Lamb Recipes | RecipeTin Eats https://www.recipetineats.com/category/lamb-recipes/ Fast Prep, Big Flavours Mon, 13 Nov 2023 03:55:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.3 https://www.recipetineats.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cropped-favicon@2x.png?w=32 Lamb Recipes | RecipeTin Eats https://www.recipetineats.com/category/lamb-recipes/ 32 32 171556125 Lamb Souvlaki https://www.recipetineats.com/lamb-souvlaki/ https://www.recipetineats.com/lamb-souvlaki/#comments Mon, 13 Nov 2023 05:00:00 +0000 https://www.recipetineats.com/?p=124608 Lamb souvlaki skewersLamb Souvlaki skewers are Greek kebabs with bold garlic-lemon-oregano flavour. Sensational flavours for lamb! The smell when they hit the grill are to-die-for. Make wraps with pita bread or plates with lemon rice or Greek lemon potatoes. Lamb Souvlaki Souvlaki is essentially Greek fast food but to think of these being compared to McDonald’s is... Get the Recipe

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Lamb Souvlaki skewers are Greek kebabs with bold garlic-lemon-oregano flavour. Sensational flavours for lamb! The smell when they hit the grill are to-die-for. Make wraps with pita bread or plates with lemon rice or Greek lemon potatoes.

Lamb souvlaki skewers

Lamb Souvlaki

Souvlaki is essentially Greek fast food but to think of these being compared to McDonald’s is somewhat laughable because hello! Succulent pieces of tender lamb infused with bright lemon flavours, a stack of garlic, and earthy oregano, that smells so outrageously good as they cook you can’t help but grab one straight off the grill and eat it hot, straight off the stick…..

Nope. That is not the reaction anybody has at Maccers!

So, make this for your next gathering or marinade it today to serve for dinner tomorrow. Let’s bring a little bit of Greece to your table!

Lamb souvlaki stuffed in pita bread

Ingredients in Lamb Souvlaki

Souvlaki is all about the marinade which tenderises the lamb and infuses it with gorgeous bold, lemony, intensely garlicky flavours.

Best lamb for lamb souvlaki

I think most people associate lamb leg with roasting, but it’s sensational for quick cooking like steak when it’s butterflied or cut into cubes like we do with souvlaki. Beautifully tender and juicy, especially after marinating, with great lamb flavour.

Lamb Souvlaki ingredients

Boneless lamb leg – For ease of cutting, I use boneless lamb leg which is literally just your favourite roast leg of lamb with the bone cut out. It’s readily available at grocery stores and butchers here in Australia.

Other cuts that can be used:

  • Lamb backstrap doesn’t have as good a lamb flavour and is a little too lean for a good souvlaki, in my opinion. Better to cook it whole and slice (like in this recipe) but it can be used, if you want.

  • Lamb chops – Thick cut juicy chops, like chump chops and forequarter chops, will work (see this recipe for what they look like) but there’s quite a lot of bone and fat that needs trimming.

  • Lamb cutlets – I personally wouldn’t use pricey lamb cutlets – too expensive! Also, they are too thin (unless you cut the meat off a lamb rack but I don’t know anyone who’s got the budget to use a premium roast like that for something like souvlaki!).

  • Chicken – See here for the Chicken Souvlaki recipe.

Not suitable – Slow cooking cuts like lamb shoulder and shanks aren’t suitable because they will be tough when cooked in this manner.  


LAMB SOUVLAKI Marinade

Next, here’s what you need for the marinade. Lemon juice and vinegar helps tenderise meat but the key is to use the right amount of each plus enough olive oil else the acid can “cook” the lamb (makes it turn white like ceviche) or make the meat turn leathery instead of tender.

How to make Lamb Souvlaki
  • Lemon – We use both the zest and juice. The zest adds great lemon flavour whereas the juice adds tang and plays a part in tenderising the meat.

  • White wine vinegar – Gives the meat tenderising another helping hand. It’s less harsh than lemon juice. Another excellent meat marinade tenderiser. White wine vinegar is best here because it’s more mild than other clear vinegars and is made from wine so the flavour is on-point for souvlaki. But you can substitute with similar vinegars like apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.

  • Extra virgin olive oil – This is to reduce the tanginess from the lemon and vinegar as preventing the meat from “cooking” due to the acid in these ingredients.

  • Garlic and dried oregano – Two Greek favourites! We use a good, bold amount of both.

  • Bay leaves – For even more flavour. I like using fresh because you can crush them in your hand to release flavour. Dried bay leaves can be used too but don’t crush them because they’ll disintegrate.

  • Salt – To season the meat inside.


How to make Lamb Souvlaki

Minimum marinating time of 12 hours is essential to ensure the marinade works its magic to tenderise and infuse flavour! 24 hours is ideal. 🙂

How to make Lamb Souvlaki
  1. Trim excess fat and cut the lamb into meaty 2.5cm / 1” cubes. I find the easiest way to do this is to cut into thick 2.5cm / 1” slices, trim the fat off, then cut into cubes.

  2. Said cubes. 

How to make Lamb Souvlaki
  1. Marinate – Mix the marinade in a bowl then mix in the lamb. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours. You will notice the lamb becomes a little white on the surface which is due to the acid in the lemon and vinegar beginning to “cook” the lamb at the 24 hour mark. This is tenderising in action!

    TIPS: To marinate for longer, add 2 extra tablespoons of olive oil to dilute the acid so the lamb doesn’t get “cooked”. The marinated meat can also be frozen and cooked at a later date – directions in the recipe card.

  2. Thread onto skewers. I usually make 12 skewers with 3 to 4 pieces on each.

    TIPS: If intending to cook on the BBQ using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning and cook on the flat iron side of your BBQ. If using the grill line side, it’s best to use metal skewers as wooden skewers can catch on fire easily.

