You can, but it will not be true lagman. If you buy them, choose wide egg noodles of udon thickness, 3–4 mm. Thin pasta will not work.
Lagman is a thick Uzbek soup with homemade hand-pulled noodles, and in the Fergana Valley it is an everyday lunch. The noodles matter most: they are traditionally pulled by hand from a firm dough, which gives them their springy bite and their uneven, handmade strands. They are topped with a meat and vegetable sauce of lamb, onion, carrot, sweet pepper, tomato and garlic, always with daikon or white radish. For a home kitchen we have simplified the noodle-making but kept every step that matters.
Method
- 1
Make the noodle dough from the flour, egg, water and salt, and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
- 2
Divide the dough into 4 pieces, roll each into a rope, brush with oil and leave to rest for another 15 minutes.
- 3
Pull each rope by hand, stretching it gradually into thin noodles about 3–4 mm across, and lay them on a floured board.
- 4
Heat the oil in a kazan (a heavy cast-iron pot) and fry the meat for 5–6 minutes until browned.
- 5
Add the onions and fry for 3 minutes until soft.
- 6
Add the carrots, peppers and radish, and cook for 4 minutes.
- 7
Add the tomatoes, garlic, zira and coriander seed, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- 8
Pour in the hot water, bring to the boil and simmer the sauce for 20–25 minutes.
- 9
Cook the noodles in a separate pan of salted water for 3–4 minutes, then drain.
- 10
Put the noodles in a piyola bowl, spoon the meat and vegetable sauce over the top and scatter with the herbs.
Cook's tips
- If you are not pulling the noodles, cut the dough with a knife into thin strips 3–4 mm wide.
- Daikon is a must in lagman: it brings a note of freshness to the thick soup.
- The sauce should be thick, not runny. If you have added too much water, let it reduce uncovered for 5–10 minutes.
- Serve lagman straight away, as the noodles soon go soft in the sauce.
Arkan Bazar
Halal meat for this recipe
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FAQ
Lagman: common questions
Strictly speaking, yes, but you lose the freshness that defines the dish. Daikon or white radish is an essential vegetable in lagman.
Lamb is the classic; beef or chicken will do instead. Pork is not used in Uzbek cooking, for religious reasons.
The sauce keeps for 2–3 days in the fridge. Cook the noodles fresh each time you serve, or they go soft and lose their spring.
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Get the ingredients at Arkan Bazar
You will find rice, spices, dried fruit, nuts, non flatbread and tea for most of these recipes on our counter at Riga Central Market, Nēģu iela 7, open daily from 09:00 to 17:00.