Chinese Lamb Skewers (Yang Rou Chuan’r, 羊肉串儿)

Why this recipe

I would probably never make this dish myself if I still lived in China (It’s cheap and easily accessible). But living abroad has given me a real craving for it. I was surprised by how simple it was the first time I tried it.

Apart from lamb, you only need four ingredients:

• Salt and onion for marinating
• Cumin and chili powder for seasoning

Before we get into the details of cooking tips, here are a few important factors that will contribute to success:

• Fresh, good quality lamb is the key
• Marinate to ensure a tender texture
• Charcoal produces the best result
• Add spices at the right time to avoid burning

Which cut of lamb

In China, most street vendors use a combination of lean and fatty lamb for skewers. For example, a skewer could include 6 lean pieces and 2-3 fatty pieces. After grilling, the fat shrinks dramatically and becomes crispy. It makes the skewers incredibly delicious.

For shooting this recipe, I used lamb leg cut. After separating the fat and the lean meat, I cut them into small cubes (1.5-2 cm/about ½ inch) then mixed them on the skewers.

You don’t have to follow the same method but I recommend you make sure to include some fat, e.g. use a well-marbled cut. This is not a dish you’d eat every day so I think it’s ok to indulge yourself once in a while. Agree?

🌟 NOTE: Beef can be grilled the same way using the same set of seasonings. For a tender and tasty result, look for beef cuts that have less connective tissue but more marble-looking fat, such as fillet mignon, T-bone, sirloin, flank, etc.

Tools that I use

To imitate the set-up of Chinese street vendors, I use the following tools to make lamb skewers:

A rectangle charcoal grill

Not only does charcoal create more intense heat than a gas grill, it also helps to produce a richer flavour (Fat drips down over the hot charcoal creating a flavourful smoke that rises back to the meat).

The rectangle shape allows you to create zones: e.g. one zone with adequate coals for grilling and another zone with a little coal to keep cooked skewers warm.

Flat, stainless-steel skewers

The ones I use measure about 30 cm/14 in length. They’re flat, rather than round, so the meat cubes don’t spin easily when you flip.

If using wooden/bamboo skewers, you’ll need to soak them in water for at least 30 mins before grilling. Otherwise, they burn or catch fire easily.

Grilling procedure

Place charcoal inside the grill. Ideally, it should be about 10 cm/4 in away from the cooking grid. Light up the charcoal then wait for the flame to die down (It takes at least 20 mins).

Once the coals develop a coating of white ash and glow inside, it’s time to cook. Place the skewers over the grid. Flip as often as necessary to evenly sear the meat.

Then sprinkle chili powder and cumin powder over (Be generous!). It’s important that you don’t add spices earlier than instructed as prolonged cooking may burn them and cause a bitter taste.

A note on chili powder: I use chili powder in many dishes (e.g. for homemade chili oil) and often receive questions about how to choose. Chili powder made with any type of dried chili pepper would work (preferably it doesn’t contain any other spices). Choose what suits your level of heat tolerance.

For this recipe, I used a mixture of Korean and Indian chili powder that I found in my local stores. The former delivers an impressive red colour, while the latter offers an intense heat which I really appreciate.

Divide the skewers into two parts and hold them with each hand. Dab and rub one lot over another allowing the oil generated from the fat to flow onto the lean meat.

Once the lamb browns evenly and no more pinkness can be seen on the surface, the skewers are ready to be served. Enjoy them without delay as they taste the best when hot.