How to make Lamb souvlaki
  1. Cook for 3 minutes, turn then cook the other side for 3 minutes (ie just cook 2 sides, not 4 sides). This can be done either in a pan on the stove or on a medium high BBQ (I demo both in the video).

    The lamb pieces should have a great sear on them, and be blushing pink inside for medium rare. To be exact, use a meat thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 60°C/140°F for medium rare (blushing pink, optimum juiciness).

  2. Pile onto a platter with serving fixings of choice – to make wraps, eat hot straight off the sticks or to make plates! See next section below for ideas.

Photo of Lamb souvlaki

How to serve Lamb Souvlaki

  1. Wraps – My favourite way to eat Souvlaki is Greek fast-food style, bundled up in a warm flatbread, stuffed with either Greek Salad that’s chopped up small (as shown in the video) or with finely sliced lettuce and tomato (as pictured in this post).

    Either way, a big smear of tzatziki is essential – though I’m partial to hummus too and if both those options are just too hard, I’ll resort to a quick lemon-yogurt-olive oil sauce that takes 30 seconds flat to make. (Of course I’ll pop it in the recipe for you!)

  2. Make plates – Another way to serve Souvlaki is to make plates with a pile of hot, steamy Greek Lemon Rice topped with freshly grilled Lamb Souvlaki and a big pile of juicy Greek Salad on the side. Or, other Greek sides – such as Greek Risoni Salad or Greek Lemon Potatoes.

  3. Eat it hot, straight off the stick – Then of course, there’s the most obvious way: just eat them, hot, straight off the stick. For the impatient. You’ll see me demonstrate this in the video too. I know, shocking. 😅 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Lamb souvlaki skewers
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Lamb Souvlaki

Recipe video above. The bold garlic-oregano Greek marinade works wonders to tenderise and infuse incredible flavour into the lamb! The flavour when this is cooking is out of this world.
Eat them straight off the skewer while still hot or bundle up into warm pita bread with fixings.
Course Mains
Cuisine Greek
Keyword lamb souvlaki, souvlaki
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Marinating 1 day
Servings 12 skewers
Calories 95cal
Author Nagi

Ingredients

  • 1.2 kg/ 2.4 lb boneless lamb leg , fat trimmed, cut into 2.5cm/1” cubes (~900g / 1.8lb after trimming) (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp cooking / kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 – 12 skewers , wooden or bamboo

Lamb souvlaki marinade:

  • 5 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 5 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 fresh bay leaves , crushed in hand (or 2 dried kept whole)
  • 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp cooking / kosher salt

To serve – stuffed or make plates:

  • 4 – 6 pita bread , warmed or toasted (or easy homemade flatbreads)
  • 1 batch tzatziki (from my Gyros recipe) or Lemon Yogurt Sauce (Note 3)
  • Greek salad (chop small for stuffing) or shredded lettuce and tomato slices
  • Greek lemon rice (to make plates instead of wraps)

Instructions

Marinate lamb:

  • Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat.
  • Marinate in fridge for 12 – 24 hours.

Skewer & cook:

  • Skewer – Remove meat from marinade and thread 3 to 4 pieces on each to make 12 skewers, or 5 to make 8 larger skewers (pictured in post).
  • Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper. (This really makes a difference to the finished dish, better than just in the marinade).
  • Cook – Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook half the skewers for 3 minutes, turn then cook the other side for 3 minutes until nicely seared (target internal temp 60°C/140°F for medium rare, optimum juiciness).
  • Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining skewers.

BBQ cooking (Note 2):

  • Soak skewers – Soak wood/bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes if planning to cook on the BBQ (prevents burning). My skewers are 18cm/7” which fit in a pan (stove cooking).
  • Preheat BBQ to medium high. Flat iron hot plate is safer for wooden skewers (so they don't catch fire) else use metal skewers on the grill side.
  • Skewer, oil & season – Skewer per above. Drizzle with the oil (so it doesn't stick to the BBQ) then sprinkle both sides with the salt and pepper.
  • BBQ cook for 3 minutes on each side.

Serve:

  • Pile Souvlaki onto a serving platter for DIY wraps with tzatziki (from this recipe), toasted pita bread and Greek salad (chopped small), or shredded lettuce and tomato slices. Else, make plates with lemon rice and a Greek Salad!

Notes

1. Lamb cut – I like leg the best for tender, juicy meat (especially after marinating!) and great lamb flavour. It tends to come with a thick layer of fat which is best trimmed.
Thick cut lamb chops will also work. Lamb back strap is leaner and just isn’t as juicy. Lamb shoulder, shanks and other slow cooking cuts are not suitable for this recipe. I can’t afford to use lamb cutlets or lamb rack for a recipe like this!
2.BBQ –  If grilling on a BBQ, it’s safest to use the flat iron side for wooden skewers. Else, use metal skewers so you can cook on the grill side (ie slats type).
3. Lemon yogurt sauce – Mix yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice, slosh of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Leftovers will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. For a make-ahead freezer option, put the lamb in the marinade then freeze. Thaw 24 hours – the meat will marinade as it thaws. Then thread and cook per recipe.
Nutrition is per skewer (excludes fixings). An estimation only – it’s always hard to say how much salt and oil in the marinade actually ends up in the finished dish.

Nutrition

Calories: 95cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

More lamb recipes


And for Greek food lovers!

Gosh, even I’m surprised how many Greek recipes I’ve done over the years!!


Life of Dozer

A familiar sight when you walk into the kitchen:

Then on the other side of the island, this is what you see:

Hard to resist!

