Biang Biang Noodles with Spicy Cumin Lamb

, from Issue #91. June, 2020
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Biang Biang Noodles with Spicy Cumin Lamb

These freshly made Chinese-style hand-pulled noodles are served with spicy stir-fried cumin lamb and fresh coriander.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Cumin lamb marinade
450 grams boneless lamb leg steaks
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chilli in oil (I used Lao Gan Ma Asian Chilli In Oil)
¼ teaspoon white pepper

Hand-Pulled Noodles
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons gluten flour
260ml water
¼ teaspoon salt

To cook
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium red chilli, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon each soy sauce, chinkiang black vinegar and shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 small bok choy, cut into chunks
1 bunch of coriander, stalks thinly sliced, leaves set aside
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

To serve
extra soy sauce, black vinegar and chilli in oil.

METHOD

Cumin lamb: Trim the lamb of excess fat and slice into ½cm-wide strips. Place in a bowl with the cumin seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli in oil and white pepper. Cover and let marinade for 2 hours.

Noodles: Place the flours, water and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, mix until well combined and continue kneading until the dough becomes smooth. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Place the dough on an oiled flat surface and with oiled hands (the dough is very sticky) roll into a long snake shape. Using a knife, divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a ball then flatten until around 1cm thick. Stretch each piece of dough into 20cm-long ribbons, place on an oiled bench then cover with baking paper. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Take one noodle and stretch it out using both your thumbs and forefingers, until it is at least 3-4 times the size. The more stretched out the softer the noodle will be. Gently drop the noodle into the boiling water and repeat with remaining dough.

The noodles will take 2-3 minutes to cook – once they rise to the surface they are ready. Drain and add a little sesame oil to stop them from sticking together. Set aside.

To cook: Heat the sesame oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cumin seeds and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for 1 minute. Add the marinated lamb and fry for 3–4 minutes or until browned. Add the soy sauce, black vinegar, shoaxing wine, brown sugar and bok choy and fry until bok choy is cooked but still has a crunch, remove from heat.

Add noodles, chopped coriander and toasted sesame seeds to fried lamb dish and gently mix until well combined. 

Serve with a mixture of soy sauce, black vinegar and chilli oil.