Chinese Lamb Skewers (Xinjiang Style)
THE INGREDIENTS
- 1.3 to 1 kilogram lamb forequarter chops (bone-in)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
INSTRUCTIONS
These cumin, chilli lamb skewers are served by street vendors in Northern China. Traditionally, small pieces of lamb fat are threaded in-between the meat to make them extra juicy and flavoursome. It can be a little fiddly deboning the lamb forequarter chops, but they have the best fat to meat ratio for these skewers.
- Remove most of the meat from the chops using a sharp boning style knife. Keep at least 3 mm of fat, trimming away the excess. Leaving a small amount of fat behind will keep the skewers juicy. Cut lamb approximately into 2 cm cubes.Add the lamb to a bowl with the olive oil.
- In a mortar and pestle, grind the Sichuan peppercorns into a coarse powder. Add the salt, ground cumin, cumin seeds, white pepper, chilli powder and gently stir. Add the spice mix to the lamb, mix all ingredients to evenly coat.
- If desired, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours to marinate. If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the barbecue for cooking using direct medium-high heat (210°C – 250°C) and preheat as directed.
Recipe by Weber. Cooked by @laurashungry
