Hand-Pulled Lagman with Lamb and Chilli-Garlic Oil

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, add the water gradually and bring it together by hand. Knead on the worktop for 10 min, pushing with the heel of your hand and folding, until smooth and as soft as an earlobe. It feels stiff at first but softens with kneading, so don't add more water. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

   Add in this stepbread flour 200 gsalt (for the dough) ½ tsplukewarm water (for the dough) 110 ml

2. Divide the dough into 3–4 pieces per serving and roll each under your palms into a rope about 1 cm thick. Coat the ropes all over with oil, coil them on a plate like snails, cover with cling film and rest for 1 h. A long rest relaxes the gluten so the noodles stretch without snapping.

   Add in this stepvegetable oil (for coating the dough) 1½ tbsp

3. Meanwhile make the sauce. Cut the lamb into 1 cm thick strips and pat dry. Heat 60% of the oil in a 22 cm wok or heavy pot over high heat until barely smoking, add the meat and stir-fry for 6 min until deeply browned.

   Add in this stepvegetable oil 2⅛ tbsplamb shoulder (or beef chuck) 240 g

   high heat

4. Add the sliced onion, half the garlic (sliced), the radish in 1 cm dice, the green beans cut into 3 cm lengths, the peppers, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and most of the cumin seeds, crushed between your palms. Fry over medium-high heat for 6 min, until the vegetables are glossy, the tomatoes collapse and the oil turns red.

   Add in this steponion 1garlic cloves 2daikon radish 80 ggreen beans 60 gbell peppers (red and green) 1tomatoes 1tomato paste 1 tbspcumin seeds 1 tsp

   medium-high heat

5. Add the stock and salt, bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat, half-cover and simmer for 30 min, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

   Add in this stepbeef stock (unsalted or low-salt) 500 mlsalt ½ tsp

   high heat→medium-low heat

6. Chilli-garlic oil: put the chilli flakes, the remaining garlic finely chopped and the remaining cumin in a heatproof bowl. Warm the rest of the oil in a small pan over medium heat for 1 min 30 sec, until it shimmers (about 160 °C), then pour it carefully over the bowl. It should sizzle, foam and smell fragrant. If the oil is smoking hot, the chilli burns and turns bitter.

   Add in this stepvegetable oil 1.4 tbspcoarse red chilli flakes 2 tspgarlic cloves 2cumin seeds 0.4 tsp

   medium heat

7. Bring a large pot of water (3 L) to a rolling boil over high heat. Hold a dough rope by both ends, tap it lightly on the worktop and slowly spread your arms to stretch it. Fold it in half and stretch again 2–3 times until about 3 mm thick, then drop it straight into the water. Once the noodles float, cook 2 min more and lift them out. Cook in two or three rounds if your pot is small.

   high heat

8. Put the noodles in bowls, ladle plenty of hot sauce over them and scatter with coriander. Serve the chilli-garlic oil on the side for everyone to spoon on to taste.

   Add in this stepchopped coriander 2 tbsp