Uyghur style noodles with lamb sauce

Laghman (新疆拌面) also written Xinjiang ban mian, comes from the Xinjiang region in China’s far northwest, home to a large Uyghur population. It is a plate of freshly made noodles topped with a stir fried sauce of lamb, onion, pepper, tomato, and garlic, and its flavor sits right at the meeting point of Central Asian and Chinese cooking. The dish is homestyle rather than banquet food, closer to a good lunch counter than a formal table.

The first time I ate laghman was at a small diner where they pulled the noodles to order behind the counter. In China this is the kind of quick lunch you grab from a hole in the wall spot, and the cook usually slides a little plate of pickles or a cucumber salad across the counter to go with it. I wanted a home version that keeps that lamb and cumin character without a noodle-pulling station, so I use good store-bought wheat noodles and put all the work into the sauce.

I marinate the lamb while I bring a pot of water up for the noodles, then brown the meat and pull it out so it stays juicy. In the same skillet I cook the onion, toast the garlic and chili flakes, break down the tomato into a sauce with soy sauce, tomato paste, cumin, and a little sugar, then fold in the pepper and return the lamb at the end. I hope you cook this the next time you want a hearty noodle bowl with real Xinjiang flavor, my recipe below takes you from raw lamb to a saucy plate in 35 minutes.

Lamb sauce spooned over noodles for Uyghur style noodles with lamb sauce

Ingredients

To make this Laghman (Noodles with Lamb Sauce), I use the ingredients listed in detail below:

Noodles with Lamb Sauce ingredients

Lamb and marinade: I use lamb leg cut into small cubes, or ground lamb when I want an easier night, and I season it with peanut oil, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch.

Aromatics and heat: I reach for purple onion, sliced garlic, and Chinese chili flakes to set the base.

Sauce builders: I cook fresh tomato down into the body of the sauce and round it out with light soy sauce, tomato paste, cumin powder, sugar, and salt. Canned diced tomato works when good fresh tomatoes are out of season.

Pepper: I finish with anaheim pepper for a mild green note, or a bell pepper when that is what I have.

Noodles: The best type of noodles to use in laghman are fresh homemade noodles. Either hand pulled noodles or rolled noodles work well. If you do not have time to make homemade noodles, don’t worry! A lot of store-bought wheat noodles work really well in this dish, as well. I used Havista brand “Wife’s Noodles”, which is a type of wheat noodle that has a similar shape to spaghetti.

How to Make

1. Marinate the lamb: Cube the lamb leg into 1/2 inch pieces, or use ground lamb, and add it to a bowl with the peanut oil, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch. Mix well and let it marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes while you prep everything else.

2. Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package. Drain in a colander, run cold tap water over them to stop the cooking, then drain again and set aside.

3. Brown the lamb: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the lamb and arrange it in a single layer with as little overlap as possible. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the surface is light brown but the inside is still slightly pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate and keep the oil in the skillet.

Lamb browning in a single layer in a hot skillet

4. Soften the onion: Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and add the onion. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.

Diced purple onion softening in the skillet

5. Toast the garlic and chili: Add the garlic and chili flakes. Stir and cook just until fragrant, so the chili opens up without scorching.

Garlic and Chinese chili flakes toasting for the lamb sauce

6. Break down the tomato: Add the tomato. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it starts to break down. Add the light soy sauce, tomato paste, cumin powder, sugar, and salt. Stir and cook until everything is mixed and the tomato has cooked into a sauce.

Tomato breaking down into a saucy base with cumin and tomato paste

7. Add the pepper: Add the pepper. Stir and cook until just softened but still crisp, about 1 minute for anaheim pepper or 2 to 3 minutes for bell pepper.

Anaheim pepper stirred into the laghman sauce

8. Return the lamb: Return the lamb to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook just long enough to warm the meat through so it does not overcook. If you used ground lamb, you can cook it a bit longer to draw out more flavor.

Browned lamb returned to the tomato sauce in the skillet

9. Serve: Fluff the noodles and divide them among serving plates. Spoon the lamb sauce over the top, stir to mix, and serve hot.

Lamb sauce spooned over noodles for Uyghur style noodles with lamb sauce

My Cooking Tips

Choose the right noodle: A wheat noodle shaped like thick spaghetti is my go-to here, chewy enough to stand up to the sauce and smooth enough to coat well. Look in the refrigerated or freezer case at a large Asian grocery, or use a dried udon-style wheat noodle at home.

Rinse the noodles cold: The cold-water rinse after boiling stops the noodles cooking and washes off surface starch, so they stay separate and springy instead of clumping while the sauce finishes.

