RESEP MIE BIANG_BIANG

MY XIAN FAMOUS SPICY LAMB AND HAND-SMASHED NOODLE:

LAMB AND SEASONINGS:

2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground

8.1 oz (230 grams) lamb, sliced
Marinates:
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp coarsely ground cumin (from above)
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp extra dark soy sauce (for color)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/8 tsp ground sichuan peppercorn
Seasoning A:
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
Seasoning B:
4 tbsp canola oil
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp grated ginger
1 large Asian red chili, diced (not spicy)
1 1/2 tbsp coarsely ground cumin (from above)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cayenne
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground sichuan peppercorn
Seasoning C:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine, or sake
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp light brown sugar
1/4 tsp MSG
1/8 tsp salt
Seasoning D:
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Serve with the best chili oil ever
HAND-SMASHED NOODLE: (strongly recommend measuring by weight)
218 grams (1 1/2 cup) Chinese dumpling flour, or bread flour
2 grams (1/4 tsp) salt
126 grams (1/2 cup) water + 15 grams (1 tbsp) for adjustment
Toast the cumin seeds on a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they
start to pop and smell fragrant. Immediately transfer to a stone-mortar or spice-
grinder before they burn. Grind them into a consistency that resembles coarsely
ground black pepper, then set aside.

TO PREPARE THE LAMB AND SEASONINGS: Scatter lamb-slices flat on a chopping

board in 1 single layer, then tap them all over with a sharp knife, aiming at
scoring/tenderizing the meat without cutting through. Do this thoroughly. It allows
the marinate to penetrate, and gives the lamb a more interesting texture. Then mix
the lamb with the marinates, using your hands to really distribute the seasonings
evenly. Let marinate for at least 2 hours.

In 4 separate bowls, combine all the ingredients in each individual Seasoning A,

Seasoning B, Seasoning C and Seasoning D. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE HAND-SMASHED NOODLE: In a stand-mixer bowl (or with a hand-

held mixer if it comes with dough-hooks)(hand-kneading not recommended), add
Chinese dumpling flour, salt and water. Start mixing on low then gradually increase
the speed to high, and knead for 5 ~ 6 min. The dough will feel shaggy and a bit dry
in the beginning, but as the flour absorbs water and glutens start to form, it will
become extremely smooth and elastic at the end. It will be sticky but pulls away
cleanly from the bowl during mixing. You should be able to tap the dough quickly
with your finger without it sticking, and pull it slowly upward into 12 (30 cm)
long without breaking. If the dough breaks, either its not kneaded sufficiently or its
too dry. Youll have to try both ways (try kneading it for another 3 min first, before
adding more water) to get it to the correct consistency. Cover the bowl with plastic
wrap, and let rest for at least 1 hour.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment, set aside. Prepare a small cup of canola
oil within your reach. Oil your hands well, then transfer the dough onto an oiled
surface. Roll out into an approximately 1/2 (1 cm) thick, rectangular shape, then
cut into 10 long strips. Separate and lightly oil each strips so they dont stick back
to each other. Take 1 strip and lay flat on the counter, then with oiled palm, start
smashing/pounding the strip outward into a long, wide and flat noodle. Dont worry
about evenness or straight edges because it doesnt matter. Now pick up the noodle
on both ends, lift it and gently tap it on the counter while stretching it out slightly.
You dont have to try hard. The noodle WANTS to stretch out and gravity will pretty
much do the job for you! Lay the noodle flat, without any foldings, on the
parchment-lined baking-sheet. Repeat with the rest (lay a new parchment over the
top once you run out of space).
Carefully not to make the noodles too thin or they will lose their desired texture
(you shouldnt be able to see through it).

TO COOK: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, heat another large deep
skillet/wok over high heat. Mix 2 tbsp of canola oil (not in the ingredient list) into
the marinated lamb to lubricate/separate them, then add to the hot skillet as spread
out as possible. Let caramelize for 30 sec without moving, then start sauting just
until they are no longer pink. Add Seasoning A and cook just until it starts to
soften, then transfer to a bowl.

Add 4 tbsp of canola oil from Seasoning B to the same skillet until hot, then add the
rest of Seasoning B. Cook until fragrant without burning the garlic, then add
Seasoning C. Turn off the heat while you cook the noodle. Add the noodles, one by
one, into the boiling water. Cook just until they float to the surface (it will take less
than a min), then drain/transfer to the skillet. Turn the skillet heat back on high,
then add the lambs/onion and gently toss everything together. Finish with
Seasoning D.

