Just over four years ago at the tail-end of an Australian summer and before the world went into COVID-19 lockdown, my friends, Susan and Jono, invited us to a birthday party at their house. They served us Xinjiang cumin lamb skewers all afternoon and late into the night. I had never eaten that much lamb in my life. We were served by the skewer and when we were done, they washed it, placed more meat on it and barbecued it again. It was delicious and very hearty, especially when washed down with some beer. Whenever I make it, it always brings back those memories from that warm afternoon. I hope these skewers will be a wonderful addition to your barbecue repertoire.
Serves 4-6 (approx. 600-700 calories each)
Prep time 8 hours or overnight
Cook time 30 minutes, depending on BBQ method
Ingredients
1kg boneless lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
75ml neutral oil
1/2 onion, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp chilli flakes (plus more for sprinkling, optional)
2 tsp Szechuan peppercorn
Dry fry the cumin seeds, chilli flakes and Szechuan peppercorn until fragrant. You might hear some of the cumin seeds start to have a ‘popping’ sound when ready. Let it cool slightly before grinding into a coarse spice mix.
In a large bowl, marinade the lamb pieces with the oil, onion, garlic, salt, baking soda and the ground spice mix. Let it marinate overnight.
Skewer and cook over charcoal for best results. You can also pan fry and sear like little steak pieces. You can even sprinkle with more chilli flakes while you’re cooking for a spicier kick.
Serve immediately. While it’s perfectly fine to have Xinjiang cumin lamb skewers on its own, we like eating it with some naan/lavash, biryani rice and salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber).
More Lamb Recipes
Slow roasted Moroccan lamb shoulder
Winter lamb leg roast
Easy lamb kofta
Garlic lamb chops with white wine and lemon jus
Spiced lamb and pumpkin pilaf