Ding Ding Chaomian

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 165 ml water
• 1 tsp fine salt (for the dough)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for coating the dough
• 250 g lamb leg, cut into 1 cm dice
• 1 onion, cut into 1 cm dice
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1 cm dice
• 1 green pepper, cut into 1 cm dice
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1 cm dice
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying

Before you cook

• Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and the water into a firm dough and knead for 8 minutes.
• Rub the dough all over with 2 tablespoons of oil, cover it and rest for 40 minutes.
• Cut the lamb, onion, tomatoes and both peppers into even 1 centimetre dice so they cook at the same rate.
• Chop the garlic finely.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil.

Steps

1. Roll the rested dough out to a sheet about 5 millimetres thick.
2. Cut the sheet into 1 centimetre strips, then cut across the strips to make 1 centimetre cubes.
3. Toss the cubes with a little flour so they do not stick together.
4. Drop the cubes into the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, until they float and are just tender.
5. Drain the cubes, rinse them under cold water and toss with a teaspoon of oil.
6. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat until it shimmers.
7. Add the diced lamb and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until browned at the edges.
8. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
9. Stir in the tomato paste, ground cumin and chilli flakes and fry for 1 minute until the oil turns red.
10. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, pressing them down so they break into a sauce.
11. Add both peppers and stir-fry for 2 minutes so they stay crisp.
12. Tip in the drained noodle cubes and toss everything together for 2 minutes.
13. Pour in the soy sauce, sugar and salt, then toss for a final minute until the sauce clings to every cube.
14. Serve straight from the wok.