Here’s another lamb stir fry dish using meat from the lamb
loin chop. This recipe uses Doubanjiang, which is a spicy fermented paste made
from broad beans, and bitter melon. When Doubanjiang is used, the sauce is
usually “dry”, so you want it to cling to the ingredients with little or no
sauce. The dish is made “backwards”, with the vegetables being cooked first,
and the lamb with the previously stir fried Doubanjiang last.
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!