Xinjiang Lamb Skewers
While these lamb skewers are a popular street vendor food in Beijing, they originated from Xinjiang region, which is China’s largest autonomous province. Xinjiang borders India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan; highly influencing this particular style of Chinese cuisine. Xinjiang is populated by over 11 million ethnically native Uyghur, indigenous to Central Asia.With Xinjiang being dominantly Muslim, lamb is a popular protein in their cuisine. I recommend using boneless leg of lamb for the skewers. It is very tender and inexpensive. The lamb needs to marinate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is always better. The use of cumin and chili powder in the marinade highlights the influence from it’s neighboring Central Asian countries. When ready to broil or grill, skewer up 4-5 pieces of lamb on a skewer. Sprinkle whole cumin seeds over the skewers. They will only need to broil or grill for 6 minutes a side. Let them rest for a few minutes before serving. The metal skewers will be hot.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- metal skewers
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/2 medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sichuan peppercorns ground
Lamb Skewers
- 2.5-3 lbs boneless leg of lamb cut into 1.5” cubes
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinate the lamb for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place 5 pieces of lamb on metal skewers. Place the skewers on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. Sprinkle the whole cumin seeds over the lamb skewers.
- Broil for 6 minutes a side.
