Noodles · Nomad Staple

Tsuivan (Цуйван)

Photo: Mizu_Basyo / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Its name comes from a Chinese word for a fried pancake, yet the dish itself is pure Mongolian steppe food — hand-torn noodles steamed and stir-fried together with meat and vegetables in a single pot.

Wheat-flour noodles are hand-pulled or torn into strips, layered over simmering mutton or beef and vegetables like carrot, cabbage and pepper, then steamed and tossed together in the pot. Sold at market food stalls and roadside gers across Mongolia.

Why it's made this way: Tsuivan developed among nomadic herders who needed a hearty, portable one-pot dish that could be made from durable wheat noodles and whatever meat and vegetables were on hand while traveling with livestock.