Szechuan Peppercorn Lamb (花椒羊肉, Faa1 Ziu1 Joeng4 Juk6)

A dry rub was used to marinade the lamb for this recipe using Szechuan peppercorns, cumin, black pepper, and dried Japones (Japanese) chilies. Most, if not all, of my previous stir fry recipes used a wet marinade. The dry marinade gives the lamb a spicier result in the finished dish. The amount of the sauce was also reduced from the normal amount used in my stir fry dishes.

I used thinly sliced lamb loin chops to make this dish. More common (and cheaper) cuts of lamb can be substituted, such as lamb leg or shoulder. Lamb loin chops have two distinct pieces of meat separated by a bone as in a beef T-bone steak. The larger piece of meat is the loin and the smaller is the tenderloin. The two pieces of meat need to be removed from the bone, and then the loin and tenderloin pieces cut thinly using a very sharp knife. Meat from the lamb loin chop is very tender and even though there’s more work involved to prepare the meat for this dish, it’s worth the effort to make this dish if you can get the lamb loin chops for a decent price, otherwise use meat from the lamb leg or shoulder. You’ll need to purchase about 1½ lb. (750 g.) of lamb loin chops to get about ¾ lb. (375 g.) of meat after trimming.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Lamb loin chop meat (羊扒, joeng4 paa4), cut into thin pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Ground Szechuan peppercorn (花椒, faa1 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Ground cumin (孜然, zi1 jin4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Ground black pepper (黑椒, hak1 ziu1)
6	6	Ground dried Japones (Japanese) chili peppers
1	1	Red bell pepper (紅椒, hung4 ziu1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1	1	Green bell pepper (青椒, ceng1 ziu1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1	1	Onion (洋蔥, joeng4 cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
6 oz.	170 g.	One package cloud ear fungus (雲耳, wan4 ji5)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Coffee or spice grinder
		Very sharp knife to cut the lamb
		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Szechuan Peppercorn, Cumin, Black Pepper,
Dried Japones (Japanese) Chili Dry Rub

Preparation Instructions

1. If using any whole spices (Szechuan peppercorns, cumin, black pepper, dried Japones (Japanese) chilies), use a coffee or spice grinder to grind the spices.
2. Prepare the lamb loin meat by removing the loin and tenderloin meat from the bone. From the two pieces of lamb meat, remove any silver skin and fat, and cut the meat into thin pieces using a very sharp knife. Wet with water and add the baking soda to the lamb, allow to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
3. Marinate the lamb in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the following dry rub: ground Szechuan peppercorn, cumin, black pepper, and dried Japones (Japanese) chili peppers. If marinating the lamb overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
4. Open the package and wash the cloud ear fungus, removing any hard parts.
5. Wash and cut the red and green bell peppers into 1- (2.5 cm.) x 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. First cut off the ends of the bell pepper, leaving an open cylinder. Remove the seeds and central core of the bell pepper and make one cut lengthwise to open the cylinder. Flatten the open bell pepper cylinder and cut 1- (2.5 cm.) wide by 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
6. Remove the tough outer skin of the onion and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
7. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
8. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
9. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together. Note that the sauce quantity is reduced for this dish

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the lamb. Stir fry the lamb until brown by forming one layer of lamb in the wok and leaving the lamb alone for a while before flipping it over to brown the other side. You may have to stir fry the lamb in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the browned lamb to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the cloud ear fungus. Stir fry the fungus and then transfer to the bowl with the lamb.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the onion. Stir fry the onion and then transfer to the bowl with the lamb.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bell pepper pieces. Stir fry the bell pepper pieces to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the lamb back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.