Stir-Fried Lamb Cubes with Scallions
A classic Shandong dish of tender, juicy lamb cubes with a fresh, non-gamey aroma and oil-sealed juices.
Ingredients
Lamb (sliced into 1.2 cm thick pieces, cross-hatched on both sides, cut into cubes)
500 g
Egg (egg white only)
1 (about 50 g)
Scallion (split in half lengthwise, cut into 1.2 cm segments)
100 g
Fine salt
20 g
Soy sauce
10 g
Shaoxing wine
15 g
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
15 g
Wet cornstarch (for coating and slurry)
10 g
Peanut oil (for frying)
25 g
Sesame oil (for drizzling)
15 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the lamb
Slice the lamb into 1.2 cm thick pieces, score both sides in a crosshatch pattern (each cut about 1/3 of the meat's thickness), cut into 1 cm long strips, then cut into cubes. Place in a bowl, add fine salt, egg white, and wet cornstarch, and mix until evenly coated.
2
Prepare the aromatics and sauce
Split the scallions in half lengthwise and cut into 1.2 cm segments; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine fine salt, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, MSG, and wet cornstarch, and stir well to make a seasoned slurry.
3
Pre-cook the lamb and scallions
Heat the peanut oil in a wok over high heat to about 150°C (roughly 60% hot). Add the lamb cubes and stir to separate them with a ladle, then add the scallion segments, stir quickly to combine, and immediately remove and drain.
4
Final stir-fry
Leave a small amount of oil in the wok and heat it over high heat. Add the lamb cubes and scallion segments and stir-fry rapidly. Pour in the prepared slurry and toss to coat, drizzle with sesame oil, give the wok a few tosses, then quickly transfer to a serving plate.
