Xinjiang Lamb & Fried Naan (炒羊肉馕)

Name: Xinjiang Lamb & Fried Naan (炒羊肉馕)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 500 g Lamb Leg (other cut with some fat content); 5 mL Mild Chilli Powder; 1.25 mL ground White pepper; 1.25 mL Cumin, ground; 5 mL Shaoxing Rice Wine; 5 mL light soy sauce; 1 Eggs, Beaten; 1 Naan Bread, torn into pieces; 0.5 Red Onion, Thinly Sliced; 10 mL Toasted Sesame Seeds; 10 mL Cumin, whole; 1 pinch Salt to Taste; 2 bunches fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

I discovered this dish in a Uyghur restaurant in Beijing years ago before I’d ever been to Xinjiang. Uyghur chefs might find it amusing that I’ve written down this recipe at all as it’s a leftover dish: a way to use up offcuts of lamb from the kitchen and day-old naan bread. And yet, I love it. We used to order this when we wanted a pick-me-up during the winter, an indulgent little lunch-time treat. The lamb fat melts and seeps into the crispy naan, the cumin seeds add a nutty element, but it would all be too rich without liberal handfuls of coriander.

TeaOranges

Prep40 min

Cook10 min

Total50 min

Servings3

Difficultyeasy

ChineseDinner / SupperLunch

Ingredients

500 gLamb Leg (other cut with some fat content)
5 mLMild Chilli Powder
1.25 mLground White pepper
1.25 mLCumin, ground
5 mLShaoxing Rice Wine
5 mLlight soy sauce
1Eggs, Beaten
1Naan Bread, torn into pieces
0.5Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
10 mLToasted Sesame Seeds
10 mLCumin, whole
1 pinchSalt to Taste
2 bunchesfresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1
Roughly cut the lamb into small bite-sized cubes (about 1.5cm). Rinse the lamb, then soak in cold water for 15 minutes. This helps remove some of the gamey flavour in the meat. Drain the water and pat the meat dry.
2
Add the lamb to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle over the chilli powder, white pepper, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, the egg and mix. Leave for at least 15 minutes to marinate. The egg will make the lamb more tender, and the marinade will further reduce the lamby flavour.
3
Prep the rest of the ingredients: tear the naan (or chop) into chunks a bit bigger than the lamb, finely slice the red onion and roughly chop the fresh coriander.
4
Heat your wok over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil (about a teaspoon). Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes or so. We don’t want soft translucent onions here, but slightly singed at the edges, so don’t stir or shake the pan too often.
5
Turn up the heat and add the lamb with the cumin seeds. Fry for 3-4 minutes until the lamb is nicely coloured. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon, leaving behind the rich oil.
6
With the wok still on the heat, add the naan and fry for 2-3 minutes or until slightly crunchy. You may need more oil here to avoid burning the naan.
7
Tip the lamb back into the wok and mix with the naan for 1 minute.
8
Take off the heat, add the sesame seeds, salt (if needed) and shake. Toss the coriander through and serve immediately.