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1
Make and Rest the Noodle Dough
15 Mins + 30 Mins Rest • Kneading
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Sift the flour into a wide bowl, add the beaten egg and a pinch of salt, then pour in the cold water a little at a time, mixing with your hands until a firm dough forms. Knead on a floured board for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then rub the surface with a little oil, cover with cling film and rest for 30 minutes. The rest is not optional — rested dough stretches without snapping, and unruly dough is what makes hand-pulling fail.
If the dough tears when you stretch it, it has not rested long enough — give it another 15 minutes under the film.
Done when: Smooth, elastic dough that stretches without tearing.
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2
Pull the Noodles
20 Mins • Pulling
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Divide the rested dough into 4 pieces and roll each into a rope about as thick as your finger, brushing with oil as you go. Working with one rope at a time, hold the ends and gently stretch it, bouncing it lightly on the counter, until it is long and about 3–4 mm thick. Coil each pulled strand loosely on a floured tray so it does not stick to itself. If a strand snaps, roll it back into a rope, rest it for 5 minutes and pull again — it is a knack, not a race, and the second try is usually the good one.
Oil your hands, not the board — oiled dough slides and stretches; floured dough grips and snaps.
Done when: Long, even strands about 3–4 mm thick, coiled and lightly oiled.
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3
Brown the Beef
10 Mins • Frying
High heat, about 200°C (400°F); beef cooked through to at least 71°C (160°F) later in the sauce
Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or heavy pot over high heat until it shimmers. Add the beef strips in a single layer and leave them alone for 2 minutes so they brown properly, then stir-fry for 3–4 minutes more until browned on all sides. Season with the cumin, coriander and paprika and fry for 30 seconds until the spices smell fragrant. Do not crowd the pan — brown the beef in two batches if you have to, or it will steam instead of searing.
Browning in a single layer is where the flavour comes from; grey, steamed beef makes a grey-tasting sauce.
Done when: Beef browned on all sides, spices fragrant.
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4
Build the Vegetable Sauce
10 Mins • Frying
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Add the onion and garlic to the beef and fry for 3 minutes until the onion softens. Add the carrot and daikon and fry for 3 minutes more, then the red and green peppers for 2 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down. The vegetables should still have bite — they finish cooking in the broth, and overcooked peppers turn to mush.
Add the vegetables in order of firmness — carrot and daikon first, peppers last — so everything finishes at the same time.
Done when: Vegetables glossy and just tender, tomatoes breaking down.
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5
Simmer the Sauce
25 Mins • Simmering
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F); beef cooked through to at least 74°C (165°F)
Pour in the hot beef broth, add the salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened to a rich, spoon-coating consistency — soupy enough to ladle, thick enough to cling to noodles. Taste and adjust the salt; the sauce should be savoury and mild, with the sweetness of the peppers and daikon coming through, not hot.
If the sauce gets too thick, add broth a splash at a time; if it is too thin, simmer uncovered for the last 5 minutes.
Done when: Beef tender, sauce thick enough to coat a spoon, vegetables still holding their shape.
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6
Boil the Noodles Separately
8 Mins • Boiling
Rolling boil, 100°C (212°F)
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the pulled noodles in, a few strands at a time, stirring gently so they do not clump. Cook for 4–5 minutes until tender and chewy — bite one to check; it should be springy, not floury in the middle. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly with hot water to wash off the surface starch, then toss with a teaspoon of oil so the strands stay separate.
Cook the noodles separately, never in the sauce — the starch would cloud the sauce and the noodles would drink it dry.
Done when: Noodles tender and chewy, strands separate and glossy.
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7
Assemble the Bowls
5 Mins • Assembling
Serving hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Divide the hot noodles between four deep, warmed bowls, twirling them into nests with tongs. Ladle the beef and vegetable sauce generously over the top, making sure every bowl gets beef, peppers and daikon, then spoon over a little extra broth. Scatter the chopped dill and cilantro over each bowl and serve at once, with chopsticks or a fork and a spoon for the broth.
Warm the bowls with hot water first — lagman cools fast in a cold bowl, and the noodles seize up.
Done when: Bowls steaming, noodles peeking through a generous ladle of sauce, herbs bright on top.
Kazakhstan
3h 45m
France
Vietnam