Beijing lamb skewers

Full of flavour and super-simple to make these Beijing lamb skewers go well with a colourful feta salad for a light meal.

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3)

500g lamb shoulder
2 tsp cumin seeds
1tbsp dried chilli flakes
Salt, to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 spring onion stalk, finely sliced
½ red chilli, finely sliced

6 x bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least one hour

Method

Cut the lamb into ½ inch cubes and place into a bowl.

Grind the cumin seeds, dried chilli flakes and salt together using a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar until coarse. Add half of the mixture to the lamb and reserve the other half for later.

Add one tablespoon of the oil to the lamb and mix well ensuring that the lamb is evenly coated. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Thread the meat onto the soaked skewers and make sure the meat is tightly packed leaving an inch at the bottom of the skewer.

Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until very hot. Drizzle the other one tablespoon of oil over the skewers before placing them carefully onto the griddle pan. Cook for a minute on each side to ensure they have a nice colour on the outside. Transfer to a plate and let the skewers rest for a couple of minutes.

When ready to serve, sprinkle over the remaining spice mixture as well as the finely sliced spring onion and red chilli.

Recipe courtesy of Wing Yip