Chinese · Lunch · Dinner
Cumin Lamb
孜然羊肉 (Zīrán Yángròu)
Thin slices of lean lamb are seared hot and fast, then tossed with toasted cumin, chilli and plenty of crisp onion and pepper. This is the smoky, punchy Xinjiang street-food classic made at home with a lot less oil.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 37 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 16% · Fat 42% · Protein 42%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 500 glean lamb leg, trimmed of visible fat
- 1 tbsp16 glight soy sauce
- 1 tbsp15 gShaoxing rice wine
- 2 tsp5 gcornstarch
- 2 tbsp12 gcumin seeds
- 2 tspchilli flakes
- 1/2 tspground Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
- 1 1/2 tbsp20 gvegetable oil
- 1 medium150 gonion, cut into thin wedges
- 1 large160 ggreen bell pepper, cut into strips
- 3 cloves9 ggarlic, minced
- 1 tbsp6 gfresh ginger, minced
- 6whole dried red chillies (optional)
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 1 tbsp9 gsesame seeds
- 1/2 cup8 gfresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
- 230 gspring onions, sliced
Steps
- 1
Slice the lamb across the grain into thin strips about 3 mm thick.
- 2
Mix the lamb with the soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch, then leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- 3
Toast the cumin seeds in a dry wok over medium heat for about 1 minute until fragrant, then tip out and crush half of them coarsely.
- 4
Heat half the oil in the wok over high heat until shimmering.
- 5
Add half the lamb in a single layer and sear for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until browned with no pink left (at least 63 °C / 145 °F); remove to a plate.
- 6
Repeat with the remaining lamb, adding a few drops of the remaining oil only if needed, and set aside.
- 7
Add the rest of the oil, then stir-fry the dried chillies, garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
- 8
Add the onion and green pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until just tender but still crisp.
- 9
Return the lamb to the wok with all the cumin, the chilli flakes, Sichuan pepper and salt, and toss over high heat for 1 minute.
- 10
Turn off the heat, stir in the sesame seeds, coriander and spring onions, and serve immediately.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use beef sirloin or flank steak instead of lamb if lamb is hard to find, slicing it thinly across the grain the same way.
- For a gluten-free version, use tamari labelled gluten-free instead of soy sauce and dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine, which usually contains wheat.
- Swap the lamb for pressed extra-firm tofu or sliced king oyster mushrooms to make it vegan, as every other ingredient is plant-based.
- Leave out the whole dried chillies and halve the chilli flakes for a milder dish that still keeps the cumin flavour.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating in a hot wok or microwave until steaming hot. It is best eaten fresh, as the peppers soften and the coriander wilts on standing.
Make ahead
Slice and marinate the lamb and cut the onion and pepper up to a day ahead, keeping them covered in the fridge; you can also toast and crush the cumin a few days early and store it in a sealed jar.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenSoySulphitesSesame
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (237 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 271 kcal | 114 kcal |
| Protein | 28.9 g | 12.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10.9 g | 4.6 g |
| of which sugars | 3 g | 1.3 g |
| Fiber | 2.5 g | 1.1 g |
| Fat | 12.9 g | 5.4 g |
| of which saturated | 2.5 g | 1.1 g |
| Sodium | 602 mg | 254 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