Serve immediately with chili oil, and Id like to sprinkle a bit more ground cumin on
top.
cumin-lamb-noodle19

These noodles look so beautiful! Are they as chewy and crispy as they look?

REPLY
Dulcistella
03.04.2015 at 8:22 PM
Hi Mandy!
In reality, tipo 00 doesnt mean that its fine ground.. it means that its ultra-refined,
the most refined flour you can find in Italy. I mean, the one that has the smallest
amount of brand in it. After that there are tipo 0, then tipo 1, tipo 2 and wholemeal.
Usually you can find easily tipo 00, tipo 0 and wholemeal, but I have never seen the
others in a supermarket.

REPLY
Dulcistella
03.04.2015 at 8:25 PM
whops I meant bran :-D

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.04.2015 at 11:54 PM
thats super useful information! I think thats why my tipo 00 didnt work in the
recipe. So what would be the equivalent of high gluten, fine ground flour in Italy?

REPLY
Dulcistella
03.05.2015 at 12:04 AM
mh, good question. For high-gluten I usually use manitoba flour but I think that it
has 14% proteins. One has also to remember that not all proteins are gluten-forming
ones, though. I guess that tipo 0, tipo 1 and tipo 2 may have more proteins if
compared to a tipo 00, but I have never tested. It should be so, though, because they
keep more bran. I should check.
Speaking about fineness, I think that our wheat flours are all fine! Also, when I was
in Austria I got surprised because I could find the same flour both fine and grittier,
with the same consistency of rice flour, lets say. Thats why I guess we only have
fine flours speaking about wheat flours, of course. Except for semola di grano duro,
of course, but thats another thing.

REPLY
Ursula @ LilVienna.com
03.05.2015 at 2:40 AM
I totally agree. In Italy, Austria and Germany (even though its so close) we have
different types/labels of flour. Its crazy that this is still such a regional thing. In
Austria its hard to find the Italian Typo 00 and I heard that there are different flours
of typo 00 (for pasta, for pizza,) which makes quite a difference. Not to mention:
No one in Europe knows what bread flour or all purpose flour is because we dont
have these terms.

Dulcistella
03.04.2015 at 8:42 PM
btw, what cut of lamb did you use?

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.05.2015 at 1:23 AM
I used lamb loin with a good layer of fat on it, but any not-too-lean cuts will do I
think

REPLY
Betty
03.04.2015 at 8:51 PM
OMG. This is.. amazing! Im speechless!!! I LOVE xi an hand smashed noodles. Theres
a little hole in the wall place in Boston, but its only open until 6 pm on the weekdays
and closed on the weekends! Its rare that I can dash over before it closes, as I work
during the week. Now, Mandy, youve given me the chance to make it at home.
Thanks :)
REPLY
Joy
03.04.2015 at 9:05 PM
Are you talking about Genes Chinese Flatbread in Chinatown? Theres one thats
open in Woburn too, (far from downtown Boston, but much closer than Chelmsford,
where it used to be!) and its open later and on the weekends as well. =)

REPLY
Grace
03.04.2015 at 10:09 PM
Once again, another awesome recipe. Smashed it!

REPLY
Dave
03.04.2015 at 10:29 PM
Hi Mandy great looking postIm wondering if you might be able to provide a link to
an online source for the dumpling flour that is available in the USA.. I have looked
around but I am not exactly sure what Im looking for. Thanks I cant wait to try this it
looks incredible

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.04.2015 at 11:57 PM
Dave, I tried looking for it but couldnt find it. I think you can use 1/2 all-purpose
and 1/2 bread flour as a starting point if you cant find any?

REPLY
Frank
07.19.2015 at 1:39 AM
I found this one sold on line:
http://www.bonanza.com/listings/2-5-kg-special-dumpling-Flour-5-lb-Bag-pound-
Free-
Shipping/267472331?gpid=18283950120&gpkwd=&goog_pla=1&gclid=CjwKEAjw
8qetBRCj6vKH8IC_kwoSJADGQ8dShS4zvheCqAuCegWAZapGem3FJMP5R0SzAVCkO
I7_-RoCSnrw_wcB

REPLY
Ursula @ LilVienna.com
03.04.2015 at 10:41 PM
Thanks so much for the recipe. I am a huge fan of wide, chewy noodles like this. I fell
totally in love with the hand pulled noodles when I was in Xian. Btw: bread flour is a
good substitute for dumpling flour, its very elastic and streches easily ;-)

REPLY
Dulcistella
03.05.2015 at 4:04 PM
(I cant reply anymore to your comment above, so I reply here :-P)
Yes, I can remember thinking wtf?? when I saw written doppelgriffig on a flour bag
:-D
Now I need a lecture on German flours Going in Germany in a few days :-/ I have to
start again from the beginning!!!

