Lagman

Method

1. 01

   Step 1: Make the dough

   Dissolve the salt in warm water, add the flour and knead 10 minutes until smooth. It should be firm — soft dough tears when pulled.

2. 02

   Step 2: Rest it

   Oil the ball, cover and leave 30 minutes. The gluten relaxes and the dough starts to stretch instead of springing back.

3. 03

   Step 3: Sear the beef

   Heat oil in a heavy pot until it shimmers and brown the beef in batches to a dark crust. That crust is where the sauce gets its colour and depth.

4. 04

   Step 4: Add vegetables in order

   Onion first (5 minutes), then radish (5), peppers and beans (5), finally tomatoes with the garlic and spices. Each has its own time; added together they collapse into mush.

5. 05

   Step 5: Add water and simmer

   Pour in hot water, season and simmer 30–40 minutes. The sauce should be thick rather than soupy: it coats the noodles instead of floating around them.

6. 06

   Step 6: Pull the noodles

   Divide the dough into ropes, oil them and stretch each one, swinging and slapping it on the counter, to pencil thickness. Pinch any tears back together.

7. 07

   Step 7: Boil the noodles

   Cook in a large pot of salted water 3–4 minutes after they float, then drain and rinse with hot water or they stick together.

8. 08

   Step 8: Assemble in the bowl

   Put noodles in a deep bowl and spoon the sauce and meat over. Scatter coriander. Never mix them in the pot: the noodles go soft within five minutes.