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4.8 from 51 votes

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry

Recipe video above. A cumin spiced lamb dish might sound totally un-Chinese, but it's actually authentic and very on-trend! Hailing from the Xinjiang province of China, if you love Middle Eastern and Chinese food, you will love this. Bold cumin flavour with tingling "cold" spiciness from Sichuan pepper and earthy chilli flavour (but not spiciness) from the dried chillis.Spice level - On the upper warm buzz side, but not fiery heat because Sichuan pepper is a different type of spiciness, see note 4.Recipe credit: Adapted from Real-Deal Xinjiang Cumin Lamb from Omnivore's Cookbook, one of my trusted sources for authentic Chinese cooking. I made a few minor tweaks to streamline but the flavour is bang on!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Marinating
30 mins
Total Time
53 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 358 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • Plain rice , fried rice - more suggestions listed in post
Lamb & marinade:
  • 500g/ 1 lb boneless lamb leg meat (or rump) , sliced 1/2 cm / 1/5" thick (Note 1)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce , light or all-purpose (not dark or sweet)
  • 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda , sifted if lumpy (Note 3)
  • 2 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
Spice mix:
  • 2 tbsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan pepper (Note 4 to grind your own)
Stir fry:
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola, peanut)
  • 1/2 cup dried Chinese chillis , whole, 25-30 pcs (Note 5)
  • 1 onion , halved then sliced 8mm / 1/4" thick
  • 2 tbsp finely minced ginger (~5cm/2" piece)
  • 5 cloves garlic , finely sliced
  • 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro , roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Marinade - Combine lamb, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, salt, baking soda and cornflour in a mixing bowl. Mix well then set aside for marinade for 30 minutes (counter fine).
  2. Spice mix - Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.
  3. Cook lamb - Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick skillet (30cm/1") over medium-high heat until hot. Add half the lamb and spread out in a single layer. Leave for 30 seconds then, using 2 wooden spoons, toss for a further 1 minute until the lamb is slightly golden. Remove onto a plate then repeat with remaining lamb (you shouldn't need more oil).
  4. Sauté aromatics - Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the dried chilli, ginger and garlic. Stir for 10 seconds to release flavour, then add the onion. Cook for 2 minutes until the onion just starts to soften.
  5. Spiced lamb - Add the cooked lamb then sprinkle the spice mix over. Toss well to evenly coat.
  6. Finish dish - Add the cilantro, sesame seeds and toss. Serve over rice! (Note: the dried chillies are not meant to be eaten.)

Notes

  • Lamb - Butterflied or boneless lamb leg roast meat is my preferred. Rump is similar. Best cut for lamb flavour, not too fatty, and tenderness (baking soda also plays a part, see below). Other lamb chop cuts will work but are smaller/fattier. Shoulder, shanks and other slow cooking cuts aren't suitable. Pricey backstrap is wasted on this recipe, in my opinion, unless you can get it very cheap! (Save it for this recipe)
  • Don't slice too thinly, you want a bit of bite to the lamb pieces. Also, if too thin, it's hard to cook to make golden as there's too many really thin pieces!
  • Chinese cooking wine ("Shaoxing wine") is an essential ingredient for making truly "restaurant standard" Chinese dishes. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub - sub with 2 tablespoons chicken stock/broth.
  • Baking soda/bi-carb - Chinese restaurant secret to tenderise meat (called "velveting"). Tried and loved method used by readers for years - see method for chicken and beef for stir fries!
  • Sichuan pepper - Cold spiciness, a bit lemony, rather than hot spiciness you get from normal chilli like cayenne pepper! Usually I recommend grinding your own but in this recipe, pre-ground is just as good. To grind your own, dry toast 1 1/2 tsp, cool, grind, sift out lumps, measure out 1/2 tsp powder.
  • Substitute with 1/4 teaspoon white pepper.
  • Dried chilli - Any Asian or Indian/sub-continent red dried chillies will be fine here. Primarily used for chilli flavour, sautéed whole, not meant to be eaten. Doesn't release much spiciness.
  • Leftovers will keep for 3 - 4 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.
  • Nutrition per serving assuming 4 servings.

Nutrition Information

Calories 358cal (18%) Carbohydrates 25g (8%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 11g Trans Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 50mg (17%) Sodium 1003mg (42%) Potassium 1670mg (48%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 1769IU (35%) Vitamin C 171mg (190%) Calcium 416mg (42%) Iron 16mg (89%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 358

% Daily Value*

Calories 358cal 18%
Carbohydrates 25g 8%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 11g 55%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 50mg 17%
Sodium 1003mg 42%
Potassium 1670mg 36%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 1769IU 35%
Vitamin C 171mg 190%
Calcium 416mg 42%
Iron 16mg 89%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.