After heading to Yunnan province with Dai Banana Leaf Fish dish from Feeding the Dragon 'a culinary travelogue through China with recipes' (Andrews McMeel Publishing) by siblings Mary Kate and Nathan Tate today we head to Xinjiang with another recipe for Lunar New Year.
Laghman Noodles with Tomato Sauce
In the reflection of the cracked mirror hanging in a blue tiled frame on the wall, the shop clerk flutters about the room behind me lightly picking up silk scarves—deep reds, cheery eggplant, ice blue, golden hues, and patterns as varied as camouflage and polka dots. She returns, this time with a light brown scarf that she assures me is in fashion this summer. Wrapping my head and tying a knot below my chin, she looks at my reflection in the mirror with me. “You look like very Uighur girl,” she says, smiling.
Most Uighur women in the conservative Muslim city of Kashgar wear head coverings. While in town, I wore one too, and Nate and I with our Western features actually blended in. Some people even mistook us for locals and started up conversations with us in Uighur. This was a first in our travels in China. We slipped into noodle shops unnoticed at lunchtime and dinnertime, as everyday folks just coming to eat.
The ubiquitous Xinjiang laghman noodles that we ate in these shops are topped with stewed tomatoes and peppers swimming in a wonderful tomato sauce. Traditionally, the noodles in this dish are hand pulled and extremely difficult to make, involving stretching dough by hand into long cords. We recommend using the much easier Hand-Torn Noodles or buying fresh round noodles, which have a similar taste.
Serves 4
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
8 ounces boneless lamb, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (28-ounce) can peeled tomatoes with juice, coarsely chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 11/2-inch squares
5 green onions, white parts only, chopped into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon Chili Oil (recipe follows)
1 pound Hand-Torn Noodles (recipe follows) or fresh round noodles
Handful of fresh cilantro leaves
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Drop in the garlic, onion, lamb, and 1 teaspoon of the salt and stir-fry for about 8 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the peppers, green onions, and chili oil. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the Hand-Torn Noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are tender. If using fresh round noodles, cook until al dente. Drain well and divide them among 4 serving plates. Top the noodles with the sauce, scatter with the cilantro leaves, and serve.
Chili Oil
Makes 1 cup
1 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 tablespoons crushed red chile flakes
Heat the peanut oil and sesame oil in a wok over medium heat until a piece of a chile sizzles when added to the oil but doesn’t turn black. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the chile flakes. Let the oil cool to room temperature, and then strain through a wire strainer or cheesecloth. The oil will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
If you decide to try your hand makind this dish with hand-torn noodles you will need their recipe. Let us know and we will be happy to oblige.
(* From Feeding the Dragon: A Culinary Travelogue Through China with Recipes by Nate and Mary Kate Tate/Andrews McMeel Publishing)
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