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Lamb Tagine https://www.recipetineats.com/lamb-tagine/ https://www.recipetineats.com/lamb-tagine/#comments Mon, 21 Aug 2023 06:00:00 +0000 https://www.recipetineats.com/?p=117077 Bowl of couscous with Lamb TagineLamb Tagine is my pick of all tagines! The ras el hanout spice mix is sheer perfection with lamb, and slow cooking works wonders to develop rich flavours in the sauce. Serve over couscous for a stunning Moroccan meal. Your house will smell amazing! Lamb Tagine I’ve done chicken and vegetable tagine. Now it’s time... Get the Recipe

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Lamb Tagine is my pick of all tagines! The ras el hanout spice mix is sheer perfection with lamb, and slow cooking works wonders to develop rich flavours in the sauce. Serve over couscous for a stunning Moroccan meal. Your house will smell amazing!

Bowl of couscous with Lamb Tagine

Lamb Tagine

I’ve done chicken and vegetable tagine. Now it’s time to meet my favourite tagine child: LAMB TAGINE!

Arabic spice mixes and lamb are just a match made in heaven, a combination I’ve not shied away from exploring. Proof: Moroccan backstrap, Harira Soup, Shawarma shoulder, Lamb Shawarma chickpea soup, Moroccan lamb meatballs. (And all my Moroccan recipes here)

Not sure why it’s taken me so long to share the mother of all Moroccan lamb dishes – tagine. This is a stunner. Fork-tender meat, richly spiced sauce, studded with sweet apricots and finished with a good handful of toasted almonds. And the smell when it’s cooking! Swoon….

Freshly cooked pot of Lamb Tagine

What is a tagine? “Tagine” refers to a cone-shaped cooking vessel from North Africa as well as the stew that is cooked inside. All sorts of foods are cooked in tagines, from vegetables to meat and fish. Warm spices come together with the natural juices that seep from the cooking meat and vegetables to form the sauce that makes tagines so irresistible.

Meats are often slow cooked using stewing cuts of meat to make them beautifully tender, such in as the lamb tagine I’m sharing today. On the other hand, fish tagines are much quicker to cook!

Heads up – the sauce is thick and richly spiced!

The sauce of this Lamb Tagine is reduced until thick which means intense flavour which I think is essential for lamb which is one of the stronger flavoured proteins. Think of all the spices and lamb juices reduced and concentrated – you know it’s going to be good!

Here’s what it looks like before and after the slow cooking:

Ingredients in Lamb Tagine

Here’s what you need to make Lamb Tagine.

Best lamb for tagine

Lamb tagine ingredients

The best lamb to use for lamb tagine is lamb shoulder. It’s a tough cut of meat that is made for slow cooking that’s marbled with fat so it’s beautifully juicy. Sometimes it is generically sold as “lamb stew meat”.

I personally don’t think there’s any other cut of lamb that works as well. Lamb shank meat would be the next best but you’d need to cut the meat off the bone and the shape of the pieces won’t be as uniform, so some will cook faster than others.

Boneless lamb leg would probably be my next pick but it’s leaner than shoulder so it wouldn’t be as juicy.

Other meat cuts – For non-lamb options, beef chuck, boneless beef ribs, pork shoulder and pork scotch fillet (aka collar butt and pork neck) would work well. For chicken, see my Chicken Tagine recipe, and I’ve also got a Vegetable Tagine (it’s so good!).

Ras el hanout Spice mix for lamb tagine

The spice blend for tagine is called ras el hanout and it’s made with common spices you may already have. You can buy blends but I much prefer to make my own to get the right balance of flavours. Here’s what you need:

Lamb tagine ingredients

I also use ras el hanout for chicken and vegetable tagines but the blend is slightly different. For example, because lamb has a stronger flavour than vegetables, the spice blend is stronger.

The nice thing here is that because we’re using a fair few different spices here, it’s not the end of the world if you’re missing one … or even two. I’ve offered a few switch-out options in the recipe notes!

and everything else for the tagine

And here are the other ingredients you need to make lamb tagine:

Lamb tagine ingredients
  • Garlic, onion and ginger – Aromatic flavour base. Don’t skip the ginger!

  • Cinnamon sticks – A spice traditionally used in Middle Eastern cooking and makes the flavour so special. You can substituted with a little powder but cinnamon sticks works better. It’s a little more subtle and earthier.

  • Chicken stock/broth – The braising liquid. Traditionally water is used, but stock makes it tastier! Note: Chicken stock is used rather than lamb stock because the flavour is “cleaner”. Lamb stock is not sold at grocery stores, and there’s a reason for that – because it’s very…well, lamb! We get enough lamb flavour in this sauce from the lamb pieces.

  • Dried apricots – Some versions of tagine are made with olives, others use dried fruit, others still may use both. I’ve opted for fruit because tagines are one of the few dishes I love that pairs fruit with meat! I also think the orange colour of the apricots looks lovely in the sauce.

    However, the recipe includes the olive option too.

  • Tomato paste – This is what is used to thicken the sauce and add a touch of flavour. We don’t use enough to make it tomatoey, it’s very subtle.

  • Lemon – Some tagines use preserved lemon (like in my chicken tagine) but for lamb, fresh lemon zest is beautiful. Also – cheaper. 🙂

  • Slivered almonds and coriander/cilantro – Garnish for serving. A good amount of both works!


How to make Lamb Tagine

Very straight forward – brown the lamb, sauté aromatics, plonk everything in then slow cook for 1 hour 45 minutes until the lamb is fall-apart tender!

How to make Lamb tagine
  1. Brown lamb – Cut the lamb into large 3.5cm / 1.5″ cubes so they don’t become fall-apart tender too quickly. Cooking long and slow = more flavour in the sauce and it needs the time to reduce and thicken!

