Hunan Lamb Ribs

 

For those of you who have tried the famous cumin lamb at New York's Szechuan Gourmet, these lamb ribs will have some familiar flavors.  While the recipe is comes from Sichuan's neighboring province of Hunan, the intensity of the cumin, richness of the lamb, and spice from the chiles all give these ribs a delicious resemblance to what is in my mind one of the best dishes in all of New York. If you do end up making these ribs, just remember that lamb ribs aren't quite as easy to handle as pork ribs, so do your guests a favor and cut the meat off the bone before serving it.

Hunan Lamb Ribs

Adapted from Fuschia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 slabs lamb ribs (about 2 lbs)
• 4 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 star anise
• 5 dried Chinese chiles
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sweet bean sauce
• 1/4 tsp five-spice powder
• salt
• 6 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

1. Place the ribs in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Add 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 cinnamon sticks, the ginger, star anise, and dried chiles to the water and simmer the lamb for 5 minutes.  Drain the ribs and set them aside on a plate.
2. Mix the soy sauce, bean sauce, 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, five-spice powder, and a pinch of  in a small bowl.
3. Massage the soy sauce mixture into the lamb ribs.
4. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat.  
5. Add the ribs to the skillet and cook until well-browned on one side, about 3 minutes.  Flip the ribs and sprinkle the cumin and pepper flakes over the ribs.  Continue cooking until the other side is well-browned, 2 to 3 minutes. 
6. Using a sharp knife, slice the meat off of the bones and set the meat on a plate.  
7. Drizzle the sesame oil on top of lamb, garnish it with scallions, and serve immediately. 
   

Kung Pao Chicken

To me, Kung Pao chicken is Chinese comfort food. It's one of those guilty pleasures that I find myself frequently making a batch of on Thursday nights when I have little desire desire to cook after a long week of work.

For my latest dose of Kung Pao chicken, I improvised quite a bit based on the ingredients I had on hand. I adapted a recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop, substituting shallots for the a few garlic cloves and adding a healthy dose of spinach. Although it was not quite the real deal, it was completely delicious. For authentic Kung Pao chicken, just omit the spinach addition and shallot-for-garlic substitution.

Eddie's Kung Pao Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 lbs. chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 6 dried chiles
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 large handful of spinach
• 1 handful of unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Mix cornstarch with wine in a large bowl and whisk until cornstarch dissolves. Add chicken to bowl and mix well to coat pieces with cornstarch mixture.
2. Add oil to wok or large skillet and heat over high heat. Add dried chiles to pan and cook until they are blackened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
3. Add shallots and ginger to pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add chicken to wok and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to low. Add sugar and soy sauce and mix well. Simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, about five minutes.
6. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about two minutes.
7. Remove pan from heat. Mix in peanuts, scallion, and sesame oil and serve.