Shurpa Lagman

On a cold day like this, you have to make quantities of steaming hot stew, and one of my favorites is Shurpa Lagman. It’s a dish from Bukharia, which may or may not be where the legendary kingdom of the Khazars was located, and definitely the kind of stew that could warm a whole caravansery. But you don’t have to travel the Silk Road to sample it.  Rego Park will do.

My version of it starts from this recipe. I love cooking this dish. It always makes me want to share.  Also, it’s a great way to use up all those round winter vegetables that looked so charismatic because they’re local. Turnips, rutabagas, and swedes–oh my!

Shurpa Lagman

• olive oi l
• 1 large onion, coarsely diced
• 1-2 lb beef or lamb, cubed
• 1 28 oz can tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 pint broth (homemade and stashed in the freezer, natch)
• A mix of root vegetables, diced. (In this pot: 1 carrot, 1 parsnip, 1 big macomber turnip, 2 small purple top turnips)
• 1 sweet red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp red chile flakes
• 1 tsp garam masala
• fistfuls of dried dill, to taste
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tsp black chinese vinegar
• 1 lb fresh chinese noodles (optional – this is the lagman)

1. Cut up the onion and saute it in olive oil.
2. Hack up the meat.  If it’s frozen, wish you had taken it out to thaw earlier, but you can still cut it up. Saute the meat until brown.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and seasonings–except the salt.
4. Simmer for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, this is a good time to peel and dice the vegetables.
5. Dump in the vegetables and garbanzos. Add salt. Simmer another  30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cook the noodles and drain.
7. Taste for seasoning.
8. Turn off the heat and add vinegar.
9. Serve the shurpa on the lagman.

YUM.