Chuan Rou Spiced Skewered Lamb Recipes

BEIJING LAMB SKEWERS (YANGROU CHUAN)

Steps:

• Take your chops and simply remove the meat from the bone and cut into small chunks. Don't trim any of the fat from the lamb. This is what's going to give you the flavor you're looking for. Put the lamb in a mixing bowl.
• In a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder), add the cumin, cumin seeds, chili flakes, and salt. Pound it all together, cracking the chili flakes and cumin seeds into smaller pieces (you want it to be coarse, not a fine powder). Add about half of the spices (the other half will be used for sprinkling after the lamb finishes cooking) to the lamb along with the oil and mix everything together.
• Put the lamb onto the skewers. Heat your grill until searing hot. Grill the skewers until they get a nice char on the outside. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle on the extra spices. Serve!

SPICED SKEWERED LAMB

Steps:

• Soak 8 to 10 wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes. Combine the chile flakes, cumin, fennel seeds, oil, soy sauce, rice wine, paprika, and salt in a bowl. Add the meat to the spices, and toss to coat. Thread the meat onto the skewers.
• Heat a griddle pan over a high heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil. Place the skewers into the pan, and cook until they brown on one side, then turn them over, and continue cooking for l minute. Turn off the heat, and serve.

YANG ROU CHUAN (SPICY LAMB KEBABS)

Steps:

• Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for one hour. This will make the meat slide onto the skewers better and they won't burn as easily on the grill.
• Cut the lamb into pieces the size of almonds. Thread them onto the bamboo skewers.
• Light a charcoal grill and wait for the coals to turn gray or set a gas grill to medium-high.
• Mix the cumin and chile powders, the pepper and salt, the peppercorns and the garlic together in a bowl.
• Pour the oil onto a plate. On 1 other plates, put the cumin and peppercorn mixture. Roll the skewers in the oil, then in the cumin and peppercorn mixture.
• Set the skewers on the grill rack, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn, cover, and cook 3 minutes more or until the meat is cooked through but still juicy. Serve immediately.