Spicy Chilli Oil and Cumin Lamb Noodles
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Easy
"A favourite restaurant for many in North London is X’ian Impressions, whose chefs are famous for their Shaanxi street food, and especially for their bowls of slurpy, hand-pulled belt noodles with cumin lamb. This recipe is inspired by that very dish, but uses a few cheats, like minced lamb, shop-bought noodles and a jar of good quality chilli oil. These noodles are on the punchier side, with a hit of numbing heat from the ground Szechuan peppercorns, so tone down the chilli oil if you like things milder."
READ: Esther Clark and The Modern Spice Rack
The Modern Spice Rack by Esther Clark and Rachel Walker (Hardie Grant, £22), Photography by Matt Russell
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 400g minced lamb
- 5cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
- 1 fat garlic clove, crushed
- 6 spring onions, sliced
- 1 Chinese leaf cabbage, thickly shredded
- 4 tablespoons good-quality crispy chilli oil
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 350g cooked noodles of your choice, such as egg, rice, udon, soba or belt noodles
- sesame seeds
Method
- Toast the cumin seeds and Szechuan peppercorns in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Transfer them to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a coarse powder.
- Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Add the lamb and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the ground toasted spices to the pan, along with the ginger, garlic, most of the spring onions and the cabbage, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the chilli oil, vinegar, soy sauce and reserved lamb, then toss through the cooked noodles.
- Serve the noodles in bowls, topped with the remaining spring onions and sesame seeds, with a bowl of smacked cucumbers on the side.
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