Lamb Noodles with Cumin and Sesame Sprinkle
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 4 boned lamb necks 600g
- 2 shallots peeled and cut in half (100g)
- 7 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 30 g coriander leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 20 g piece fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 star anise
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- Salt
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tsp maple syrup
- 4 noodle nests cooked according to packet instructions
- 1 lime cut into quarters
For the cumin and sesame sprinkle
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds toasted and lightly crushed
- 1½ tbsp white sesame seeds lightly toasted and slightly crushed
- ¼ tsp flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Put a large sauté pan for which you have a lid on a high heat. Put the lamb, shallots and garlic on a tray and rub them all over with the oil. Sear the lamb in two batches for three minutes on each side, until nicely coloured, then set aside. Add the shallots and garlic to the hot pan, char for two to three minutes, stirring often, then set aside with the lamb. If there are lots of dark, burnt bits in the pan, wipe it clean.
- Turn down the heat to medium and pour a litre and a half of boiling water into the pan. Chop the hard stems off the coriander and put these into the pan; save the leafy tops for later. Return the lamb, shallots and garlic to the pan, add the cinnamon, ginger, star anise, peppercorns, shaoxing wine and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, then cover and leave to simmer for two and a half hours, until the lamb is falling apart. Skim off and discard any froth that comes to the top while it’s the cooking.
- Meanwhile, put the cumin and sesame seeds in a mortar with the flaked sea salt, lightly grind until only partially broken up, then tip into a small bowl.
- With a slotted spoon, carefully lift the lamb out of the broth and transfer to a tray. Put a clean tea towel in a large, fine-meshed sieve, set it over a large bowl and strain the broth; discard the solids. Wipe clean the saute pan, pour in the sieved broth and keep warm on a low heat.
- Using a fork, break up the lamb into large chunks. Put a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat, add the soy sauce and maple syrup, and cook for three to five minutes, until bubbling and thickened. Return the lamb to the pan, toss gently to coat all over, then take off the heat.
- Divide the broth and cooked noodles between four bowls, and arrange the lamb on top. Scatter over the coriander leaves, sprinkle a quarter-teaspoon of the cumin mix on top of each portion and serve with the rest in a small bowl on the side along with the lime wedges.