Crimean Tartar Lagman (also called laghman, lağmen, lağmon, lengmen means stretched dough) is a favorite Tartar dish. It is a nourishing, brothy main course full of vegetables, flavored with spices and herbs with or without meat, served on a bed of long pulled noodles. As Tartars resettled to the Ukrainian mainland after Russia’s 2014 forced annexation of Crimea, this dish became a part of Ukrainian cuisine.
Crimean Tatars, an indigenous people of Ukraine, trace their history to the 13th century CE Mongol invasion of Europe when several clans of the Golden Horde made Crimea their homeland. Turkic-speaking Tartars adopted Islam, merged with local tribes and created the Crimean Khanate which ruled the peninsula until it was annexed by the Russia Empire in 1783.
Russia’s persistent claims that “Crimea has always been Russian” and that people living in the peninsula are Russians wanting to be a part of Russia is refuted by the peninsula’s 500-year history of ethnic diversity before Russian annexation. Prior to arrival of the Russians, Crimean Tartars cohabited on the peninsula with local Cumans, Sarmatians and other native tribes, Turks, Jews, Karaites, Greeks, Italians, Goths, Armenians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians and Russians. Centuries of imperial and later Soviet rule focused on purging the Tartars from Crimea through a combination of Russian colonization, physical violence, persecutions, repressions, legalized discrimination and Russification forced waves of Tartars to emigrate to nearby countries. Those Crimean Tartar clans who remained in their homeland were forcibly deported to Central Asia by Stalin in 1944 and their abandoned homes were filled with Russian colonizers. So, Crimea was made Russian by force.
Over 240 years of Russian imperial and Soviet rule, Crimea’s administration changed 15 times. In 1954, the Crimean oblast was transferred from Soviet Russia to the jurisdiction of Soviet Ukraine based on the integral character of the economy, its territorial proximity and the close economic and cultural ties between the Crimea Province and Ukraine.
In 1967, the Soviet government permitted Tatar families to return to Crimea, and a few hundred families did over the following decade. By 2000, more than 250,000 Tatars had returned, and in 2014, the European Union recognized the Crimean Tartars as an indigenous people of Ukraine. In 2014, however, Russia again annexed Crimea and commenced new persecutions and repressions of the Tartars which have multiplied since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and continue to the present.
Crimea has become geopolitically important since its forcible Russian annexation in 2014 and Russia’s war in Ukraine since February 2022, and the resolution of this conflict may ultimately impact all of us. But the Crimean Tartar’s legendary dish is the focus of this post which, despite the war, enriches the menus in Ukrainian homes and restaurants.
Fleeing the annexed peninsula, Tatars brought their culture and uniquely rich cuisine which epitomizes the multi-cultural history of the peninsula to the rest of Ukraine. Lagman, a mainstay of Crimean Tartar cuisine, has roots in Central Asia and China, and there are several explanations for how this noodle preparation reached Ukraine.
Some historians suggest that lagman traveled the Silk Road with the Tatars, whose nomadic roots trace their history in Crimea to the 13th century CE Mongol invasion. It is believed that the long noodles, an essential ingredient in lagman, originated in China over 4,000 years ago, where they were known as latiaozi or bànmiàn, lo mien or lā miàn. By the beginning of the first millennium, this Han Chinese noodle preparation spread throughout China. These hand-stretched long, thin strands, often called longevity noodles, had become a part of Chinese celebrations, symbolizing long life. After the Mongol conquest of China in 13th century CE, lagman became a part of Mongol cuisine and consequently became a part of ethnic cuisines along the Mongol path to Europe.
Another explanation is that lagman’s arrival in Ukraine is more recent. Under this version, Crimean Tatars adopted lagman during their 1944 exile to Uzbekistan and brought the lagman preparation to Crimea upon their return 50 years later. This explanation is based on the fact that some versions of Crimean Tartar Lagman bear similarities to the current Uzbek version.
Whichever explanation of its origin is correct, Crimean Tartar Lagman comprises three components: lagman, the noodles after which the dish is named, a stir fry of lamb or beef and seasonal vegetables and a slightly spicey, savory sauce. There is no uniform recipe. Lagman is a flavorful dish, easily adaptable to available ingredients.
Lamb is the meat of choice with beef substituting only when lamb is not available; occasionally, a lamb and beef combination is used, but never pork.
Crimean cooks incorporate a wide variety of seasonal vegetables: carrots, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, celeriac, sweet and hot peppers, white cabbage, green beans, scallions, daikon, red radish or radish greens, usually including no more than four to five vegetables in a dish. The ingredients are cut into approximately same size pieces of varying shapes for visual appeal and are added sequentially while cooking so that the vegetable pieces retain the shape.
The flavoring for Crimean Tartar Lagman can be as simple as salt, black pepper and parsley or can incorporate other herbs such as fresh coriander, basil, ginger and assorted spices. Occasionally, star anise, cumin, white pepper, paprika, coriander, bay leaf, oregano, turmeric, sugar and soy sauce are added.
A note about noodles: An authentic lagman involves making homemade noodles following a time-honored technique that requires rolling and stretching skills to reach a length of up to 5 yards. Although I provide a written description of the noodle-making process, no words can adequately describe it. but numerous videos of the special dough-stretching technique are available on YouTube.* It is not difficult but is time-consuming. However, factory-made noodle options are sold in Italian delis and online, ranging from Italian bucatini and extra-thick long spaghetti or fresh Chinese udon or longevity noodles sold in Asian stores. A proper lagman noodle is fairly thick and chewy, but not doughy.
