biang biang lamb noodles
When I crave something spicy & something meaty, I keep going back to this recipe from the blog woks of life. Making the noodles from scratch might seem intimidating at first, but I assure you that it is therapeutic!
Step 2: Marinate lamb
8 oz. fatty lamb shoulder or chuck (225g, thinly sliced)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tsp cornstarch
Mix and set aside to marinate
Step 3a: Grind spices
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp ground white pepper
Dry toast over medium heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Grind spices and set aside.
Step 3b: Mix sauce
2 tbsp rice wine
3 tbsp chili oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp black or rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp salt
mix and set aside
Step 4: Cut veggies
3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 tbsp ginger, grated
2 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 long hot red or green chili pepper, de seeded & thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup celery, finely diced
1 cup cabbage leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup garlic chives, finely chopped
Step 1: Knead dough
1½ cups bread flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup + 1 tbsp water
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the bread flour, salt and water. Combine the mixture with your hands or a fork until it starts to form a scraggly dough. Once the dough has come together a bit, attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, and turn it on low speed (setting “2” on a KitchenAid). Allow the mixer to knead the dough for 20 minutes. By the end, the dough will have formed a ball that: doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl, is smooth and elastic, and isn’t too dry.
You will know the dough is done when you can rip off a piece of it and stretch it slowly by a couple inches without it breaking apart. If the dough breaks, knead for another 3-5 minutes (to allow the dough to absorb more moisture). If it still won’t stretch, try adding a tablespoon of water and kneading by hand to incorporate the water. Then transfer it to the mixer once again and allow the dough hook to do its work for another 5 minutes. You need to give the dough time to absorb the moisture uniformly.
If, on the other hand, your kitchen is humid and the dough is a bit sticky, sprinkle in some more flour and knead for another 3-5 minutes. Once the dough has reached the right consistency, cover it with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl (as long as the bowl is not touching the dough) and allow it to rest for 1 to 2 hours.
Step 5: Slap ‘em noodles
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer the rested dough to a clean, oiled surface. Press the dough into a half-inch thick, relatively even rectangle about 10 inches in length. Cut the rectangle into 10 equal strips. Take each strip and lay flat on the counter. Use your palm to flatten the strip into a long, wide, flat noodle–don’t worry about it being perfectly straight or even.
Now, the next step is how this noodle got its name. Pick up the noodle on both ends, lift it, and gently slap it repeatedly on the counter while stretching it out. You can also use your hands to flatten it out further so that the noodle has a relatively uniform thickness. The noodles should be about the thickness of spaghetti––if they are translucent at all, they’re too thin. Lay them onto your parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat the process until you have all 10 noodles. If you run out of space on the parchment paper, just put another layer of parchment on top. You can keep the noodles this thick, or if you like thinner ones, you can slice each noodle in half lengthwise using a sharp knife. Cover the noodles with a tea towel or cheesecloth so they don’t dry out.
Final step: Cook
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. The noodles will take approximately 90 seconds to cook, so make sure you time it right so that they’re cooked and drained around the same time that your sauce is done.
Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and scallion whites and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and chili pepper and cook for another 30 seconds. Crank up the heat to high and add the marinated lamb. Stir-fry the lamb until just browned, and immediately add the sauce, prepared spice mixture, onions, and celery. If things are starting to stick to the bottom of the wok, add a ¼ cup or so of water to deglaze it.
Meanwhile, throw your noodles and the cabbage into boiling water, and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked noodles and cabbage to the wok along with the garlic chives and scallion greens and toss until everything is completely coated in the sauce.