REPLY
Ursula @ LilVienna.com
03.06.2015 at 3:57 AM
Haha. I thought the same. They even have different terms in all German speaking
countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Doppelgriffig is very coarsely ground
flour and used for example for cheese spaetzle. Good luck!

REPLY
cynthia
03.05.2015 at 12:05 AM
This is my dream come true. Just. My dream come true.

REPLY
Nathanalle
03.05.2015 at 1:09 AM
All your recipes look so well!! *_____*

REPLY
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
03.05.2015 at 1:27 AM
This is beyond glorious!

REPLY
Rebecca @ DisplacedHousewife
03.05.2015 at 1:48 AM
How can dumpling flour not be readily available online? Ive done a mad search.
Nada.The only thing I found was this: http://www.amazon.com/Jade-Leaf-Chive-
Dumpling-
Quality/dp/B00EYYTABI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1425491185&sr=1-
1&keywords=chinese+dumpling+flour maybe??

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.05.2015 at 3:05 PM
Rebecca, I saw that one, too and wasnt sure what it was Id say try using bread
flour first?

REPLY
Kate Whittum-Shrimankar
03.05.2015 at 3:16 AM
Nominated your blog for the 2015 Blog Awards- I was a bit flummoxed about the
category to choose and decided to go with Best New Voice. All the best! Knock em
dead!

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.05.2015 at 3:04 PM
Kate, thank you!!!!

REPLY
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl
03.05.2015 at 3:26 AM
yes, I admit that ingredient list is intimidating, but OMG OMG OMG! Im going to
make this. I AM!

REPLY
Trish @ Well Worn Fork
03.05.2015 at 6:44 AM
Those noodles are my new obsession.

REPLY
Sal Vanilla
03.05.2015 at 7:15 AM
Questions: How about pastry flour? Would that work? Also are you familiar with
southern slippery dumplings. Sort of a really thick noodle. Is that similar to your
noodles? I imagine your being more on the dense and chewy side. Finally, your pack
of flour does it say Chinese Dumpling Flour on it? I sometimes make a run to the
international grocery and might try to find it there.

Thanks!

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.05.2015 at 3:03 PM
Sal, pastry flour sounds low gluten? Like cake flour? Definitely not cake flour
because it wont have enough gluten. Yes my flour says Dumpling flour in Chinese,
which is . You can look for these characters if you want to be sure. But if all
else fails, try using bread flour as some ppl suggested?

REPLY
Sal Vanilla
03.05.2015 at 11:45 PM
Thanks I will. I saw the post by Dave. I think I am gonna just wing it with the AP.
How bad can it be considering? : ) Thank you for the Chinese spelling. Thoughtful
and needed sometimes.
REPLY
Maureen Sutherland Weiser
03.05.2015 at 8:49 AM
Hi Mandy,

We are going to have a cooking party this weekend and make this amazing looking
dish with some friends. How do you think the dish would be without MSG. I try
really hard to avoid it.

Maureen

REPLY
Pamela
03.05.2015 at 12:28 PM
How about this flour?? It says it is Chinese dumpling flour.
http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2014/02/chinese-dumpling-flour.html

I dont think I can find it here in Japan, strangely enough. I cant get the dark soy
sauce either.
Darn!!
(^_^;)
But, I want to try this dish so much. Darn darn!!

REPLY
Georgie
03.05.2015 at 1:42 PM
I just made this and it was AMAZING. I dont have a stand mixer so I just found
ultrawide fresh wheat noodles at the Chinese grocery store. And I skipped the MSG
just added a dash of oyster sauce for extra umami. And I used a heaping spoon of
sambal instead of cayenne and Asian chili because they only have red jalapeos here
and they are not the same thing. Such an incredible recipe, my tongue is still
tingling! Xx

REPLY
Dave
03.05.2015 at 11:14 PM
I made this last night using Gold Medal all purpose flour in a food processor with the
plastic dough blade. I used the suggested weights and am happy to say the noodles
came out great. The dough was super supple and very easy to strech. Be sure to let
it rest a couple hours. Am still on the search for dumpling flour!

