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Cumin Lamb Skewers

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Lamb Skewers with Cumin and Chili, they are absolutely amazing and delish. | rasamalaysia.com

Lamb Skewers with Cumin and Chili, they are absolutely amazing and delish.

Lamb skewers with easy spices marinade in a wooden plate.

I love spices. I think that’s pretty obvious if you follow my blog. Most of my favorite dishes are made with heavy doses of spices, exotic spices!

Growing up in Malaysia, which is a core part of the ancient spice route, I pretty much grew up with spices in my DNA.

I can’t live without spices, if I make something plain, there is always a side dish of spice-laden concoction to jazz things up.

Easy grilled Asian lamb skewers (Yang Rou Chuan) with Cumin and Chili ready to serve.

If you love spices, then it’s very likely that you love cumin. I love cumin, the exotic and distinctive aroma and flavor it lends to the dish is simply beyond words. I grew up eating lots of Nyonya food made by my late grandmother and aunt and many recipes call for the use of cumin.

Delicious Lamb Skewers marinade with Cumin and Chili.

With the earthy note and fragrance it lend to the dishes, it’s no surprise that I love cumin lamb, an iconic dish from Xinjiang, a region in China.

I have had many wonderful cumin lamb in China during my past visits, and the most addictive of all is the cumin lamb skewers (called “Yang Rou Chuan” in Chinese), sold by native Xinjiang people in places such as Beijing. I could eat so many skewers of them.

Since summer is in full swing, you can make cumin lamb skewers for your summer parties. They are great, absolutely mouthwatering, and best of all, the smell that lingers and set your mouth watering.

Try them instead of the regular chicken and beef. They will add so much more flavors to your summer!

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Cumin Lamb Skewers ("Yang Rou Chuan")

Lamb Skewers with Cumin and Chili, they are absolutely amazing and delish.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 183 kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless lamb shoulder cut meat into 1-inch cubes, 1/2-inch x 1/2-inch in diameters
  • Ground cumin and chili powder mix dust on lamb skewers before serving (optional)
  • Bamboo skewers soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Spice Marinade:

  • 1/3 cup peanut oil or cooking oil
  • 2 tablespoons tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2/3 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Spice Mix ground: cumin, coriander and fennel seeds powder
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns crushed (optional)
  • 2/3 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Spice Marinade. In a bowl, mix all the Spice Marinade ingredients. Marinate lamb cubes for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  2. Thread the marinated lamb cubes onto skewers (3-5 cubes per stick, depending how long the skewer is).
  3. Preheat the grill for 10 minutes. Set the lamb skewers onto the grill rack. Grill lamb skewers for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until meat is completely cooked. Remove lamb skewers from griller. Dust the lamb skewers with Spice Mix (optional) and ready to serve as is, with beer and/or a salad.

Recipe Notes

For the Spice Mix, you need 1 tablespoonful in total, with the combination of cumin, coriander and fennel. The ratio depends on you. For this recipe, I used 1 part cumin, 1/2 part coriander and 1/2 part fennel and sums up to 1 tablespoonful of Spice Mix.

Nutrition Facts
Cumin Lamb Skewers ("Yang Rou Chuan")
Amount Per Serving (8 g)
Calories 183 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 2.9g 15%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 47mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 0.9g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1%
Sugars 0.2g
Protein 15.1g 30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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14 COMMENTS... read them below or add one

  1. Can’t agree more. Xinjiang people make it best. I have the same memory of Beijing. But they make it lot leaner. Less meaty… :) as it yield more sticks I think. Or if we make it less meaty, it becomes more flavourful? What you say Bee?

    Reply

  2. Bee, are the propositions of the spice mix equal? e.g. 1T cumin, 1T Coriander 1T Fennel. My brother-in-law had a small restaurant in Hangzhou. I pleaded with my wife to get me the recipe for the spice mix forever. She told me there is no recipe the chef just mixes some spices up. To make a long story readable, thanks I finally am close to making the snack food of my dreams!

    Reply

  4. When you call for chili powder in this recipe what do you use? There are so many options sold as chili powder when you factor in all the national variants that the result could be quite different depending on the sort of chili powder used.

    Reply

  6. Dear Bee, as with other readers,I would like to know the proportions for making the spice mix ( ie is it 1 part cumin seeds, 1 part fennel and 1 part coriander seeds) please

    Reply

  7. To Tom & ElizabethCee,
    For the Spice Mix, you need 1 tablespoonful in total, with the combination of cumin, coriander and fennel. The ratio depends on you. For this recipe, I use 1 part cumin, and 1/2 of each coriander and fennel and sums up to 1 tablespoonful of Spice Mix.

    Reply

  8. Thanks for this recipe Bee. I made it tonight and it was delicious! Will definitely make this again. I loved the spices. I had never tried Szechuan pepper before so only used 1/4 teaspoon but next time will try the 1/2 teaspoon. Fortunately there is enough left over for our lunches tomorrow.

    Reply

  10. Normally, there’s also a piece of fat on each skewer which makes the whole thing tasty and juicy. But all lamb meat I can buy is lean and there’s no fat to stick on the stick. Does anyone know where to buy it or which part of the lamb the fat comes from? Without the fat, neither taste nor juiciness is completely right.

    Reply

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