Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry Recipe
A cumin spiced lamb dish may sound completely un-Chinese language, but it surely’s truly genuine and really on-trend! Hailing from Xinjiang province, this Cumin Lamb stir fry is among the finest straightforward new recipes I’ve tried in months.
New recipes that actually catch me without warning are few and much between today. However this one did – and hit it thus far out of the park that I declared I need to share the recipe “instantly”!
Succulent items of lamb generously flavoured with a cumin-sichuan pepper spice combine, golden on the surface and astonishingly tender inside. This can be a dish from the Xinjiang province of China the place the meals is closely influenced by meals of the Center East, reflecting the predominantly Muslim inhabitants. It’s an absolute lifeless ringer for those I’ve had at eating places, fast to make, and so good I couldn’t cease consuming it straight out of the pan.
However what shocked me essentially the most was the components. All the pieces from the native grocery retailer.
Even in case you are not aware of Cumin Lamb, in case you love Chinese language and Center Japanese meals, I assure you’ll love this!
Xinjiang Cumin Lamb backstory – Xinjiang is a province within the north-west of China, located on the traditional Silk Highway that related China with the Center East and Europe. With a predominantly Muslim inhabitants, the meals of Xinjiang is in contrast to most Chinese language meals you in all probability are aware of. There’s much less soy sauce, no pork, and fewer rice. As a substitute, assume aromatic spices, a lot of lamb, flatbreads, skewers, pilafs and richly spiced sauces. Cumin lamb skewers and right this moment’s Cumin Lamb Stir Fry are two signature dishes from the area. Tarim Uyghur in Auburn (Sydney) is very rated by the neighborhood.
Recipe credit score: Right this moment’s recipe is customized from Actual-Deal Xinjiang Cumin Lamb recipe from a beautiful web site referred to as Omnivore’s Cookbook, one among my trusted sources for genuine Chinese language cooking. I made a number of minor tweaks to streamline however the flavour is bang on!
Right here’s what it is advisable make this lamb stir fry.
Marinade & spice combine
Lamb & marinade
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Lamb minimize – I like to recommend utilizing lamb leg or rump. Good lamb flavour, not too fatty, appropriate for fast cooking. Dearer cuts resembling backstrap or cutlets are wasted on a stir fry (in my humble opinion) particularly given we are able to tenderise the lamb utilizing the Chinese language velveting technique (only a contact of baking soda – subsequent level!).
Sluggish cooking cuts – like shoulder and shank – are a too robust for this recipe (tenderising isn’t as efficient) and most different chops are too fatty.
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Baking soda – To tenderise the lamb so it stays fantastically succulent and tender even when it’s stored on the range for a little bit longer than very best. Baking soda is used to velvet chicken and beef in Chinese language stir fries too. Tried and liked approach! (Be aware for velveting-fans: On this recipe we use much less baking soda for a bigger quantity of meat so there’s no must rinse the baking soda off, you possibly can’t style it!).
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Chinese language cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) – A necessary ingredient for making actually “restaurant normal” Chinese language dishes! Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub – substitute with 2 tablespoons chicken inventory/broth.
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Cornflour/cornstarch – This creates a light-weight coating on the lamb that the spice combine clings to. Some recipes could have you toss the marinated lamb in cornflour. I attempted that, and ended with with a gluey mess. It’s far simpler to only combine the cornflour in with the marinade – and the top result’s virtually the identical.
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Soy sauce – Both mild or all goal soy sauce. However not darkish soy sauce – flavour is just too robust and the color is just too intense! Extra on which soy sauce to make use of when right here.
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Salt – For seasoning.
Spice Combine
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Cumin – LOTS! 2 entire tablespoons!! This can be a daring flavoured dish – and true to its title.
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Sichuan pepper (pre-ground) – The cool, numbing, nearly lemony spiciness of Sichuan pepper that everyone knows and love is a signature attribute of this dish! Utterly completely different to the new spiciness of powders like cayenne pepper.
