Ground Cumin Lamb

I originally had this dish at China Village, a wonderful Sichuan restaurant in Berkeley. I highly recommend you going!  I deconstructed the dish to see if I could figure out how they made such a delicious creation! This is my version of it. Lamb is common in Chinese cuisine in the west and north of the country. I find it delicious and goes wonderful with homemade noodles.






Lamb is not raised in California. I usually get Oregon lamb, which works very well. Make sure it is from a reputable butcher. I once made this dish with lamb I bought at Safeway, which was from New Zealand. I opened the package and the meat smelled rot. Always make sure to use fresh lamb, preferably free range and organic. Both Marin Sun Farms and Prather Ranch have a good selection of such lamb.

Ingredients
Marinade:
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or brandy
2 tablespoons  light Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn oil

Masala:
1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
3 pieces of chopped garlic
3 fried chilis from Raiyu

Stir Fry
Sichuan peppercorn oil
Raiyu
1 tablespoon Sichuan roasted peppercorns
1/2 medium white or yellow onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced and seeded
Cumin Powder
Celery
1 teaspoon peeled julienne gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced


Heat 7 tablespoons of Sichuan peppercorn oil in a wok until slightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon cumin seeds and 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and let fry for a few moments, until their aroma is released. Once the cumin seeds turn light brown, but before blackening, add 3 pieces of chopped garlic and 3 fried chilis. Stir fry for a few moments and turn off the heat. Remove 2 teaspoons of this mixture and grind into a powder with a mortar and pestle. Add the remainder of this masala to the lamb marinade and let the lamb marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Add a few tablespoons of sichuan peppercorn oil to the wok and swirl around the wok to coat evenly. After an even coating of oil is applied, add a few teaspoons of Raiyu to the mixture. Let it sit for a minute or two to gain some heat. Add a tablespoon of sichuan peppercorns. Add sliced onions and stir fry for a few moments until the onions are no longer translucent.

Add the ginger root, chili flakes and garlic and stir fry for a few minutes, until the garlic begins to turn lightly golden brown.


Add the red bell pepper and stir fry for a minute or 2.

Add the lamb and stir fry until the lamb is cooked completely.

Season the dish with the 2 teaspoons of the cooriander/cumin mixture.

Serve with fresh white rice.

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