Lamb Cumin Stir Fry

I’ve had 6 lovely lamb chops living in my freezer for over 3 months now. They were a beautiful deep red with minimal fat. I’ve never cooked lamb before, so was thrilled when Ariel sent me this recipe from the New York Times food blog by Mark Bittman. Despite my inexperience with lamb, this was fast and easy. In the future, I would consider marinating the lamb night before so I could just come home and throw everything in the frying pan. Not surprisingly, this dish was better the second day. Because the bone in a lamb chop has so much flavor, I froze the bones for future use. A hearty winter soup stalk maybe? Open to suggestions.

4 servings

About 30 minutes (but I had help chopping the garlic. I hate touching garlic)


Definitely use the cumin seeds as recommended, and not ground cumin. It’s really fun to toast the seeds, and they release this delicious smell through out your house. The slight crunch is fantastic.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder (I think just about any part of the lamb will do)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes, or to taste (I like a little more)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, to film the bottom of the skillet (Olive worked just fine for me)
1 cup trimmed and roughly chopped scallions
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1. Cut lamb into 1/2-inch cubes (easier if meat is firmed in the freezer for 15 to 45 minutes). Toast cumin seeds in dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant, a minute ortwo. Toss together lamb with cumin, chili, garlic, soy sauce, a large pinch of salt and a healthy grinding of pepper. If you like, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 24 hours. (I marinated mine for 2 hours. Still very tasty).

2. When ready to cook, put a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet (ideally, it will hold the lamb in one layer, or nearly so) and turn heat to high. When hot, add lamb. Cook, undisturbed, for about a minute, then stir once or twice to loosen lamb from skillet. Cook another minute, then stir again. Add scallions, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions glisten and shrink a bit and the meat is about medium. (I cooked my lamb to medium, and honestly, in the future, I think medium rare would be preferable.)

3. If you want a slightly saucier mixture, stir in 1/4 cup water and cook another minute. Serve hot over rice, garnished, if you like, with cilantro.