Often I’ll urge you to toast and grind your individual, for higher flavour. However on this recipe, we (Chef JB and I) tried it with freshly floor and pre-ground and truthfully, there was no noticeable distinction as a result of the cumin and dried chilli are the dominant flavours right here. So be happy to make use of retailer purchased pre-ground – broadly obtainable today in massive grocery shops.
To make your individual, dry toast entire peppercorns, cool, grind, sift out lumps, then measure out 1/2 teaspoon powder. Entire peppercorns yield just below half in powder, so begin with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Sichuan peppercorns.
Substitute with 1/4 teaspoon floor white pepper.
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Sugar – Only a small quantity, to stability the opposite flavours. Doesn’t make this dish candy.
For the stir fry
The entire chilli are used for flavour and perfume, not for consuming. They’re utilized in dry type so they’re chewy and never very nice to eat.
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Dried chilli – Asian ones, in case you can. However even sub-continent (Indian) chillis or South American chilli will work! As famous above, they’re stir fried with the opposite components for flavour and releasing some warmth, however not supposed to be eaten. So the precise kind and spiciness of the dried chilli isn’t as vital as in different dishes resembling Beef Rendang the place dried chilli are blitzed right into a curry paste.
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Ginger and garlic – Lots, for lovely aromatics flavour!
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Onion – Additionally for fragrant flavour.
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Coriander/cilantro and sesame – Finishes which are tossed in proper on the finish.
Slices of lamb are marinated for simply half-hour to tenderise and flavour. The precise cooking half may be very fast, as stir fries sometimes are. When you begin cooking, you’ll be executed in lower than 5 minutes.
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Marinate the sliced lamb with the soy sauce, Chinese language cooking wine, cornflour/cornstarch, salt and baking soda to tenderise.
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Combine the cumin, Sichuan pepper and sugar in a bowl.
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Prepare dinner the lamb in two batches in a big non-stick skillet for simply 1 1/2 minutes till mild golden, then take away. The skinny slices don’t take lengthy to cook dinner!
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Sauté the aromatics – garlic, ginger, onion and entire dried chillies.
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Add the lamb again in with the spice combine and toss simply to coat the lamb within the spices. It doesn’t have to be cooked.
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Toss the coriander/cilantro and sesame in, then toss once more simply to disperse. Then serve instantly!
You’ll love how tender the lamb items are! We intentionally preserve the slices not too skinny so that you get a pleasant satisfying chunk of lamb. Caramelised on the surface, pink and succulent inside!
This can be a dry-style stir fry, which suggests it’s a type of stir fries that doesn’t include a great deal of sauce. Absence of sauce is compensated for with strong flavours within the stir fry, such as you discover in different “dry” stir fries like Kung Pao Chicken, Thai Cashew Chicken and Crispy Mongolian Beef.
So personally, I’m nice serving it with plain white rice although I feel some folks would favor a flavoured rice – as a result of there’s no sauce for rice soaking. And I get it. For those who’re in that camp, strive it with Fried Rice (or the now notorious Emergency “Dump & Bake” Fried Rice in case you don’t have day-old cooked rice), Garlic Butter Kale Rice or Buttered Rice. Supreme Soy Noodles may even be nice as a aspect dish, together with steamed Asian Greens with Oyster Sauce.
Like to know what you assume in case you do this! I do know it’s a little bit extra area of interest than the same old stir fries I share. So that ought to inform you it’s additional nice!! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 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
- 2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan pepper (Note 4 to grind your own)
- 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
- Plain rice , fried rice – more suggestions listed in post
Instructions
- 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).
- Spice mix – Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.
- 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).
- 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.
- Spiced lamb – Add the cooked lamb then sprinkle the spice mix over. Toss well to evenly coat.
- Finish dish – Add the cilantro, sesame seeds and toss. Serve over rice! (Note: the dried chillies are not meant to be eaten.)
Notes
1. 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!
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Leftovers will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition per serving assuming 4 servings.
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