Laghman is the dish to eat in Ürümqi. These are hand-pulled noodles — thick, chewy ropes of dough stretched and folded until they have the right heft — served in a sauce of lamb, sweet peppers, tomato, and enough cumin to announce itself across a room. It is the most common dish in the Erdaoqiao area, served in dozens of small family restaurants where the pulling happens in full view of the dining room. Watching the cook stretch a ball of dough into several metres of noodle in about thirty seconds is half the experience.
You will find laghman restaurants throughout the bazaar streets — look for a handwritten menu in a window, a wok going hard on a gas ring, and usually four or five tables. The quality is generally high and the price is low. Order one bowl to start and decide from there. Some places also serve a soup version (suiru laghman) where the noodles sit in a clear lamb broth. Both are good. This is honest, filling food that has not been adjusted for outside tastes, and it is better for it.