Best Cumin Crusted Lamb With Shallots Crushed New Potatoes Recipes

CRISPY LAMB WITH CUMIN, SCALLIONS AND RED CHILES

Crispy Lamb With Cumin, Scallions and Red Chiles image

Dongbei cai is the food of Northeast China. Weiliang Chen, the chef at Northeast Taste Chinese Food, the biggest of the Dongbei restaurants in Queens, makes an elegant, tender version of a popular Dongbei stir-fry of lamb with dried chilies, made fragrant and crunchy with cumin seeds - a legacy of the nomadic Mongols who long ruled Central Asia, carrying spices on horseback along with their arrows. Lamb is considered a Northern taste and excessively "strong" by many Chinese cooks; it is always cooked with powerful aromatics, like chili peppers and garlic, to subdue it.

Provided by Julia Moskin

Categories dinner, easy, quick, weekday, one pot, main course

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 tablespoon egg white
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, cut into strips about 1/2 inch by 2 inches
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, lightly cracked in a mortar or grinder
2 tablespoons whole dried red chile peppers, about 2 inches long
4 scallions, white and green parts only, cut on diagonal into 1-inch lengths
Sesame oil, for seasoning

Steps:

In a bowl combine egg white, wine, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add lamb and set aside to marinate 1 hour.
Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Swirl half the oil into wok and carefully add lamb, spreading it in a single layer. Let sear a moment, then stir-fry briskly just until lamb is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. (If your wok is not large enough to hold all the lamb, do this in 2 batches, using extra oil.)
Swirl remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil into empty wok, add cumin seeds and chiles and stir-fry a few seconds until cumin seeds start to pop. Press chiles against sides of wok to char their skins.
Add scallions and stir-fry 1 minute. Then return lamb to wok and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more until lamb is cooked through. Turn off heat, sprinkle with salt and drops of sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 379, UnsaturatedFat 20 grams, Carbohydrate 4 grams, Fat 30 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 22 grams, SaturatedFat 8 grams, Sodium 367 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram, TransFat 0 grams

RACK OF LAMB WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOT AND THYME CRUST

Rack of Lamb with Caramelized Shallot and Thyme Crust image

Categories Herb Lamb Mustard Onion Roast Quick & Easy Vinegar Winter Thyme Gourmet

Yield Makes 2 generous servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large shallots, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
a frenched rack of lamb (7 or 8 ribs) at room temperature, trimmed of as much fat as possible
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Accompaniments if desired: Stir-Fried Spinach with Ginger and Garlic and Gruyere Potato Gratin

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a small skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook shallots with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and boil until liquid is evaporated. Remove skillet from heat and stir in bread crumbs, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
Season lamb with salt and pepper and arrange, ribs side down, in a small roasting pan. Spread meat side with mustard and pat on crumb mixture evenly. Roast lamb in middle of oven until a meat thermometer registers 135°F. for medium-rare, 25 to 30 minutes.
Carefully transfer lamb to a cutting board and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Slice lamb into chops.