    Toss the lamb in salt and pepper, brown in three batches (don’t crowd the pot else the lamb will stew instead of brown) then remove into a bowl.

    Use a large oven-proof pot with a lid, so it can go from the stove to oven. My dutch oven pictured is 24cm / 9.5″ wide.

  2. Sauté aromatics – Cook the garlic and onion first, then the tomato paste, ginger, cinnamon and spices. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw flavour of the tomato paste and toast the spices which brings out the flavour.

How to make Lamb tagine
  1. Braising liquid and lamb – Add the chicken stock, water and lamb, then bring it to a simmer.

  2. First cook 45 minutes – Put the lid on and transfer to a 180°F/350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 45 minutes.

  3. Add apricots then stir them in. We add them in partway through else they get too soft.

  4. Cook another 1 hour – Put the lid on then return the tagine to the oven for a further 1 hour, or until the lamb pieces are fork tender.

How to make Lamb tagine
  1. Thick and full of flavour – Here’s what the lamb tagine looks like after 1 hour 45 minutes of slow cooking. The sauce has reduced down to a thick consistency, rich with spicing and a beautiful depth of flavour you can only achieve from slow cooking.

  2. Serve over couscous. I just use plain couscous for this tagine because it’s got so much flavour in it, rather than one with fruit and nuts in it.

Lamb Tagine served over couscous

Why the oven works best

As with any slow cooking recipe I share, I know some people will ask if it can be cooked using the slow cooker or on the stove! Unfortunately for this lamb tagine, the oven works best.

The stove wouldn’t work very well because you’d need to stir frequently to prevent the base from catching as the sauce of this tagine is considerably thicker than say, Beef Stew. But because the lamb pieces gets so tender, it will break apart into the sauce.

The slow cooker also doesn’t work that well because the sauce will not reduce nearly enough in the slow cooker. So the sauce is too thin and will lack flavour. Cooking in the slow cooker also means you don’t get caramelisation on the surface and edges of the tagine like you do in the oven and on the stove which adds flavour to stews.

For some dishes you can get around this by finishing a dish cooked in the slow cooker in the oven, like I do with Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket and Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg. But unfortunately not for stews like this tagine!

Close up photo of freshly cooked Lamb Tagine

That close up photo above does me every time, remembering the richness of the flavour of the sauce and how tender that lamb is. Tender, but not mushy, we’re not making baby food here.

The dried apricot adds beautiful pops of sweetness as well as sweetening the sauce a touch.

And finishing with fresh lemon zest is just sheer perfection. Please don’t skip that! – Nagi x

PS Also don’t skip the good handful of toasted almonds for serving, it’s also the perfect finishing touch!


Watch how to make it

Bowl of couscous with Lamb Tagine
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Lamb tagine

Recipe video above. My favourite of all tagines! The ras el hanout spice mix is sheer perfection with lamb, and slow cooking works wonders to develop rich flavours in the sauce and make the lamb fork tender. Serve over couscous for a stunning Moroccan meal. Your house will smell amazing!
-> Also see Chicken and Vegetable Tagine.
Course Mains
Cuisine Moroccan, North African
Keyword lamb tagine
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 5 people
Calories 442cal
Author Nagi

Ingredients

Use one of these lambs (Note 1):

  • 1.6 kg/ 3.2lb boneless lamb shoulder, trim the fat, then cut in 3.5cm / 1.5" cubes (1kg/2lb after trimming)
  • 1 kg / 2 lb lamb stewing meat or shoulder, already trimmed of fat cut in 3.5cm / 1.5" cubes

Tagine:

  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 2 brown onions , diced (1cm / 0.3″ cubes)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
  • 1 cup dried apricots , whole (Note 2 for olives option)
  • 2 – 3 tsp lemon zest (just use 1 whole lemon, Note 3 for preserved lemon)

Ras el hanout (Note 4):

  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp fennel powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper (can reduce for less spicy – Note 4)
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt

For serving:

  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds , toasted (Note 5)
  • 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro leaves roughly chopped
  • 1 1/2 batches couscous (I just use plain, but you can add the fruit and nuts if you want)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°F/350°F (160°C fan). (Note 6 re: other cook methods)
  • Spice mix – Mix the ingredients in a bowl then set aside.
  • Brown lamb – Toss lamb with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof dutch oven (with a lid) over high heat. Brown the lamb in 3 batches, turning to colour the pieces all over, about 3 minutes. Remove into a bowl, then repeat with remaining lamb. Set aside.
  • Aromatics – Turn heat down to medium high. Add onion and garlic, cook for 3 minutes until soft. Add tomato paste, ginger, cinnamon and spice mix. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Sauce – Add chicken stock and water, stir, then return the lamb into the pot.
  • Slow cook 1 hr 45 min – Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid then cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Add apricots, put the lid back on and cook for another 1 hour, checking halfway to ensure the sauce hasn't reduced all the way (if you're concerned, add 1/2 cup water).
  • Lemon finish – Lamb should be tender – check! Gently stir in lemon zest.
  • Serve over plain couscous, sprinkled with almonds and coriander.

