Cumin Lamb Stir-Fry

My favorite Chinese restaurant in the area is owned by people from Chengdu, in the Szechuan province. It has opened my eyes to the variety in Chinese food, bringing in ingredients like homemade pickled bamboo, the increasingly present and always numbing Szechuan peppercorn, and the use of lamb, often with cumin. The first time I had lamb in a stir-fry was at P.F. Chang's, which shouldn't even really count, but it at least helped me realize that Chinese food shouldn't always just be about what sauce you want your chicken or beef swimming in. Savory, wild, and bursting with a rustic flavor that had nothing to do with General Tso or his counterparts, Pork Lo Mein and Wonton Soup, Chinese lamb dishes point out that there's something familiar and "country" about this part of China. So when I saw this cumin lamb stir-fry recipe on the NYT website, I was immediately ready to make it, and went out in search of lamb that same day.  

Naturally, this was a disaster. Somehow, despite watching Melissa Clark's video and following it verbatim, her magic did not translate into my kitchen. The resultant dish tasted almost right, but lacked body, and was a choking hazard when I just threw in a bunch of cilantro because it didn't call for chopping anything. So I had to modify the process to suit the average cook's home stove, which by no means can handle cooking a full pound of meat properly in one go. The second attempt was notably different, with properly seared and juicy lamb, and no choking hazards. It was every bit as good as food from the Szechuan restaurant, and if metering one's oil usage carefully, I would say it's probably more healthy as well. A definite win against the evils of professional recipes made in professional kitchens by people who can be snobby on a professional level.

Cumin Lamb Stir-Fry
Modified slightly from Melissa Clark's recipe on NYTimes

• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 pound boneless lamb (leg or shoulder)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 to 8 dried red chiles (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon or more crushed red pepper)
• 1 large white onion
• 1 bunch (about 8) scallions, trimmed, white and pale green separated from tops
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese cooking sherry (Shaoxing rice wine) or dry sherry
• 2 cups fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, chopped into 2" lengths
• Rice, for serving

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast cumin seeds and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush lightly, or place in a zip-top bag and smack with a heavy pan.

Don't skip the step of toasting your spices - this brings out a lot of flavor

Slice meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Toss meat with crushed spices, ground cumin, salt and dried chiles.

Peel onion and halve it through the root end. Trim the ends and cut each half lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut white and light green parts of scallions into 2-inch lengths. Thinly slice scallion greens; keep separate.

Heat a very large skillet or wok over high heat until screaming hot, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp of the oil. Toss in onion and the scallion bottoms. Cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are lightly charred but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add 2 more tsp of the oil and add half the lamb and chile mixture.  Cook, tossing quickly, until meat begins to brown. Remove to a plate, add final 2 tsp of oil, and stir-fry the other half in the same way.  Return all lamb to the wok.  Add garlic, soy sauce and sherry. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and lamb is cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Toss in the onions and scallions.  Remove from heat and mix in cilantro and scallion greens. Serve hot, over rice.