For the lamb, buy a bone-in lamb leg steak that weighs a bit less than 1 pound. Once you debone and trim any sinewy bits, you should net about 12 ounces (240 grams). In Mandarin Chinese, this dish is called zī rán yáng ròu (孜然羊肉).If your dark soy sauce is very dark, use ¾ teaspoon. You can always add extra in the pan, if you want a more dramatic look.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: lamb, stirfry, cumin, spicy
Servings: 4
Ingredients
12ounces240g trimmed, boneless lamb leg
2teaspoonscornstarch or potato starch
¼plus ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt,plus more for stir-frying
⅛teaspoonbaking soda,optional
1 ¼teaspoonShaoxing rice wine,dry sherry, sake, or gin
¾teaspoonregular soy sauce
1teaspoondark soy sauce, or ¾ teaspoon regular soy sauce plus ¼ teaspoon molasses
1large (about 6 oz/180g) pasilla pepper, or 2 medium Anaheim peppers
1Fresno or jalapeño chili,deseeded, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 ½teaspoonscumin seeds, kept whole or toasted and pounded
1tablespoondried chili flakes,or 4 or 5 dried puya or Japones chilies, seeded and cut into short lengths
¼cupthinly slice green onions
1tablespoonfinely chopped garlic
2teaspoonsfinely chopped ginger
3tablespoonscanola or peanut oil,divided
Brimming 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
Thinly slice the lamb into bite size pieces. Put into a bowl, then add the starch, salt, baking soda, rice wine, regular soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Stir well to make sure the lamb absorbs the seasonings. Set aside, or cover and marinate up to 1 hour.
Stem and core the pasilla and Fresno chile. Cut the pasilla lengthwise into ¾-inch (2 cm) wide pieces then cut each on the diagonal into long diamond shapes. For the Fresno chile, halve it lengthwise then cut on the diagonal into slender pieces. Put both kinds of chiles on a plate near the beef. Organize the remaining ingredients so you’re ready to stir-fry with ease.
Warm a large wok or carbon-steel skillet over high heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil, and when hot, add the fresh peppers. Season with a big pinch of salt. After about 1 minute, when the peppers soften slight and are glossy and bright looking, transfer them to a bowl or plate.
Reheat the pan over high heat and swirl in 2 tablespoons oil. Add the garlic and ginger, stir-fry briefly then push to the side. Dump in the lamb and push the slices around the pan to spread them into one layer. Expect the aromatics to move to the cooler edge where they won’t burn. Allow the meat to sear for about 1 minute (the edges will turn greyish), then swiftly stir and flip to stir-fry.
When the meat has just lost most of its redness, add the cumin and dried chiles. Stir-fry until aromatic and to coat the lamb pieces, then return the fresh peppers to the pan. When everything is hot and fragrant, add the green onion. Swiftly stir to combine, then finish with the sesame oil. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.