Notes

1. Lamb shoulder is a tough cut of meat that needs to be slow cooked to become tender. Ultra juicy, it’s one of my favourite lamb cuts! But it’s FATTY. You will need to get a 1.6kg / 3.2lb boneless piece to end up with 1kg / 2lb for cooking after trimming fat.
Or, use 1 kg/2 lb lamb stewing meat or lamb shoulder that’s already trimmed. Try not to use pre-cut because the pieces are usually too small and become fall-apart too quickly, before the sauce reduces enough & develops flavour.
Other suitable meats – Lamb shanks meat, could also be used (1 kg/2lb exc bone), or beef chuck. See here for chicken tagine and here for vegetable tagine.
2. Dates are also commonly used so feel free to substitute. I like the sweetness and colour of apricots with lamb.
Olives is also used in tagines – if you prefer olives to dried fruit, use 1 heaped cup of green olives.
3.Lemon zest v preserved lemon which is often traditionally used in tagines (lemon pickled salt) which I use for chicken tagine. For lamb, I actually prefer lemon zest which is fresher I think works well with lamb which is richer than chicken. But you can use preserved lemon if you prefer, same amount, zest only (not flesh or pith), follow directions in chicken tagine for how to prep.
4. Ras el hanout – the traditional spice mix used for tagines. You won’t be left lacking if you are missing a spice (maybe even two), just make up for it by dialling up the ones you have.
Spiciness – It’s not spicy but has an unmissable warm hum, the cayenne can be reduced or omitted.
5. Toast slivered almonds– heat small pan over medium high heat (no oil) then toss almonds for two minutes until light golden. Remove and set aside.
6. Tagine is best cooked in the oven. Sauce is thick is risky on stove, the regular stirring required causes meat to fall apart into sauce. Slow cooker doesn’t allow for liquid evaporation so sauce doesn’t reduce, also you don’t get caramelisation on the surface/edges that adds flavour. See blue box in the post for more info!
7. Sauce reduction – The sauce of this tagine is meant to be thick, this concentrates the flavour and is what makes this tagine so good!. However, a reader reported the sauce reduced too much in the bake time – possibly could happen if lid is not heavy (evaporation), or oven runs hot. As a safeguard, I increased the stock liquid slightly, and call for a check halfway through to ensure there’s still enough liquid. 
8. Storage – 4 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. If making for company, can highly recommend making it the day before as it will develop more flavour overnight. Reheat in the oven only (150C/300F – 130C fan). Stove is too risky, re: burnt base.
Nutrition per serving excluding couscous.

Nutrition

Calories: 442cal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 860mg | Potassium: 1040mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1199IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 5mg

More Moroccan stunners!


Life of Dozer

Dozer and I spent the weekend in Mudgee, a regional NSW town 3 1/2 hours from Sydney. We went for the local Readers’ Festival and dropped by the local book store (Book Nest Mudgee) as well as doing a lunch talk at a beautiful restaurant on a working farm called Blue Wren.

There was a professional photographer there so I was going to hold off until I could share those – because the venue was so stunning, everyone was frocked up, the food and wine was incredible, it was just perfection, so I want to share nice photos that do it justice! But I can’t resist sharing a few behind the scenes pics…

  1. Having a serious talk with Dozer before the doors opened about not stealing food from the table:

  1. At the end of the lunch, a photo with the incredible Blue Wren Farm team. And Dozer, after 5 hours of photos with lunch guests, was completely done. 😂 What a brat!!!

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Easy Moroccan Stuffed Eggplant (beef or lamb) https://www.recipetineats.com/moroccan-baked-eggplant-with-beef/ https://www.recipetineats.com/moroccan-baked-eggplant-with-beef/#comments Wed, 07 Jun 2023 02:21:33 +0000 https://www.recipetineats.com/?p=13722 Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb - fresh out of the ovenTry this irresistible, simple recipe for stuffed eggplant: oven-roasted eggplant halves topped with Moroccan spiced lamb or beef. Low-cal, low-carb, low effort and utterly delicious! Moroccan stuffed eggplant You’ll often hear me declaring quite passionately that I think eggplant is one of the most underrated vegetables around. They’re cheap. They’re meaty. And they’re fabulously versatile,... Get the Recipe

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Try this irresistible, simple recipe for stuffed eggplant: oven-roasted eggplant halves topped with Moroccan spiced lamb or beef. Low-cal, low-carb, low effort and utterly delicious!

Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb - fresh out of the oven

Moroccan stuffed eggplant

You’ll often hear me declaring quite passionately that I think eggplant is one of the most underrated vegetables around. They’re cheap. They’re meaty. And they’re fabulously versatile, used in cuisines worldwide like Asian, Italian, Greek and Indian, prepared through various cooking methods including frying, steaming, roasting and simmering.

Today, we’re smearing, roasting and stuffing. Well, topping, not scooping-and-stuffing, in a manner that gives it a semi-stuffed vibe. Think of this as a mid-week take on traditional stuffed eggplant dishes you find in Arabic cuisine that involves hollowing out eggplants, stuffing with rice, meat, herbs and nuts, often baked in a tomato sauce. Sounds magnificent, doesn’t it? And it is. but there’s a lot more pots and pans involved! We’re going simple today. You can make this tonight, after work!!

Nice close up of said soft juicy eggplant!

Scooping Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb

Ingredients in Moroccan stuffed eggplant

The base flavouring for this Moroccan stuffed eggplant is a homemade Chermoula spice mix which does double duty as the spice paste for the eggplant as well as flavouring the meat filling.

Chermoula spice mix

Chermoula is a North African spice mix that traditionally is a marinade or sauce containing fresh coriander, garlic and spices. Sometimes you can also find it in a dry spice mix form. We’re using the dry blend today for our purposes.

Ingredients for Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb

The spices – The majority of the spices are pantry staples, but don’t make a special trip out if you’re missing one or two…or even three! There’s enough in the blend that you can substitute with something else – suggestions are in the recipe notes.

Olive oil and lemon juice – These are used to make the paste. I like to use lemon juice to add a bit of tang as well as cutting down on the oil required to make a smear-able paste.

The meat filling (lamb or beef)

Here’s what you need to make the meat filling. You can use lamb or beef, though if I had my pick I’d choose lamb as it’s a classic pairing with flavours from the Arab world.

