up).  Stretch and slap several times.  Boil 2-3 minutes.  Lift the noodles form the pot and dip first into a basin of cold water.  If your guests want their noodles hot, dip them back into the hot water before serving.

 

To Serve:  Put noodles on a plate and then pour topping over the noodles.  Make sure there are at least a couple of pieces of meat in each dish.