Thick hand-pulled noodles under a stir-fry of lamb, peppers, tomato, celery and onion — the everyday lunch of the region.
What makes it laghman
Hand-pulled wheat noodles, thick and chewy.
A stir-fried topping of lamb with peppers, tomato and onion, spooned over — not a soup.
Often a little vinegar and chilli on the side.
Where it comes from
Laghman is often said to come from the Chinese lāmiàn, pulled noodles, and it travelled west with Uyghur and Dungan cooks into Central Asia, where it's now claimed as a national dish too. In Xinjiang it's the lunch most people reach for.
The dough is rested in oil and pulled to order, so the noodles are springy and thick. The topping, a quick stir-fry, changes with the season.
How it varies
Soupy laghman
More common in Central Asia: the topping thinned to a broth.
Guo you rou
Lamb fried with peppers and cabbage — one of many toppings.