Uzbek-style Fried Lagman

Prepare all the ingredients for fried Uzbek-style lagman. You can use any meat - beef, veal, or lamb. Wash and peel all the vegetables.

Rinse the beef under running water and dry it with paper towels. Then cut it into small cubes.

Put the diced meat in a frying pan, cauldron, or skillet, pour vegetable oil over it, and put it on the stove to fry until it changes color and forms a crust. Start frying over high heat. And as soon as the active frying process begins, reduce the heat to medium.

Divide the onion in half (cut it in half lengthwise), and then cut it into semi-circles.

Add the sliced onion to the meat and continue frying until the onion becomes translucent and golden.

Cut the eggplant into small cubes, approximately 0.5 cm.

Cut the sweet bell pepper into small cubes.

Slice the carrots into small pieces.

Put the sliced carrots, bell pepper, and eggplant into a saucepan with meat and onions, and mix well.

Slice the tomatoes into small pieces. If fresh tomatoes are not available, you can use canned ones in their own juice or tomato paste.

Add the tomatoes to the meat and vegetables and continue to simmer, adding half a cup of water. You can experiment with additional ingredients here. For a special touch to the taste of fried lagman, you can add a little soy sauce, hot pepper, or lemon juice. Adjust according to your taste.

Cut the potatoes into small cubes. If your potatoes have rough skin, peel them before cutting. In the finished lagman, you should not feel the skin at all. If you have young potatoes, wash them well and do not peel them.

Add the potatoes to a pot and simmer until cooked (the potatoes should become soft). Stir occasionally to prevent anything from burning. Cook the vegetables for the fried Uzbek lagman as quickly as possible. Do not overcook them on the stove. The vegetables should be lightly fried, juicy, and aromatic. Their crispy texture should be preserved.

Chop the herbs and garlic.

Add the herbs and garlic to the meat and vegetables, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes to preserve their aroma. Also add spices and salt according to your taste preference. I recommend using turmeric, curry, ginger, garlic, cilantro, or other spices to give the dish a special aroma and flavor. Let the fried lagman marinate before serving so that the ingredients soak up each other's juices and flavors.

While the lagman marinates, cook the lagman noodles in salted water until done. Serve the noodles in individual plates. Traditionally, lagman is made with thick wheat noodles, but you can also use egg noodles or rice noodles. You can buy ready-made lagman noodles in a supermarket or make them yourself. If you want to make homemade noodles for lagman, refer to the recipe I mentioned earlier. Lagman will be more delicious with homemade noodles.

Fry the Uzbek-style lagman until cooked, then add it to the noodles and garnish with herbs. The finished lagman can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days separately from the noodles. Enjoy your meal.