Plant-based Cumin Lamb Noodles with Cabbage | Juicy Marbles

Name: Saucy Cumin Lamb Noodles
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 3 tsp cumin seeds; ½ tsp coriander seeds; 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn; 2 tsp chili flakes/gochugaru; 2 garlic cloves (grated or crushed); 0.4 inches / 1 cm fresh ginger (peeled and grated); 1 large white onion (sliced into 0.2 inch / 0,5 cm thick half moons); 4 tbsp light soy sauce; 3 tbsp dark soy sauce; 3 tbsp rice or black vinegar; 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 1 Meaty Meat Lamb-ish (chopped into 2x2 cm pieces); 7 oz / 200 g wide, flat noodles (we’re using rice noodles); 3 cups / 200 g white cabbage (cut into 3x3 cm pieces, loosely packed); 2 tbsp sesame seeds; 2 tbsp sesame oil; Coriander (for sprinkling)

Plant-Based Cumin Lamb Noodles

WITH CABBAGE

I never liked cumin as a kid. It tasted like dirt and Grandma’s “stuff” drawer to my underdeveloped and inexperienced taste buds. But I have grown since, literally, and in my culinary experience. I started dipping my cheffy fingers into Middle Eastern culinary terrain and slowly warmed to it. During one of my daily internet recipe crusades, I stumbled upon a Chinese dish, born and raised in the Xi’an region of the Shaanxi province, made with lamb and cumin. So I put aside my childhood traumas, slipped into my chef’s pants, and whipped up this tongue-numbing, soul-healing bowl of noodles that threw me on my butt cheeks with its chewy-crunchy-meaty textures and slurpy-tingly-salty flavours. Just make it. Your butt-cheeks will heal.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy - Chop, grind, fry, and you’re done.
Absolute Flavour Bomb - Cumin, coriander, and Sichuan peppercorn create an aromatic base that tingles your taste buds and soul.
Perfectly Balanced - This saucy number delivers protein, fiber, and oomph.

Key Ingredients for Saucy Cumin Lamb Noodles

Meaty Meat Lamb-ish pairs perfectly with the fragrant, umami-packed sauce to recreate the traditional Xi’an dish.
Cumin, coriander, and Sichuan peppercorn create layers of flavour in the dish, bringing in floral, nutty, and bitter aroma, together with the addictive mouth-numbing sensation.
Garlic, ginger, and onion build the aromatic base of the dish with their strong, yet familiar flavours.
Soy sauce, rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil create a luscious, multi-dimensional sauce that clings to the noodles.
White cabbage delivers crunch and fiber.
Wide rice noodles soak up the deep, umami sauce and bring an irresistible chewiness that leaves you wanting more.

Equipment You’ll Need

Cutting board
Sharp knife
Pestle and mortar or spice grinder
Fine grater for grating ginger and garlic
Sauncepan for cooking noodles and cabbage
A non-stick pan or a wok for frying the noodles
Spatula for stirring

How To Prepare Saucy Cumin Lamb Noodles

1. Cook the Noodz

Cook the noodles according to the packaging instructions. One minute before they are done cooking, add chopped cabbage to blanch it. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. This way, noodles will stay chewy, and the cabbage will retain the crunch.

2. Toasty Toast

Toast cumin, coriander, and Sichuan Peppercorn in a dry pan until fragrant. Remove from the pan and grind using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.

3. Mix The Sauce

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

4. Start Cooking

Heat neutral oil in a non-stick pan or wok over medium heat. Add chunks of Meaty Meat Lamb-ish, and cook for 5-6 minutes, until they start to brown slightly. Add ginger, onion, and garlic, and fry for a few minutes before adding ground spices, chili flakes, and sesame seeds.

5. Bring It All Together

Add noodles and cabbage to the pan, and pour over the sauce. Toads to coat all the ingredients.

6. Finishing touches

Remove the pan from the heat. Drizzle sesame oil over the noodles and toss. Plate it up, and sprinkle with chopped coriander.

Tips & Tricks

Don’t Be Afraid Of Heat. Let the pan or wok heat up properly, and char the noodles slightly for extra flavour.
Spice It Up. Add extra chili powder, or crispy chili oil for extra heat and flavour.

FAQ

I don’t have Shaoxing wine. What can I substitute it with?

You can substitute Shaoxing wine with dry sherry, dry white wine, or Mirin. If you want to keep the recipe alcohol free, you can use vegetable stock. Otherwise, you can leave it out completely.

Can I prepare the dish with a different plant-based meat alternative?

Meaty Meat Lamb-ish has a specific flavour profile that works really well in the dish. You can substitute it with a different whole-cut, for example, Meaty Meat Pork-ish, or Thick-Cut Filet, but the finished dish will be slightly different. You can also use tofu, tempeh, or oyster mushrooms.

Can I prepare this dish in advance?

This dish is best served fresh, but you can premix the sauce components, toast the spices, and chop the vegetables.

I don’t like cumin. Will I still enjoy this dish?

I would encourage you to give it a try. The flavour of cumin is not super prominent in this dish, since it’s paired up with other strong-flavoured ingredients like Sichuan peppercorn, coriander seeds, soy sauce, and Meaty Meat Lamb-ish.

I don’t have dark soy sauce. Can I swap it for light soy sauce?

Light soy sauce is thinner and saltier, while dark soy sauce is sweeter and thicker. You can swap dark soy sauce for light soy sauce and a sprinkle of dark brown sugar. The final flavour will be slightly different, since dark soy sauce adds dark, caramelly colour and richness, but still delicious.

Can I add more vegetables to this noodle dish?

Absolutely! Add snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, or sprouts to make this dish veg-heavy.

Saucy Cumin Lamb Noodles

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Ingredients

Aromatics

3 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
2 tsp chili flakes/gochugaru
2 garlic cloves (grated or crushed)
0.4 inches / 1 cm fresh ginger (peeled and grated)
1 large white onion (sliced into 0.2 inch / 0,5 cm thick half moons)

Saucy Sauce

4 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp rice or black vinegar
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Other Ingredients

1 Meaty Meat Lamb-ish (chopped into 2x2 cm pieces)
7 oz / 200 g wide, flat noodles (we’re using rice noodles)
3 cups / 200 g white cabbage (cut into 3x3 cm pieces, loosely packed)
2 tbsp sesame seeds

To Finish

2 tbsp sesame oil
Coriander (for sprinkling)

Directions

Cook the noodles according to the packaging instructions. One minute before they are finished cooking, add chopped cabbage to blanch it. Strain the noodles and cabbage, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns to a dry pan, and toast over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.

Remove toasted spices from the pan and grind them using a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar.

In a bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and Shaoxing wine.

Heat neutral oil in a large nonstick pan or wok over medium heat. Add Meaty Meat Lamb-ish chunks and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Add onion, garlic, and ginger to the pan or wok. Fry for 1-2 minutes before adding ground spices, chili, and sesame seeds.

Add noodles and cabbage to the pan, together with the sauce mix. Toss to coat.

Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil.

Serve and sprinkle with chopped coriander.