Lagman (Uzbek soup/sauce)

Lagman in Uzbek Bowl (Kasa)

This is an easy, delicious, completely satisfying, and fairly quick soup to make.  The slicing and dicing is very much worth the effort, especially considering that you can do it a day in advance.  Growing up in Uzbekistan (Tashkent), we ate this frequently enough to have registered in my mind when I was a child, and this version is almost the same as the one my grandma made (and her cooking is legendary).  There are many variation on Lagman, some have it really “dry” and more like a sauce, some have it more “wet”, like a soup.  Our version is the more like soup one.

Hope you give it a try and enjoy it.

Lamb diced for Lagman

Ingredients:
1lb lamb (cut into small pieces, about 1-inch cubes)
3 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
2 medium onions (diced)
4 medium-large carrots (diced)
2-4 bell peppers (diced) [I used 2 really large red ones]
3-4 tomatoes (diced) [I used 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes]
4 medium potatoes (diced)
8 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
4-5 cups of stock [I used chicken stock but beef stock works absolutely great]
3 medium bay leaves
salt, pepper, coriander, and cumin to taste

Diced Pepper

Diced Carrots

Sauteing Veggies

Browning Lamb

Lagman cooking

Lagman cooking

Lagman in Uzbek Bowl (Kasa)

 
Steps:
1. Saute the diced onion, carrots, and bell peppers.

2. Add the lamb, tomatoes, and garlic. Let this mixture cook until the meat gets browned.

3. Add the stock and bring to a boil.

4. Add the diced potatoes and the bay leaves and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

I add the salt, freshly ground black pepper, cumin, and corriander between each step. This way, the flavors can develop gradually and I can adjust as I go along. Also, you know your stove better than anyone, so adjust the cooking time to meet your stove’s capacity.

This must be serverd over noodles. I used spaghetti, but angel hair pasta works really well here too.