3 teaspoons of the Chermoula spice blend is used to flavour the filling. In addition to this, we have garlic and onion for aromatics, and a little tomato paste to bind the filling together.

Ingredients for Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb

The eggplant

Choose eggplants around 250g/8oz and 17cm/7″ long. Don’t worry about exact size – adjust toppings accordingly. If you end up with larger eggplants, the topping layer might be slightly thinner, but the dish will still be packed with flavor.

Salt helps remove moisture from eggplants. More on this below!

Ingredients for Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb

Toppings

And lastly, the toppings! It really finishes this dish so I urge you to use them. The pine nuts are a great finishing touch, though other nuts will make an adequate substitute (almonds, macadamia, walnuts, or seeds).

If you’re anti-coriander/cilantro, switch with parsley!

Ingredients for Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb

How to make Moroccan Stuffed Eggplant

As mentioned above, I call it stuffed because describing it as a “topped” eggplant just doesn’t seem to capture the essence of this dish. 😂 But actually, it’s not properly stuffed – which means no scooping necessary, which means it’s easier to make. Win!

Sweating the eggplant to remove excess water is a recommended but not essential step. It seasons the flesh as well as drawing out excess water that otherwise pools in the eggplant which dilutes flavour when you’re eating it.

But you can mostly get around this problem by simply cutting slits in the skin to let the water escape as it roasts. So don’t sweat it if you don’t have time to sweat it! *Sorry, I couldn’t resist!*

How to make Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb
  1. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Keep the cap/stem intact and cut through it, it helps hold the eggplant together once roasted and soft.

  2. Diamonds – Using a small sharp knife, cut 2.5cm/1″ diamonds into the flesh, cutting down as far as you are comfortable without piercing the flesh.

  3. The said diamonds!

  4. Salt – Sprinkle the surface with salt and rub it in. It’s good to get it into the slits but even if you just rub the surface, the salt will make it’s way into the slits.

  5. Sweat for 30 minutes. I put the eggplant upside down in a colander to allow the water to drip out.

  6. Squeeze like sponge to remove the excess water then pat the surface dry.

Making the “stuffed” eggplant

How to make Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb
  1. Mix the Chermoula spice blend in a bowl. Measure out 3 teaspoons and set aside for the meat.

  2. Paste – Add olive oil and lemon juice into the remaining chermoula and mix to form a paste.

  3. Smear the paste onto the surface of the eggplant.

  4. Roast for 45 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or until the eggplant is softened. Sometimes it takes longer – don’t forget to check the edges.

  5. Spiced meat – A quick cook! Sauté the garlic and onion, then cook the lamb with the reserved Chermoula spice blend. Finally, add the tomato paste and water to make the filling “juicy” (rather than dry and crumbly).

  6. Assemble – Top the roasted eggplant with the lamb filling. Dollop on yogurt, sprinkle with pine nuts and coriander then dig in!

Freshly baked Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb

Plate of Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb

Matters of serving

Servings

This recipe is designed to serve:

Low carb, low calorie!

For the eggplant alone, it’s a mere 450 calories for a whole eggplant (ie 2 halves) with only 22 grams of carbs. To be honest, a serving of the eggplant alone makes for a satisfying meal – you have protein and vegetables covered! Though I do like to add something fresh on the side, even if it’s just some plain fresh cucumber and tomato.

So, it’s low calorie, low carb, simple to make and a something different to make with beef mince rather than the usual Spag Bol. What do you think?? Feel like giving this a go? I HOPE SO! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Moroccan stuffed eggplant - spiced beef or lamb - fresh out of the oven
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Easy Moroccan Stuffed Eggplant (beef or lamb)

Recipe video above. A delicious, unique, EASY way to serve up eggplant and minced / ground beef or lamb! Think of this as a midweek take on traditional Arabic stuffed eggplant that's usually hollowed out.
Don't worry if you don't have every single spice. There's so many in this spice mix, it will still be tasty even if you're missing one…or two, even three!
Serves 2 as a main with a small side salad, or 4 as a meal with a starch (flatbread, couscous) and a substantial side (like this Pumpkin Salad, roast veg, chickpea salad), or 4 as a generous starter.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword Ground beef recipe, lamb mince recipe, roasted eggplant, stuffed eggplant
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Eggplant sweating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 2 – 4
Calories 450cal
Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Eggplant

  • 2 x 250g/8oz eggplants (aubergines), ~17cm/7" long (Note 1)
  • 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (or more oil)

Chermoula spice mix (Note 2)

  • 1 1/2 tsp EACH coriander, paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 3/4 tsp all spice powder
  • 1/2 tsp EACH garlic powder, ginger, turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Spiced beef or Lamb topping

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove , finely minced
  • 1/2 onion , finely chopped
  • 250g / 8oz beef or lamb mince , lean if you can (chicken, turkey, pork also ok)
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 2 tsp tomato paste (Note 3)
  • 1/4 cup water

To Serve

  • Yoghurt , plain
  • 2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped (sub parsley)
  • 2 tbsp pinenuts , toasted (Note 4)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
  • Sweat eggplants (recommended, see Note 5 to skip)Cut eggplants in half then score with 2.5cm / 1" diamonds. Rub surface with salt, getting some into the slits. Place face down in a colander and set aside for 30 minutes. Gently squeeze like a sponge to remove excess water, pat surface dry.
  • Mix Chermoula spice mix ingredients in a bowl. Remove 3 teaspoons for the meat and set aside. Add olive oil and lemon juice into the remaining spice mix and mix into a paste.
  • Roast eggplant – Place eggplant on baking tray. Slather spice mix onto the surface. Roast for 45 minutes until softened.
  • Spiced topping – Heat oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook onion and garlic for 1 minute. Turn heat up to high, add lamb/beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red. Add reserved spices and salt, then cook for a further 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in water, cook for 1 minute until it's juicy but not watery.
  • Assemble – Top eggplant with beef/lamb. Sprinkle over coriander, dollop with yogurt and pine nuts. Finish with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired!

