孜然羊肉 Crispy Cumin Lamb Stir-fry

When we lived in Beijing we worked in the Central Buisness District were we were surrounded by high rise buisness building. Just to give you and idea of the type of area this was, we were with in walking distance of the Silk Market (a huge tourist attraction). Within two blocks of the building we worked in, as if it were a portal to another world, was a tiny little alley where Old China met with Modern China.
Small vendors selling snacks lined this small street. We passed Old Beijing style apartment buildings. Laundry hung out to dry and children played. Several turns down this road we found a tiny run down Muslim Chinese restaurant.Muslim Chinese Music flowed from the restaurants entrance that was covered by a large piece of parted cloth

Has anyone ever told you that the old run down hole in the wall places actually have the best food? I think we went to this restaurant half as much as all the other places we frequented. Copycats of many of the dishes we often ate there can be found on this blog. 孜然羊肉 Crispy Cumin Lamb Stir-fry was among my husband favorite dishes there. He often order this dish and Green Chili egg together. A fantastic combination in our opinion. And don't forget a bowl a sticky rice. A must as well! 

Ingredients:
500-600 grams (1 lb.) lamb roast

6 cloves of garlic, minced

fresh ginger (amount equal to that of garlic), grated

4 green onions, chopped

Marinade:
2 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
2 Tbsp. starch

Seasonings:

4 Tbsp. whole cumin seeds 

1/4 tsp. each, salt and pepper (can add more to taste)

2 tsp. Chinese chili powder

Note: If unable to find Chinese chili powder here is how to make it yourself.

Chinese Chili Powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground chillies (this can be increased up to 2 Tbsp. for more heat)

1 Tbsp. ground Szchewan peppercorns

1 Tbsp. ground ginger

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Remove any excess fat from the Lamb roast. 

Cut the lamb into thin strips against the grain. 

Massage marinade ingredients into the lamb and let rest 30 minutes.

Massage marinade ingredients into the lamb and let rest 30 minutes. Meanwhile measure out the seasoning ingredients. 4 Tbsp. of cumin will look like a lot but don't worry. It will form a delicious flavorful crust on the lamb. You don't want to be shy on seasonings here.

 Heat 1/2 cup oil over high heat. Add lamb and stir-fry until the pieces separate.

 Add garlic,ginger. green onion, cumin seeds and Chinese chili powder.

 Continue to cook until the lamb gets crispy and seasons have adhered themselves to the meat.

 Sprinkle a generous amount of cilantro over your serving plate, top with cumin lamb and some more cilantro.

Flavorful succulent lamb with a crispy cumin crust, now doesn't that just look delicious. 

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