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.05.2015 at 11:36 PM
Dave, if you like a chewier texture, try lowering the water ratio a bit. Today I tried
these noodles in soup form, and because its in hot liquid, the noodles could use a bit
more sturdiness.

REPLY
Lizzie
03.06.2015 at 11:19 PM
Oooh, lovely!

Now can you please make Chaang Tofu that Xian Famous Foods also do? God, I love
that stuff.

REPLY
Kelsey M
03.07.2015 at 10:38 PM
This looks amazingand I hate the fact that I only found out about Xian Famous
Foods recently (right around when I started my prep- read: competition diet) and so
its been waiting rather impatiently on my MUST GO TO IMMEDIATELY list for 2
months nowand still has another month to wait.

-Kelsey

REPLY
Kari
03.08.2015 at 5:42 AM
This dish looks so delicious!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com

REPLY
David
03.09.2015 at 10:34 AM
Great recipe! Thanks so much. Love your blog. I made this tonight, and my approach
was to roast lamb breast (slathered in sichuan peppercorn and cumin dry rub)
which rendered out some of the fat, and made for a great crispy exterior. Intensely
flavorful. Secret ingredient was laoganma brand spicy chili crisp hot oil. Yum.

REPLY
Unical
03.19.2015 at 10:05 PM
This is the most delightful recipe I have ever see! I have to try this by myself.

REPLY
Emmi
03.20.2015 at 9:09 PM
Hi Mandy!
I was so hopeful when I saw the photo, because I am looking for a similar noodle
recipe. Sadly I had to realize your consists of wheat. Have you ever made similar
noodles with (some sort of) rice flour? They taste fantastic, yet I havent found a
recipe so far. (any hints highly appreciated)
Besides I wanted to tell you how much I love your grey plates. Which brand are they
and is it possible to get them online?
Keep up the great work!!!!!!

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
03.20.2015 at 10:13 PM
Emmi, try this recipe for rice noodle on my blog,
http://ladyandpups.com/2014/10/13/xi-an-famous-hot-rice-ribbons/

the plates are from house doctor

REPLY
Emmi
03.21.2015 at 12:00 AM
Thank you so much!!!!

REPLY
Mike
03.23.2015 at 1:55 AM
This looks unbelieveably good. I used to think your lu rou fan recipe was the one I
most craved, but this is the new champion.

REPLY
Tamzin
03.25.2015 at 1:17 AM
Wow these look amazing!! I was just wondering not a major lamb eater, what do you
suggest as alternatives (possibly vegetarian options as well??) Thanks

REPLY
Tamzin
04.07.2015 at 12:36 AM
Hiya this looks delicious I was wondering what do you think would be a good
substitute for the lamb (vegetarian / white meat/fish???). Thanks xx

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
04.07.2015 at 1:27 AM
Tamzin, my second choice would be bed, then chicken dark meat :)

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
04.07.2015 at 1:27 AM
I meant beefdamn auto correcting.

REPLY
Tamzin
04.08.2015 at 10:19 PM
Thanks!! I didnt mean to comment twice!!!

REPLY
Ned
04.19.2015 at 3:42 AM
I just made these! Thank you for this superb recipe. Xian Famous Foods was my
favourite restaurant in New York and I really miss it now that I dont live there any
more. I was delighted by how close this dish tasted to the original, especially on a
first attempt. To be honest I expected that the noodles were going to fail for me
somehow, and I was mentally prepared to eat it with rice instead, but everything
worked.

One note to other amateurs: if youre using a Magimix with a dough blade to knead
as I did because I dont own any other type of mixer you shouldnt leave it running
for anywhere near as long as 5-6 minutes. Just wait until the dough agglomerates
into one lump, which takes barely a minute. After that, the dough will start to break
down and dry up (I suppose because the Magimix runs so fast and so hot). So I did
some extra kneading by hand instead.

REPLY
serwis
05.26.2015 at 9:01 PM
This recipe is awesome! Must be delicious! And I love that hand made smashed
noodles :)

REPLY
Allyn
05.27.2015 at 8:51 PM
I made this two days ago and Im already planning when I can make it again. Holy
shit. This was a dish I thought I gave up once we moved away from New York, and
now I can make it at home?!
Life is awesome.

