Suiru Lagman

Make a firm dough: mix 500 g wheat flour, 0.5 tsp salt and 250 ml water. Knead for 15 minutes, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into strips about 1 cm thick, brush with 2 tbsp vegetable oil, coil them into spirals, cover and let rest for another 30 minutes. Stretch each strip by hand into long noodles.

Cut the beef, onion, bell pepper, celery stalks, green radish, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage and green beans into small pieces; mince the garlic and chili, and chop the cilantro.

Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil well in a wok or a deep heavy-bottomed pot. Sear the beef for 4–5 minutes until lightly browned, add the onion and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in 200 ml water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the meat is tender.

Add the green radish, celery, garlic and chili, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, cook for another 7 minutes, then add the bell pepper, green beans and Chinese cabbage. Season with cumin, Sichuan pepper and the remaining salt.

Pour in 1000 ml water, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 12–15 minutes: the vegetables should turn tender but not fall apart, and the sauce should stay fairly thin. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Bring the remaining water to a boil in a large pot, cook the stretched noodles for 2–3 minutes until al dente, drain and rinse with hot water so they don't stick together.

Divide the noodles among deep bowls, ladle over the hot beef and vegetable sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro.