Lagman - one might say, a cult Central Asian treat, which is gradually gaining popularity in the domestic open spaces. This unusual dish consists of two parts: spicy gravy and noodles. It is noteworthy that the cooking process and the composition of this treat can vary significantly in different recipes. There is simply no single option for creating this culinary masterpiece - in every country it is made differently. So, among domestic culinary experts, the lagman with a radish in the Uzbek style is considered the most popular - a truly unusual oriental treat with a unique aroma and taste.
A little description
At its core, lagman is a delicate noodle of an unusual shape with delicious gravy based on meat, vegetables and many spices. It can be served as a first or second course, depending on the amount of liquid.
The classic lagman contains vegetables, noodles, seasonings, herbs and meat. And if the vermicelli is used in different recipes the same, then the variety of the last ingredient can be absolutely anything: both ordinary chicken and lamb.
General principles of cooking
As for the vegetables in the lagman, everything is extremely simple here: you can add literally everything that is at hand. As a rule, these are potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, onions, radishes, tomatoes, turnips.
From herbs and spices, every culinary specialist can choose what he likes best. For example, adding adjika, hot pepper, parsley, chili, bay leaves, zira, garlic, suneli hops and basil is a great solution.
Lagman noodles with radish are cooked separately from the sauce. Serve the dish as follows: in a deep dish put the vermicelli, vegetables and meat go on top, and then all the products are filled with broth. Traditionally, a bowl filled with fresh herbs should be next to the plate.
The secrets of cooking noodles
Since it is vermicelli that is the basis of the lagman with radish, its creation should be approached with all responsibility. It is prepared manually from eggs and first grade flour. Perhaps this is the most time-consuming part of the process. To prepare noodles for lagman with radish at home, you will need:
- one and a half glasses of water;
- 2 eggs;
- a teaspoon of salt;
- about 1 kg of flour;
- 150 ml of vegetable oil.
The process itself can be divided into several stages: kneading the dough, processing it with a special saline solution, drawing and actually boiling.
To lubricate the mass, you need to prepare a special mixture of 0.5 teaspoon of soda, whole - salt and half a glass of water. This solution allows you to give the test elasticity and greatly facilitate the drawing process.
How to cook noodles
The first step is to knead the dough from the prepared components. Then it must be set aside for an hour and greased with saline.
After the dough "rests", it is necessary to form a cake out of it. Grease this lump with vegetable oil and cut into wide strips of about 5 cm. Each of them is thoroughly knead and roll into a sausage, while at the same time pulling out a little.
Fold the resulting strips in a bowl, grease again and cover with polyethylene. After an hour, take out the dough and pull out each sausage, applying the maximum allowable force. After your noodles become long, gently beat it on the table and send it to the pot to cook.
But for those who do not want to bother with the dough for a long time, it is worth stocking up with a ready-made product - fortunately, today its assortment allows you to choose the most suitable option in any supermarket.
Essential Ingredients
To prepare a delicious lagman with radish according to the classic recipe, you will need:
- 0.4 kg of beef;
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes;
- bell pepper;
- 1 green radish;
- 2 medium carrots;
- as many onions;
- 1 large potato;
- 0.5 black radish;
- a glass of meat broth;
- vegetable oil for frying;
- a few cloves of garlic;
- salt, spices and parsley.
Well, of course, you will need noodles, cooked by your own hands or bought in a store.
Step-by-step recipe for lagman with radish
- Step 1. Throw the pre-cooked noodles into boiling water and boil for 7-8 minutes. Then throw it in a colander and rinse with water so that it does not stick together.
- Step 2. Chop the meat in small pieces, place in a cauldron and fry in vegetable oil for 5 minutes.
- Step 3. Peel all prepared vegetables from the peel, seeds and tails, rinse under running water. Chop the bell pepper into cubes, tomatoes without the skin into small pieces. Chop the onion with thin straw, chop the carrots with a grater. Chop the potato in large cubes, and chop the radish in small cubes.
- Step 4. Send the onions, peppers, carrots to the roasted beef and let the food go for another couple of minutes.
- Step 5. Now add the remaining vegetables to the cauldron and fry them for another 10 minutes, then season them with prepared spices and pour meat broth.
- Step 6. Keep the contents of the cauldron until completely softened - it will take about 40-50 minutes. At the end, add the garlic passed through the press here.
- Step 7. Pour boiled noodles with boiling water and place on plates. Then place a meat treat and sprigs of greens on it.
In a separate bowl, you can additionally serve broth made from pork or beef with spices. In this form, fragrant lagman with radish can already be put on the table.
Cooking secrets
As with any other national dish, the recipe for lagman with radish has some features.
- To prepare the gravy, you need to use thick-walled dishes - a cauldron or a cast-iron pan.
- Properly made noodle dough should be quite elastic and malleable. Some chefs recommend mixing different varieties of flour in the same proportions to get this result.
- When kneading dough, not only eggs with water, but also soda with vinegar are often used. This combination is absent in the classic Lagman recipe, but these products will help an inexperienced chef to cope with noodles.
- If you didn’t inadvertently add noodles, do not worry. Just add the prepared broth to it, cover and leave aside for 10 minutes. During this time, the noodles will reach full readiness.
- So that pieces of meat and vegetables do not fall apart, but remain whole and appetizing, do not let the gravy boil. Lagman must languish all the time at minimum power.
- It is quite possible to replace noodles with ordinary premium spaghetti.