Cumin Lamb Noodles
This cumin lamb noodles recipe is a copycat of the noodle stir fry dish from Xi'an Famous Foods in New york. The stir fry noodle dish is jam packed with savory, tangy flavor and spices and goes perfectly with some Chinese smashed cucumber salad! We've simplified the cooking process to make it easy enough to make this stir fry a weeknight dinner recipe, but if you're feeling up to the challenge, making homemade hand-pulled noodles using our biang biang noodles recipe is definitely worth the time!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 8 ounces lamb shoulder (thinly sliced *see notes)
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon oil (any neutral oil)
- 1 tablespoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
- ½ teaspoon coriander seed
- ¼ cup chili oil (homemade or store-bought (plus more for for topping) *see notes)
- 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
- ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 6 ounces dry wide noodles (or fresh handpull noodles *see notes)
- 2 leaves cabbage (cut into bite size pieces)
- 1½ tablespoons garlic (minced (about 3 cloves))
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced (about an inch knob))
- ½ medium red onion (sliced)
- 1 bird's eye chili (optional for spice (serrano or jalapeño peppers are great too))
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- Oil (as needed for cooking (any neutral oil))
- ¼ bunch cilantro (roughly chopped (optional but highly recommended))
- 1 stalk Asian chives (finely sliced (or use green onion))
- ½ stalk Chinese celery (finely chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Marinate the lamb:
- 2
In a mixing bowl, combine the thinly sliced lamb, Shaoxing cooking wine, and salt. Mix until well combined and the cooking wine absorbed.
- 3
Add the cornstarch and mix well. Then finish by adding the oil and mixing until evenly combined. Set aside and allow the lamb to marinade while you prepare the other ingredients.
- 4
Prepare the spices:
- 5
Place the cumin, coriander, and Sichuan peppercorn into a pan over medium heat. Toast the spices until golden brown and fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- 6
Allow the spices to cool until room temperature and grind into fine powder using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Set aside until needed.
- 7
Make the sauce:
- 8
Combine all the ingredients for the sauce (chili oil, black vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar) and mix well to combine. Set aside until needed.
- 9
Prepare the herb mix:
- 10
Combine the cilantro, Asian chives, and Chinese celery and mix to combine. Set aside until needed.
- 11
Make the cumin lamb noodles:
- 12
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the wide noodles. Cook the noodles according to package instructions or until just cooked.
- 13
About 30 seconds before the noodles are done cooking, add the chopped cabbage. Allow the cabbage to cook for the remaining time that's needed for the noodles. Once done, drain the noodles and cabbage well and set aside.*If you feel more comfortable, you can cook the noodles and cabbage separately. The cabbage only needs about 30 seconds to cook.*
- 14
In a wok or sauté pan over medium high heat, add about 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
- 15
Once the aromatics are fragrant, add the red onion and chili pepper. Sauté briefly, about 5 to 10 seconds, then add the marinated lamb. While cooking, separate the lamb as best as possible. *If you prefer, you can push the onion and chili to one side of the pan and cook the lamb on the other side to help make it easier to separate and to prevent the onion from becoming overcooked.*
- 16
When the lamb is almost done cooking, sprinkle in the ground spices. Toss and stir fry until well combined. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing rice wine around the lamb and stir fry until the alcohol is cooked off and smells fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.
- 17
Give the prepared sauce a stir and add it to the lamb. Allow the sauce to heat up and immediately add the noodles and cabbage. DO NOT reduce the sauce! Toss until the noodles are evenly coated with sauce and everything is well combined.
- 18
Finish the cumin lamb noodles by adding the your desired amount of the herb mix and toss to combine.
- 19
Portion and serve immediately and top with more herb mix for garnish and more chili oil if desired.