I felt challenged to make lagman noodles from scratch. Following YouTube instruction, I made the dough, rolled and stretched it a few strands at a time rather than stretching it as a bundle. I found it difficult to stretch very long noodles and cut them in half to about 1-1 ½ yards (91-137 cm) pieces. Clearly, the stretching part requires practice. But for my first try, the shape of the resulting noodles bears a close resemblance but is not as uniform or as attractive as those in the videos. These noodles taste great, slightly salty and thicker than regular pasta. But I wonder whether the taste was worth the four hours it took to complete the process. Hopefully, a second try will be easier and produce better results.
Although purists claim the lagman noodles are important to the authenticity of the dish, it is the stir fry and sauce, not the noodles, which give the dish a wonderful taste and make this dish memorable. The stir fry and sauce reflect local flavors with a subtle oriental finish and savory taste. This Crimean Tartar Lagman is certainly not an ordinary noodle soup. It resembles a tasty, satisfying and fragrant lamb stew, lightly coated in a rich, meaty, spicy sauce with a subtle taste of star anise. Pure flavor magic!
Traditionally, this Crimean Tartar Lagman is served warm in deep bowls and eaten with a spoon and fork rather than chopsticks as in Central Asia or China. Lagman noodles are served separately from the stir fry and sauce. In plating individual portions, I cut the noodles (some of mine were four feet (122 cm) long!) into manageable pieces, layering the stir fry on top and pouring some of the sauce as a dressing. For a saucier dish, a pitcher of sauce is served on the side.
Crimean Tartar Lagman
For the noodle dough (omit if substituting with purchased noodles):
5 ½ cups (680 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) water, room temperature; more as needed.
1 egg
For the stir fry ad sauce:
2 pounds (907 g) lamb, cut into small cubes or strips
3.5 ounces (100 ml) vegetable oil
5.3 ounces (150 g) carrots cut in ¼ inch (0.6 cm) slices
1 (150 g) yellow onion, diced small
5.3 ounces (150 g) boiling potatoes in ½ inch (1.2 cm) dice
1 fresh hot red chili, finely chopped or 1 dried chili crushed
2 green bell peppers, cut in triangle shapes
1 red bell pepper, cut in triangle shapes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 (250 g) Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut in 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces
1 garlic bulb, finely minced
3 red radishes, cut into strips
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
½ -1 teaspoon sugar
2 star anise
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups (473 ml) vegetable broth or water
For garnish:
1 scallion, sliced
2 tablespoon parsley or fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
Making the noodles (skip if using purchased noodles): Combine dry dough ingredients in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, and while mixer is kneading, slowly add water a ½ cup (118 ml) at a time just until a smooth dough forms. (You may not need all the water.) Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Knead several times, then cover with plastic wrap or a clean bowl, kneading every 15 minutes for 1 hour.
When dough is rested, divide dough into 4 balls, cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Then, working with one ball of dough keeping the others covered, flatten ball to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick and slice into 5 lengthwise strips.
Roll each strip into a long strand, about 1-2 ft (30.5-61 cm) and coil the strands onto a well-oiled flat dish, making sure that the sides of each strand are oiled before adding the next strand. When all dough strands are coiled, cover dish with plastic wrap and set aside to rest.
When ready to cook, bring the coiled dough to room temperature, and in a large spaghetti pot, heat large quantity of salted water to boiling. With oiled hands, remove one coiled strand at a time, and with fingers stretch the dough into a thinner straw. Drop several strands into the boiling water at a time, stir so noodles don’t stick and cook for no more than four minutes. Remove with a strainer and drop into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking, and then immediately move the cooled noodles to drain thoroughly in a colander. When all noodles are cooked, cooled and drained, cover with a clean cloth and set aside until ready to serve. Keep the water in spaghetti pot hot.
Preparing the stir fry and sauce: Cut the vegetables into desired shapes and arrange in small bowls. Set aside until needed.
In a large frying pan or wok with a lid, heat oil over high heat. When oil starts to shimmer, add the lamb pieces and fry until browned on all sides and liquid has evaporated. Stir regularly. (You may need to do it in batches.)
Turn the heat down to medium. Return meat to wok, add onion, spices, sugar and salt and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure nothing burns. Then add chili, tomatoes, tomato paste and garlic, mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Then mix in carrots, peppers, radish and parsley and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are barely soft. Add potatoes and cook until vegetables are tender.
When ready to serve, reheat a portion of noodles by dipping into boiling water and quickly draining just before plating. Top with the meat and vegetable mixture, garnish with scallions, parsley or fresh coriander and drizzle sauce over each serving.
Serve warm.
Serves 6
* https://www.dolanchick.com/blog-uyghur-food-recipes/uyghur-home-style-hand-pulled-noodle-laghman
Photo credits:
ID 66197317 ©. Goncharnazar|Dreamstime.com
ID 79629288 ©Gon4ar | Dreamstime.com
ID 170582433 © Yurii Zushchyk|Dreamstime.com
All other photos by Slava Johnson
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