Notes

1. Eggplant/aubergine – Don’t get too hung up on eggplant size. I always provide weight and measurement because they vary so much in size – what is a “medium eggplant”??! If you have giant ones, you’ll just have a thinner layer of topping (there’s enough flavour in this dish you won’t feel robbed). If you have tiny ones, pile it on higher or reserve leftover meat for another purpose. 
2. Spice subs – With so many in this spice mix, it’s fine if you’re missing one…or even three! Just dial up some of the others to make up for flavour. Specific subs:
  • All spice – mixed spice
  • Garlic powder – onion powder, or fresh garlic
  • Ginger – more garlic
  • Turmeric powder – saffron
  • Cinnamon – more all spice
3. Tomato pasteor sub water + paste with 1/4 cup crushed tomato or passata. I offer this as a suggestion as I always seem to have a partial bottle of passata in the fridge!
4. Toasting pinenuts – Small skillet, no oil, medium heat, toss until golden and smells toasty. Remove from pan straight away.
5. Eggplant sweating – Draws out excess water so you don’t end up with water in the eggplant halves that dilutes eating flavour. Removing bitterness from eggplant – generally speaking, this has been bred out of eggplants sold these days. I’ve never had a problem.
Don’t have time to sweat? Just cut 2 x 3cm/1″ slits in the skin so the water escapes while roasting. Also, expect to add 5 to 10 min to roasting time.
6. Yogurt tip – To make the yoghurt even tastier, mix 1/4 cup of yoghurt with 1/2 garlic clove, minced, a small squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes to let the flavours develop. I do this for company. 🙂
Make ahead – Roast the eggplant and meat filling. Fully cool both, uncovered, then put into containers in the fridge. Re-warm both using method of choice (juice up the meat with a splash of water if needed) then assemble!
Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not convinced cooked eggplant will freeze well but the meat will be fine for 3 months!
Nutrition per serving, using lean beef – 2 eggplant halves (i.e. one whole eggplant) per serving. This is a satisfying meal even by itself!

Nutrition

Serving: 536g | Calories: 450cal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 1594mg | Potassium: 1206mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 297IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 5mg

Originally published in March 2016. Majority spruced up in 2023 with a better, more streamlined recipe with better flavour, sparkling new photos and a brand new recipe video!

Proof of eggplant fondness


Life of Dozer

Can’t even whiteboard recipe ideas without Mr D hovering around.

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Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry https://www.recipetineats.com/xinjiang-cumin-lamb-stir-fry/ https://www.recipetineats.com/xinjiang-cumin-lamb-stir-fry/#comments Mon, 29 May 2023 06:00:00 +0000 https://www.recipetineats.com/?p=90250 Close up of Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir FryA cumin spiced lamb dish might sound totally un-Chinese, but it’s actually authentic and very on-trend! Hailing from Xinjiang province, this Cumin Lamb stir fry is one of the best easy new recipes I’ve tried in months. Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry New recipes that truly catch me by surprise are few and far between these days.... Get the Recipe

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A cumin spiced lamb dish might sound totally un-Chinese, but it’s actually authentic and very on-trend! Hailing from Xinjiang province, this Cumin Lamb stir fry is one of the best easy new recipes I’ve tried in months.

Close up of Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry

New recipes that truly catch me by surprise are few and far between these days. But this one did – and hit it so far out of the park that I declared I must share the recipe “immediately”!

Succulent pieces of lamb generously flavoured with a cumin-sichuan pepper spice mix, golden on the outside and astonishingly tender inside. This is a dish from the Xinjiang province of China where the food is heavily influenced by food of the Middle East, reflecting the predominantly Muslim population. It’s an absolute dead ringer for the ones I’ve had at restaurants, quick to make, and so good I couldn’t stop eating it straight out of the pan.

But what surprised me the most was the ingredients. Everything from the local grocery store.

Even if you are not familiar with Cumin Lamb, if you love Chinese and Middle Eastern food, I guarantee you will love this!

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb backstory – Xinjiang is a province in the north-west of China, situated on the ancient Silk Road that connected China with the Middle East and Europe. With a predominantly Muslim population, the food of Xinjiang is unlike most Chinese food you probably are familiar with. There’s less soy sauce, no pork, and less rice. Instead, think fragrant spices, lots of lamb, flatbreads, skewers, pilafs and richly spiced sauces. Cumin lamb skewers and today’s Cumin Lamb Stir Fry are two signature dishes from the region. Tarim Uyghur in Auburn (Sydney) is highly rated by the community.

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry over rice

Recipe credit: Today’s recipe is adapted from Real-Deal Xinjiang Cumin Lamb recipe from a wonderful website called 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!

Ingredients in Cumin Lamb

Here’s what you need to make this lamb stir fry.

Marinade & spice mix

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry ingredients

Lamb & marinade

  • Lamb cut – I recommend using lamb leg or rump. Good lamb flavour, not too fatty, suitable for quick cooking. More expensive cuts such as backstrap or cutlets are wasted on a stir fry (in my humble opinion) especially given we can tenderise the lamb using the Chinese velveting method (just a touch of baking soda – next point!).

    Slow cooking cuts – like shoulder and shank – are a too tough for this recipe (tenderising is not as effective) and most other chops are too fatty.

