Easy Cumin Lamb
A quick and boldly flavorful lamb stir-fry with fragrant toasted spices, tender onions, and fresh cilantro. Inspired by Chinese restaurant versions but easy to make at home.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- spice grinder or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 pound boneless lamb leg thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large white onion thinly sliced
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
- 1 cup cilantro coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast cumin seeds and peppercorns for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Coarsely grind toasted spices in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Mix with salt and chili flakes.
- Add spice mixture to sliced lamb and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until hot. Add oil and when it just starts to smoke, add onions. Cook and stir about 2 minutes until the edges are translucent. Transfer onions to a bowl.
- Add lamb with spices to the wok; cook and stir until meat starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add green onions, garlic, soy sauce and wine; bring to simmer. Cook and stir 2 minutes more or until lamb is just cooked through. Add onions and stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Transfer to platter and serve.
Video
Notes
- Slicing the lamb: For super-thin slices, partially freeze the lamb first — about 30 minutes in the freezer makes it much easier to cut.
- Spice grinding: A coffee grinder works great for the toasted cumin and Sichuan peppercorns, but a mortar and pestle also works well.
- Don’t skip the toasting step: It makes a huge difference in flavor; the whole spices become fragrant and nutty in under a minute.
- Shaoxing wine: If you don’t have it, dry sherry is a solid substitute.
Nutrition
Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1165mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 5mg
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