Cheat’s laghman

Laghman is an Uyghur dish of noodles topped with a mild stew of meat and vegetables. Uyghur cooks rightly demand the noodles should be hand-pulled, but they’re pros at this delicate and tricky art. This version (reluctantly) cheats on the noodles, but brings you the warming flavours of this dish, which is popular throughout Central Asia.

SERVES: 4 TAKES: 40 MINS

INGREDIENTS

275g thick egg noodles sunflower oil, for frying

500g lamb leg steak, cut into bite-size chunks 1 onion, diced

2-4 garlic cloves (adjust to your liking), thinly sliced 1 tsp cumin seeds 150g Chinese cabbage, chopped into

bitesize pieces

1 red pepper, chopped into 2cm pieces 1 green pepper, chopped into 2cm pieces 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced 2 tbsp tomato purée

350ml beef stock

1 tbsp sesame seeds, to garnish chives, to garnish (optional)

METHOD

Cook the egg noodles according to pack instructions.

Add 1 tbsp of the oil to a wok or large frying pan and set over a medium heat. Season the lamb well with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and fry for 5 mins (keep it moving, so it doesn’t stick). When almost cooked through, scoop the meat out of the pan and cover with foil to keep it juicy.

Add another 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and keep it over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and cumin seeds and fry for a few mins, stirring all the time. Tip in the cabbage, peppers, red chilli and tomato purée and fry over a medium-high heat for around 20 mins until the vegetables have softened. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then let it all bubble away for another 10 mins so that the liquid begins to thicken. Tip the lamb back into the pan, along with its juices, to warm through, then check the seasoning and remove from the heat.

Put the noodles in large bowls and top with the stew, then garnish with the sesame seeds and the chives, if using.