Kazakhstan's national dish, whose name means 'five fingers' because it's eaten by hand - large sheets of noodle dough are rolled paper-thin just minutes before cooking and boiled directly in the meat broth, so they absorb maximum flavor without turning soggy.
1.Place the meat in a deep pot with water to cover and half the sliced onion, bring to a boil, and continuously skim off the scum that rises to the surface.
2.Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 2.5 hours until the meat is so tender it falls off the bone easily, adding the bay leaves and peppercorns partway through.
3.Remove the meat and set aside, keeping it warm, and strain the broth (called shorpa), reserving it.
4.For the noodles, combine the flour, egg, water, and salt into a firm dough, knead until smooth, then rest for 20-30 minutes.
5.Roll the dough out very thin, ideally thin enough to see light through it, and cut into large squares or diamonds - the dough is rolled fresh just minutes before cooking, never made ahead, so it absorbs maximum broth without turning soggy.
6.Bring the reserved broth to a boil, boil for about 7 minutes, then add the noodle sheets and cook for about 8 minutes until they've absorbed much of the broth and turned tender.
7.For the tuzdyk sauce, soak the thinly sliced onions in a little hot broth with black pepper until softened.
8.To serve, arrange the cooked noodles around a large communal platter, lay the meat in the center, pour a little broth and the tuzdyk over the top, and garnish with dill or parsley - beshbarmak is traditionally eaten by hand, with a bowl of the shorpa broth served alongside.