On the heat. Hot

Ingredients

• 800 g lamb, 20 mm cubes
• 200 g lamb tail fat, 10 mm cubes
• — MARINADE
• 2 tbsp soy · 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 onion, grated · 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp cornflour · 1 tsp five spice
• — THE DUST — MIXED DRY
• 3 tbsp cumin seed, coarsely ground
• 2 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp salt · 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper · sesame seeds

Method

1. Marinate the meat cubes 2 hours. The fat cubes stay plain.
2. Thread five meat cubes per skewer with a fat cube between every second one, packed tight — chuanr is the one skewer in this book that is not gapped, because it cooks over a narrow trough and turns constantly.
3. Very hot coals in a narrow bed, with the skewer handles overhanging both sides.
4. Turn constantly for four minutes. Never leave them still.
5. Dust heavily with the spice mix, turn twice more, and dust again. It goes on in two waves.
6. Off the fire and eaten directly from the skewer, standing up.

Cook's note. Cumin and lamb across three chapters. Xinjiang, Trinidad and Morocco arrived at the same pairing independently. It is the single most reliable flavour combination in this book.

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