Walnut Meat
Lamb scored in a crosshatch pattern, deep-fried, then slow-braised with assorted spices until tender.
Ingredients
Lamb shoulder
500 g
Cooking oil
750 g (about 150 g absorbed)
Soy sauce
to taste
Salt
to taste
Sichuan peppercorns
to taste
Star anise
to taste
Sand ginger (Amomum villosum)
to taste
Cinnamon bark
to taste
Black cardamom (Tsaoko)
to taste
Licorice root
to taste
Cloves
to taste
Scallion
to taste
Ginger
to taste
Garlic
to taste
White sugar
Instructions
1
Prepare the lamb
Cut the lamb into long round strips, then cut into 1-inch segments. Score crosswise with a T-shaped pattern and coat evenly with soy sauce.
2
Fry
Heat 750 g of cooking oil in a wok over high heat until 70% hot. Drop in the meat segments and fry until the scored patterns puff up, then drain in a colander and trim the patterns to look neat and tidy.
3
Slow-braise and reduce the sauce
Add clear broth, the meat segments, soy sauce, salt, white sugar, and all the spices to the wok and bring to a boil. Transfer to low heat and slow-braise until the meat is tender and the broth rich and thick. Arrange the meat segments neatly on a plate. Strain the sauce (without the spices) back into a wok and reduce it, drizzle with hot oil, and pour it over the meat on the plate before serving.
