Cumin Lamb Noodles
These delicious 30-minute spicy cumin lamb noodles are the perfect easy weeknight dinner option that's bursting with flavour! The noodles are tasty, bouncy, with a delightful chewy texture. Lamb, perfectly seasoned, tender and flavourful. Makes 2 very generous servings.
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Servings: 2 - 4 people
Calories: 650kcal
Ingredients
- 250 g / ½ pound fresh noodles store-bought (note 1)
- 250 g / ½ pound lamb shoulder meat cut into thin, wide strips
- 1 red capsicum sliced into strips, aka bell pepper
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil neutral-tasting, extra for noodles
- 1 tablespoon Homemade Chinese chilli oil or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder flakes or fresh, optional
- 1 cup fresh coriander finely chopped
Lamb seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon oil neutral-tasting
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced lamb with lamb seasoning ingredients. Mix well (best with a clean hand to massage the seasoning into the meat) (note 2). Set aside.
- Cook noodles according to packet instructions (usually around 3 to 4 minutes). Once cooked to al dente, drain and rinse noodles with cold water under the tap to stop the cooking process (and keep that delightful chewy texture!). Drizzle with a little oil to stop the noodles from sticking together, mix and set aside in a colander.
Stir fry the lamb noodles
- Preheat a wok or large frying pan on high heat (note 3). Spread seasoned lamb onto the wok in a single layer with ½ tablespoon of oil. Sear the meat on high heat for about 1 minute then flip and sear the other side for a further minute until the meat is just cooked with caramelisation. Transfer onto a plate and set aside.
- In the same wok (no need to wash), add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil and saute onions, garlic and capsicum. After ~2 to 3 minutes, add cumin powder and saute for a further 30 seconds.
- Add sauteed lamb slices (with juices) back into the wok with the vegetables. Stir fry to combine then add cooked noodles (note 4), dark soy sauce, brown sugar, salt and black pepper. Toss the noodles on high heat for ~1½ minutes.
- Add Chinese chilli oil and chilli (if using) and toss for a further minute. Turn the heat off, scatter in coriander and mix well. Serve whilst it's hot!
Video
Notes
1. Noodles to buy - for best results, head to your local Asian grocery store and buy fresh noodles in the fridge section (usually in the same area as dumpling wrappers). I like to use flat, wide noodles usually called 'la mian' or 'lei mein', some brands label them as 'tou chow noodles' or 'dao xiao mian'. You can also use thick, non-wide, spaghetti-looking noodles too. I have a picture of what these look like and their packaging (from my local store) in the post above under ingredients for reference.
2. Massage the seasoning into the lamb for extra flavoursome and tender meat. Since there is good marbling of fat in lamb shoulder meat, the full 'velveting technique' (more detail and how-to are in my beef noodle stir fry recipe) is not needed for this recipe. No extra marinate time is necessary either! Speedy dinner? You bet!
3. Preheat the wok on high heat before adding meat to get a good sear and caramelisation. Remember, colour = flavour!
4. Loosen cooked noodles - even after rinsing the cooked noodles with cold water and mixing with a little oil, the noodles can still get a little stuck together (especially if left for a while). To loosen it up just before stir-frying, rinse the noodles one more time under the tap in a colander, give it a shake from side to side and drain well.
To double the portion of this recipe, cook in two batches. Stir fries and 'wok hei' (if you missed it, scroll up to read more about what it is and the importance of wok hei) work best when cooked in small quantities. The more stuff there is in the wok, the less chance of direct heat is available for each individual piece. No wok hei = less flavour.
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Nutrition
Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 53.7g | Protein: 35.6g | Fat: 33.1g | Saturated Fat: 7.8g | Potassium: 342mg | Fiber: 5.8g | Sugar: 9.9g | Iron: 2mg