REPLY
Yimo
06.10.2015 at 9:49 PM
Upon seeing this post, I drooled a bit and determined to make it at home. As a
longtime lurker, I had never posted my comments before. However after I had my
amazing meal by using this recipe, I must tell you this dish brought me back to
China! The lamb were so delicious and perfectly marinated thanks to your marinade.
Thank you so much for this incredible flavor!

REPLY
Elly
08.27.2015 at 11:08 AM
Hi, I wonder could I use lamb mince for this or would it be sacrilege!!?

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
08.27.2015 at 4:19 PM
Elly, of course! Ground lamb is perfectly fine, too!

REPLY
Grace
11.02.2015 at 8:24 PM
Thank you mandy for a wonderful post, i made this the other week and it was
DEEEEELISSSSHHH. I couldnt get enough of it and wish id made more. Question if
im making in advance, do you think i can lay the noodles out and cover the day
before? Or do you think this affects the dough?

Thanks, as ever amazing posts, i dont know how you do it!

G

REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
11.03.2015 at 2:20 AM
Grace, Im glad you enjoyed it! Im not sure how you will keep the noodles after they
are shaped? I suppose you can keep them laminated between parchmention papers
on a sheet-tray, then place inside the frige. But If you want to make the noodles
ahead, I would suggest pressing each doughs into flat oval shapes, then rub with oil
and stack them with parchment in between, and keep inside air-tight containers.
Then do the smashing/pulling before cooking.

REPLY
Qi
11.18.2015 at 9:49 AM
I stir fried the seasoned meat with onion, and both my 5- and 3-year-olds loved it
(though they had to drink a lot of milk because it was kinda spicy)!

REPLY
KG
01.16.2016 at 7:52 AM
Hi! Love this recipe and cant wait to try it. Wondering if I can make the noodles and
refrigerate them on the sheet as well as the lamb (separately, of course), and add
them together the next day or two? Thanks!
REPLY
mandy@ladyandpups
01.16.2016 at 1:52 PM
KG, I havent tried doing that before but if you lay the noodles flat, not touching each
other, then stack them with parchment paper in between each layer, then plastic
wrap, then refrigerate, then I think it should be fine. The lambs definitely can be
made before hand. Or better yet, marinate it the day before and cook it before
serving.

REPLY
privatecitrus
05.27.2016 at 11:53 PM
hi mandy when i was small, my mum used to make noodles with cabbage flour,
probably around 10-12% protein. bread flour may be to elastic and it tends to
spring back. if you leave the dough for 30 minutues (or longer) to let the gluten to
develop, less time and effort is needed for kneading.

REPLY
privatecitrus
05.27.2016 at 11:55 PM
forgot to tell you i love your blog and the pictures. wish i can take pictures like
you.

REPLY
Avi
07.20.2016 at 12:16 AM
I made this finally after staring at the recipe for a year, and it was absolutely
amazingly incredibly good. If this is helpful for others I live in the US and used
Gold Medal bread flour. I kneaded the dough in a stand mixer for ~15 minutes and
was nervous when it never became completely stretchable as described in the
recipe. However, after the dough rested for an hour it became very stretchable and
easy to work with. I thought this made an enormous amount of food for two
servings it could easily feed three, I think.

REPLY
Kekoa
09.14.2016 at 9:24 AM
Just made this tonight. It was really delicious my wife and I loved it. Thank you!

REPLY
DC
10.21.2016 at 1:17 AM
Hey, I really like the plates that you served this dish on. Any info on where theyre
from? Thanks!
REPLY
Sharon Quinn-Sears
05.04.2017 at 9:20 AM
Thank you so much! I just stumbled upon your blog while I was looking for a cumin
spiced noodle recipe. I have just come back from Vancouver and happen to have all
the spices. My son and I always have the noodles at Peaceful restaurant along with
the scallion pancake wrapped beef.so you know Ill be checking to see if you have
that! Anyway, gotta go back for bowl number two, my lips are tingling. Looking
forward to reading more. Thx
Sharon

REPLY
Judy
05.25.2017 at 10:55 AM
Oh wow- Finally made this and it was everything I had hoped. I was making it for the
whole family so I thinly sliced an entire leg of lamb and quadrupled the recipe.
Everything came out perfectly and it was easier than I thought. Really fantastic
flavors all playing harmoniously together. I made the noodles with King Arthur
bread flour and they were very easy to mix and shape. They were sturdy and soaked
up all the luscious juices in the pan with the lamb. What a wonder of a recipe! Thank
you.