Uyghur Roast Lamb (Kao Yang Tui, 烤羊腿)
Lightly adapted from Anna Ansari's 'Silk Roads'
The Mala Market
Ingredients
For the Spice Rub
- 3 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan pepper
- 1–2 teaspoons ground chili (or more, depending on your mood and heat tolerance)
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch fresh, peeled ginger, minced
For the Lamb
- A 3–5½ pound lamb leg or shoulder (pick a cut with as much fat as possible)
- Up to 3 cups lamb stock or water (the amount will depend on what fits in your pan)
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 scallions, coarsely chopped
- 3 star anise
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves, to serve
Instructions
- To make the spice rub: Mix all the spice-rub ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.
- To prepare the lamb: Score the meat diagonally three times on each side with a sharp knife, then place the lamb in a roasting pan or oven-safe dish such as a large casserole pot. Use your hands to scoop up the spice mixture and press it into the lamb. Try to cover the meat as best you can, both sides and edges, and make sure you get some into the slits you scored earlier.
- Place the rubbed lamb, covered with foil or your pot’s lid, into the refrigerator and let the magic happen—ideally overnight, but at minimum for 4 hours.
- Remove lamb from the refrigerator 45 minutes to 1 hour before you intend to put it in the oven, and preheat your oven to 300°F.
- Lift lamb out from its cooking vessel and discard any excess spice rub from the pan. Add the lamb stock, soy sauce, scallions, star anise and ginger to the pan, then place the lamb back into the pan, making sure it is fat-side up. (The liquid will come part-way up the side of the meat; if you pan is small, much of the lower half of the meat may be submerged.) Drizzle the olive oil on the top of the meat, cover with a double layer of foil or the pot’s lid, and slide that baby into the middle of your preheated oven.
- Cook for 3–6 hours, basting every 1–2 hours, until the meat is well and truly falling off the bone. Lamb shoulder will cook quicker than lamb leg, but either way, a large roast will most likely take at least 5 hours.
- Once it's done, remove the lamb from the pan and allow it to rest for 15–30 minutes. Shred the lamb onto a platter, top it with a heaping pile of cilantro leaves, and serve. Reserve some of the broth to moisten the meat, if you like.
Notes
Anna's recipe calls for cooking the lamb for at least five hours, regardless of size, but when we tested this recipe in the U.S., we discovered that the cuts available in most markets here aren't quite as rich as the cuts she cooks with in London. For smaller cuts in the U.S., make sure to baste frequently, and start checking the texture of the meat starting around hour three. Pull the roast from the oven when it's cooked through but still nice and juicy.