Simmered lamb with spices and served with two delicious dipping sauces. It is quite hard for me to name this dish. In Chinese, it is called “白切羊肉”, which literally mean white cut lamb. “white cut” is a popular cooking method in Chinese cooking. Ingredients are simmered with spices or ginger and scallion and in most case, the original flavors are kept. Then after cutting into slices or pieces, they usually are matched with dipping sauces.

We have different choices to make this dish in different season. In summer, lamb ribs can provide more fat and make the dish moister. In winter, in order to avoid eating too much cold fat, lamb leg should be the best choice.

Sichuan peppercorn is the best partner with lamb and beef in soups. It helps to eliminate the raw smelly from the lamb meat. Another helpful side ingredient is white radish. However, after long time simmering, those white radish cubes are not delicious at all. But the soup can work great with fresh white radish. Strain the soup to remove any spices and other solid content, then add white radish slices and cook for 10 minutes. The soup usually is served along with the sliced lamb as a supplement.

Cook’s note

Soaking the lamb in the soup broth until completely cooled down can prevent the inner part over drying and better absorbing the aromas from the spices.

When using the hot oil dip, it is highly recommended soaking the slices in the oil for 10 to 20 seconds until the meat fiber absorb the oil inside. You can use quick dip for the dry spice mixture.

If you do not want to eat lamb, you can use beef shank as a substitute.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg lamb leg
• 1 small white radish, peeled and then cut into small cubes
• Coriander for decorating
• 2 green onions
• 1 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 small chunk of ginger
• 2 star anises
• 1 Amomum tsaoko

Hot oil dip

• 2 tbsp. chili pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup of oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. minced coriander stem 

Dry spice mixture dip

• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. chili pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boiling and then cook the lamb leg for 2-3 minutes. Transfer out and clean with warm water.Place the lamb in a clean pot, add green onion, ginger and all of the spices. Add enough water to cover (for regular pot, the water level should be at least 3 cm higher than the lamb). Optionally add white radishes cubes.

Bring to a boiling and then simmer for around 1 hour. Cover and let the lamb cool down completely in the soup. Transfer the lamb out and drain for around 1hour or cover and fridge overnight.

Finely slice the lamb. Lay a thin l layer of coriander in the serving plate and place the lamb slices one by one.

Make dry spice mixture dip

Heat around 1 teaspoon of salt over slow fire for 1 minute or until slightly browned.

Add 1 tablespoon of Chili pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon of ground cumin. Heat over slowest fire until aromatic. Transfer out to cool down.

Hot oil mixture: Mix 2 tablespoons of chili pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a small pot until almost smoky. Pour the hot oil into the mixture. Wait until slightly cooled. Then mix in sesame oil, light soy sauce, vinegar and minced coriander stem.