  • Baking soda – To tenderise the lamb so it stays beautifully succulent and tender even if it’s kept on the stove for a little longer than ideal. Baking soda is used to velvet chicken and beef in Chinese stir fries too. Tried and loved technique! (Note for velveting-fans: In this recipe we use less baking soda for a larger volume of meat so there’s no need to rinse the baking soda off, you can’t taste it!).

  • Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) – An essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Chinese dishes! Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub – substitute with 2 tablespoons chicken stock/broth.

  • Cornflour/cornstarch – This creates a light coating on the lamb that the spice mix clings to. Some recipes will have you toss the marinated lamb in cornflour. I tried that, and ended with with a gluey mess. It’s far easier to just mix the cornflour in with the marinade – and the end result is practically the same.

  • Soy sauce Either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.

  • Salt – For seasoning.

Spice Mix

  • Cumin – LOTS! 2 whole tablespoons!! This is a bold flavoured dish – and true to its name.

  • Sichuan pepper (pre-ground) – The cool, numbing, almost lemony spiciness of Sichuan pepper that we all know and love is a signature characteristic of this dish! Completely different to the hot spiciness of powders like cayenne pepper.

    Usually I’ll urge you to toast and grind your own, for better flavour. But in this recipe, we (Chef JB and I) tried it with freshly ground and pre-ground and honestly, there was no noticeable difference because the cumin and dried chilli are the dominant flavours here. So feel free to use store bought pre-ground – widely available these days in large grocery stores.

    To make your own, dry toast whole peppercorns, cool, grind, sift out lumps, then measure out 1/2 teaspoon powder. Whole peppercorns yield just under half in powder, so start with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Sichuan peppercorns.

    Substitute with 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper.

  • Sugar – Just a small amount, to balance the other flavours. Doesn’t make this dish sweet.

For the stir fry

The whole chilli are used for flavour and fragrance, not for eating. They are used in dry form so they are chewy and not very pleasant to eat.

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb stir fry ingredients
  • Dried chilli – Asian ones, if you can. But even sub-continent (Indian) chillis or South American chilli will work! As noted above, they are stir fried with the other ingredients for flavour and releasing some heat, but not intended to be eaten. So the exact type and spiciness of the dried chilli is not as important as in other dishes such as Beef Rendang where dried chilli are blitzed into a curry paste.

  • Ginger and garlic – Plenty, for beautiful aromatics flavour!

  • Onion – Also for aromatic flavour.

  • Coriander/cilantro and sesame – Finishes that are tossed in right at the end.


How to make Cumin Lamb Stir Fry

Slices of lamb are marinated for just 30 minutes to tenderise and flavour. The actual cooking part is very quick, as stir fries typically are. Once you start cooking, you’ll be done in less than 5 minutes.

How to make Xinjiang Cumin Lamb stir fry
  1. Marinate the sliced lamb with the soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, cornflour/cornstarch, salt and baking soda to tenderise.

  2. Mix the cumin, Sichuan pepper and sugar in a bowl.

  3. Cook the lamb in two batches in a large non-stick skillet for just 1 1/2 minutes until light golden, then remove. The thin slices do not take long to cook!

  4. Sauté the aromatics – garlic, ginger, onion and whole dried chillies.

  5. Add the lamb back in with the spice mix and toss just to coat the lamb in the spices. It doesn’t need to be cooked.

  6. Toss the coriander/cilantro and sesame in, then toss again just to disperse. Then serve immediately!

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry freshly made

You will love how tender the lamb pieces are! We deliberately keep the slices not too thin so you get a nice satisfying bite of lamb. Caramelised on the outside, pink and succulent inside!

Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry close up

How to serve Cumin Lamb

This is a dry-style stir fry, which means it is one of those stir fries that doesn’t come with loads of sauce. Absence of sauce is compensated for with robust flavours in the stir fry, like you find in other “dry” stir fries like Kung Pao Chicken, Thai Cashew Chicken and Crispy Mongolian Beef.

So personally, I’m fine serving it with plain white rice though I think some people would prefer a flavoured rice – because there’s no sauce for rice soaking. And I get it. If you’re in that camp, try it with Fried Rice (or the now infamous Emergency “Dump & Bake” Fried Rice if you don’t have day-old cooked rice), Garlic Butter Kale Rice or Buttered Rice. Supreme Soy Noodles will also be great as a side dish, along with steamed Asian Greens with Oyster Sauce.

Love to know what you think if you try this! I know it’s a little more niche than the usual stir fries I share. So that should tell you it’s extra great!! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Close up of Xinjiang Cumin Lamb Stir Fry
Print

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!
Course Mains
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword cumin lamb, Lamb stir fry, Xinjiang food
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 358cal
Author Nagi

Ingredients

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

  • 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 358cal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 1003mg | Potassium: 1670mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1769IU | Vitamin C: 171mg | Calcium: 416mg | Iron: 16mg

Life of Dozer

Many of you inquired about the well being of Geoff* when I moved away from the northern beaches. I’m happy to report he is well, and still receiving a stead flow of meals from us! My assistant still lives in the northern beaches so she takes meals to him and I still go to the dog beach (Bayview) on weekends. He is also very well looked after by other locals. Small token of appreciation for how well he looks after the park for us!

Here he is with his companion, Cubby, yesterday morning (Sunday).

You’d think Dozer would be more respectful given he doesn’t see Geoff every day anymore. But no. Still begging for a little taste of the breakfast I gave Geoff not 5 seconds ago. #Shameless!

* Geoff is a local who lives in his van at the dog park/beach. He has special permission from the council to park there. He looks after the park like its his own backyard which is why it is the most pristine dog park in the whole of Sydney. He wakes up to gun-barrel views over beautiful Pittwater every morning!

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