Brown the lamb, then pull it: Taking the lamb out after a quick sear and adding it back at the very end is what keeps cubed leg tender. Left in the pan through the whole braise, it tightens up and turns dry.

Grind your own cumin when you can: Whole cumin toasted in a dry pan and ground fresh has a deeper warmer taste than a jar of pre-ground powder, and it is the spice that tells you this is a Xinjiang dish.

Time the noodles to the sauce: Start the noodles boiling while the sauce cooks so both finish together. Laghman is best tossed and eaten right away, while the noodles are hot and the sauce is glossy.

Lamb sauce ready to serve

How to Serve

Laghman is a one-bowl meal at my table, noodles down first and a generous ladle of the lamb sauce spooned over the top. I stir it all together in the bowl so every strand picks up the tomato and cumin, and I keep a little dish of Chinese pickles. A cold cucumber salad on the side is the pairing I remember from the diners in China, and it still tastes right at home.

When I want a fuller Xinjiang table for friends, I set laghman next to a plate of Real-Deal Xinjiang Cumin Lamb and a batch of Hand-Pulled Noodles for anyone who wants to try the from-scratch route. If the group wants soup too, a bowl of Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup completes the meal with a different broth and a different noodle. The sauce also reheats well, so I cook a double batch of it for lunches through the week.

Frequently Ask Questions

Can I use a different meat instead of lamb?

Lamb is the classic choice in Xinjiang cooking and it gives laghman its amazing flavor, but beef works well if you would rather skip it. Flank steak sliced thin or ground beef both cook up nicely in the same sauce.

Why did my lamb turn out tough?

Cubed lamb leg tightens up if it stays in the pan too long. Sear it just until the surface browns, pull it out, and return it only at the end to warm through, which keeps it juicy.

My sauce came out watery, what happened?

Fresh tomatoes release a lot of liquid, so give them the full 2 to 3 minutes to break down and keep cooking after the seasonings go in until the sauce looks glossy rather than soupy. If your tomatoes are especially juicy, let the sauce reduce a minute longer before you return the lamb.

How to store this?

Store the lamb sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and reheat it in a skillet with a splash of water to loosen it back up. The sauce freezes well for up to 2 months, so I portion it before freezing, but I always cook the noodles fresh since boiled noodles turn soft and mushy after thawing.

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Noodles with Lamb Sauce (Laghman, 新疆拌面)

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Laghman is the Xinjiang noodle dish I make when I want chewy wheat noodles under a rich lamb and tomato sauce seasoned with cumin and Chinese chili flakes. It is a Uyghur main that cooks in one skillet plus a pot of noodles, and it is ready is only 35 minutes for a perfect Sunday dinner or prep meal for your week. 

Ingredients 

Marinating

  • 1 lb (450 g) lamb leg or ground lamb
  • 2 teaspoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Cooking

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 purple onion , diced
  • 4 cloves garlic , sliced
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese chili flakes
  • 5 tomato , chopped (or 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes)
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 2 anaheim pepper (or 1 bell pepper, diced)
  • 1 to 1.3 lbs (450 to 600 g) fresh noodles (or 12 oz / 340 g) dried thin wheat noodles

Instructions

  • Cube lamb leg into 1/2” (1-cm) cubes (or just use ground lamb) and add it to a medium-sized bowl. Add the rest of the marinating ingredients. Mix well and allow to marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
  • Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook the noodles according to instructions. Then transfer to a colander to drain. Run the noodles with cold tap water to stop cooking. Drain again and set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the lamb and spread out with minimal overlap. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the surface turns light brown but the meat is still slightly pink inside, about 2 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside. Save the oil in the skillet.
  • Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
  • Add the garlic and chili flakes. Stir and cook to release fragrance. Add the tomato. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the tomato starts to break down. Add the light soy sauce, tomato paste, cumin powder, sugar, and salt. Stir and cook to mix everything well, until the tomato has broken down and becomes saucy.
  • Add the pepper. Stir and cook until just softened but still crisp, 1 minute if using anaheim pepper, 2 to 3 minutes if using bell pepper.
  • Return the lamb back to the skillet and stir to mix well. Cook just long enough so the lamb is warmed through and not overcooked. If you’re using ground meat, you can cook it a bit longer to release more flavor and it won’t overcook.
  • To serve the noodles, fluff the noodles again and transfer to each serving plate. Add the noodle sauce. Stir to mix well and enjoy while hot!

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 514kcal, Carbohydrates: 68.1g, Protein: 31.7g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2.7g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 1501mg, Potassium: 976mg, Fiber: 7.3g, Sugar: 14.1g, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 7mg

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