Laghman

(authentic/ from Sara W/ in XJ)

Dough: 
1 heaping C flour, 
1 scant tsp salt, 
1/2 C water

slowly mix water into the flour. When you push your finger into the dough and it leaves a small imprint, it is ready. Knead dough well until it slowly rises back after pushing on it with your finger. Let sit 10-15 minutes. When you notice bubbles in the dough, it is ready, but holes means it needs more time. Flatten dough about 1 1/2 in thick. Put oil on each side and cut into strips 1 in thick. Stretch each strip a little by squeezing in your hands. With one hand holding the strip, rub your other hand back and forth across the other end moving down the strip until it is long and about 1 cm in diameter. oil the plate. Coil each strip, coiling from the middle of the plate out. Rub oil on each layer. cover and set while preparing vegetables


topping: 
3Tbsp-1/2C oil, 
150-300g mutton, cut in strips, 
ginger, diced or 1/8tsp powder, 
1 small onion, cut thinly, 
2 tsp salt,
2 Tbsp soy sauce, 
green beans, cut in 2 cm pieces, 
1 potato, but in thin cubes, 
2 leaves Chinese cabbage, cut in narrow strips, 
1/2 large very red tomato, diced thinly, 
3 hot green peppers, seeds removed, cut in chunks, 
1 dried hot red pepper, soaked 10 minutes, sliced finely, 
3-5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced, black or white pepper
* Can substitute other veggies like spinach or eggplant if you want


cook the topping: 3 Tbsp oil in pan or wok and heat. Fry meat and then add chopped ginger and onion. Cook briefly and add salt and soy sauce. Add beans, potatoes, eggplant if using, red pepper, cabbage, and tomatoes, stirring a while in between each. When potatoes are almost cooked, add green peppers, garlic, pepper, and black vinegar if using. Add spinach if using, and some water. Bring to a boil. Taste. Remove from heat and cover while preparing noodles.


make and cook the noodles: boil water. Stretch the noodles (run through one hand and the other, roll to keep round as you stretch,) for stiff dough, do this twice, for soft, only once. Wrap around hands, one under, one over, until hands are covered and dough is used up. Stretch and slap several times. Boil 2-3 minutes. Lift the noodles from the pot and dip first into a basin of cold water. If you want your noodles hot, redip them in the hot water briefly. 

To serve: Put noodles in a bowl and then pour topping over the noodles. Make sure there are at least a couple of pieces of meat in each dish. Serve with chopsticks. Left over dough can be frozen, and dough can be made days in advance and frozen.