Xinjiang lamb skewers
Yángròu chuàn (羊肉串) — chargrilled cumin-chilli lamb skewers from the Xinjiang night market
Clouds of cumin-scented smoke rise from long charcoal troughs at night markets from Ürümqi to Kashgar, where Uyghur grill men fan the coals and turn dozens of skewers at a time. Small cubes of lamb, often with a piece of fat between them, are seasoned with salt, cumin and chilli right on the grill, so the outside is crusty and spicy while the inside stays pink and juicy. Street vendors across China copy them, but the best are simple. Eat them hot off the skewer with flatbread, sliced onion and a cold drink. Chef's tip: thread a small cube of lamb fat after every three pieces of meat; it melts over the lean as it grills and keeps it moist.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the skewers
- 1 ½ lb boneless lamb shoulder or legcut into 2 cm cubes, with some fat
- ½ oniongrated
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
For the spice mix
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp cumin seedslightly crushed
- 2 tsp chilli flakes
- ½ tsp salt
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: On a separate board for raw meat, mix 1 ½ lb boneless lamb shoulder or leg with ½ onion, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp neutral oil. Cover and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes, not on the counter.
15 minStep 2: Mix 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 tsp chilli flakes and ½ tsp salt in a small bowl.
Step 3: Thread the lamb onto 12 metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked for 30 minutes, 5–6 pieces each, pressed together without gaps and with a fattier piece in the middle. Don't make the cubes bigger than 2 cm; big chunks char outside before the middle is done.
Step 4: Heat a charcoal grill until the coals are covered in grey ash, or heat a ridged grill pan over a high heat for 5 minutes. Wash your hands and the board.
Step 5: Grill the skewers for 2 minutes, turn and grill 2 minutes more, until browned and the fat starts to sizzle.
4 minStep 6: Sprinkle the spice mix generously over both sides and grill for 1–2 minutes more per side. Adding the spices at the start is a common mistake: the cumin burns and turns bitter.
3 minStep 7: Check one skewer with a thermometer: 126°F for rare, 135°F for medium-rare (the traditional pink centre) or 145°F (145 °F) for medium. Rest the skewers for 2–3 minutes off the heat before eating.
3 minStep 8: Serve hot with flatbread and sliced red onion.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does xinjiang lamb skewers take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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