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1
Combine the flour, salt, and lukewarm water in a bowl and work to a firm, smooth dough — lukewarm water relaxes the flour from the start, giving you a dough that will stretch into long strands rather than fight you. Cover and rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it yields to a pressed finger without snapping back immediately, because only at that point will the strands pull without tearing.
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2
Bring the lamb pieces to colour in a wide, heavy pot over high heat, working in batches so the meat fries rather than steams, which keeps the bottom of the pot dry enough to build a proper fond. Add the sliced onions and cook until softened and lightly golden, then add the tomatoes, peppers, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, and celery leaf; season with salt, add enough water to cover, and simmer partially covered until the lamb is tender. Remove the lid and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon — this is where the dish lives or dies, because a thin or under-seasoned vaja cannot carry the plain starchy noodle, and the sauce must be bold, slightly glossy, and assertively salted before it leaves the pot.
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3
Oil your hands and the surface of the rested dough, then divide into four equal ropes — the oil prevents the surface from drying out and grips the dough just enough to let you feel where the strand is thickening. Working one rope at a time, stretch it between the hands, fold the two ends together, and stretch again in slow, consistent passes, because rapid pulling produces strands of uneven thickness. Continue until the strands hold an even diameter along their full length without bunching or thinning: slow pulling yields thick, udon-like noodles; lighter passes yield finer strands.
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4
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil and drop the pulled noodles in immediately, because pulled noodles stiffen and stick if left in a pile even briefly. Cook until tender but with a slight resistance at the centre. Taste a strand to confirm it is cooked through with no raw flour character at the core.
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5
Drain the noodles and toss at once with a small amount of neutral oil, so that each strand stays separate for plating rather than fusing into a mass within seconds of leaving the water. Work quickly and turn the noodles through the oil until every strand glistens.
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6
Divide the oiled noodles among four deep bowls and ladle the hot vaja over. Finish each bowl with raw sliced white onion and fresh herbs. Serve at once, as the noodles absorb the sauce rapidly and the dish is at its best in the first minutes after assembly.