Mongolian Lamb Stir Fry with Onions

mongolian lamb

What is Mongolian lamb? Simply put, it is a stir-fry with Oriental seasoning, soy sauce, sesame seeds with beautiful cuts of lamb. Altogether, this Mongolian lamb recipe is a killer dish when it comes to cooking for someone special – say for Valentine’s Day? A lot of people might associate Mongolian lamb with the traditional Mongolian barbecue. There are similarities. In  contrast to using beef, I used lamb instead.

Mongolian barbecue first made its appearance in the mid 20th century. More specifically around 1950’s back in Taiwan. Did you know that the most common ingredient to cook with in Mongolian cuisine is mutton? Usually, this cuisine combines all types of produce in a large pan where all the ingredients are then cooked at an extremely high temperature.

tasty easy lamb

Surprisingly many people avoid cooking with lamb and tend to keep to “safe choices” like beef or chicken. Some might have had a bad experience and some say they can taste the wool. This is a real shame because a good quality piece of lamb is some of the best tasting meat you can get.

If you are straight away thinking of mint sauce then think again. Lamb is just as versatile as any other type of meat. Depending on what cut you use, the lamb can stand alone without much more than basic seasoning. Or it can be spiced up in a number of ways, such as with Asian or Oriental spices. In fact, lamb is one of the most eaten types of protein in the Middle East, as well as on the Indian continent.

Just check out my Indian roast leg of lamb, malai kofta gosht and grilled curried lamb chops with apricots. I love Asian cuisines, don’t you?

learn to cook lamb with tasty easy lamb

If you are curious to learn more about how to cook with lamb, check out this site.  There you can find a ton of very exciting recipes, using lamb in ways you probably never dreamt of. In addition, you can learn about the different cuts of lamb available and what to use them for. You can also read a bit more about what it takes to bring you this beautiful meat.  Have a look and be inspired to cook healthy, nutritious, speedy and budget friendly lamb recipes!

variations to the mongolian lamb stir fry

I have made the Mongolian lamb stir fry almost as simple as it can get. With onions being the only vegetable that I’ve used, I have made sure that the lamb is the hero of the dish. However, there is a big scope to play here if you want to add more stuff. To go with the flavours of Mongolian lamb, I would suggest chopped leek, sliced mushrooms or sugar snap peas. These vegetables are well suited to use in a stir fry. You simply have to cut them up in small bite sized pieces and they will cook in no time. Remember to keep the ingredients moving in the pan so they don’t burn. Hence the name, stir fry!

Other vegetables that could be used are baby sweetcorn or a handful of bean sprouts if you want to go more in the Asian direction.  If there is no way for you to get your hands on lamb, you can make the dish with beef or chicken instead. However, you will miss out on that unique lamb flavour that really shines in combination with the seasoning. Naturally, you can also play with the spices. Your idea of spicy food might not be the same as mine, and you should adjust the spice level according to your taste. If you find it too bland and lacking spice, don’t be afraid to add chilli. This is what cooking is about. Making food that you want to eat.

practical information

There are a lot of different opinions on how high the heat of the pan should be when doing a stir fry. I usually opt for medium heat, because it allows you a little more time to cook the meat and adjust the flavour. Furthermore, you don’t need to worry so much about burning the ingredients.  If you think that you can only do a stir fry if you have a wok there’s no need to panic. You can easily use a large standard pan instead. Preferably one with relatively high sides though. The most important thing is to have a large heated surface to cook on. Remember to use the largest burner on the stove.

fresh herbs

As always, a touch of freshly chopped herbs will elevate the dish to the next level. For the Mongolian lamb stir fry, I would recommend to top off the dish with some freshly chopped coriander. This is the perfect herb for these oriental flavours and it complements the lamb beautifully. If you simply cannot bear the taste of coriander use parsley instead. Alternatively you can sprinkle the dish with some chopped spring onion tops, to add a bit of freshness to it.

serving

For this Mongolian lamb stir fry I decided to serve rice. I find that rice works extremely well with all types of stir fries. The cooked rice has a nice soft texture that complements the tender meat and the crunchy vegetables from the stir fry. It is excellent for sucking up the delicious sauce for the Mongolian lamb stir fry. Alternatively, you can serve the Mongolian lamb with noodles. Give the cooked noodles a quick toss around in the pan with the stir fry for extra flavour. If you are trying to eat gluten free you can serve the stir fry with boiled quinoa or rice noodles instead.

You can store the dish for a couple of days in the fridge without problems. Making it easy to pack and take with you for lunch. If you do this however, you have to expect that the vegetables will go a bit soft. This happens especially if you reheat the dish in the microwave. Only when served right after cooking will you get those crunchy bites of vegetables.

What is your favourite way to prepare lamb?

Mongolian Lamb & Onion Stir Fry

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★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Michelle Minnaar
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

• 600g (1½lb) lamb fillets
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 15ml (1 tbsp) grated fresh ginger
• 30ml (1 tbsp) hoisin sauce
• 30ml (1 tbsp) sesame oil
• 15ml (1 tbsp) sesame seeds
• 30ml (2 tbsp) peanut oil
• 4 onions, cut into wedges
• 5ml (1 tsp) corn flour
• 45ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce
• 60ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) sherry

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Instructions

1. Trim the meat of any excess fat and sinew and slice it across the grain into thin slices. Combine the garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce and sesame oil in a bowl, add the meat and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan gently, until the seeds are golden brown; remove from the pan immediately to prevent burning.
3. Heat the peanut oil in a wok or heavy-based frying pan; add the onion and stir fry over medium heat for 10 minutes or until soft and golden brown. Remove the onion from the wok and keep warm.
4. Reheat the wok and cook the meat in batches over high heat until browned but not cooked through. Return all the meat to the wok.
5. Mix together the cornflour, soy sauce and sherry until smooth. Add to the wok and stir fry over high heat until the meat is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
6. Stir in the onions and serve on egg noodles or with white rice.

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Notes

• Egg noodles or Egg Fried Rice makes a lovely accompaniment.
• If you don’t have a wok, a large frying pan will suffice.
• Sometimes I find the sauce has gone a bit dry then I add a little bit of water to get it runny again.

• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Chinese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 506
• Sugar: 7.2 g
• Sodium: 933 mg
• Fat: 26.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 6.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 17.4 g
• Fiber: 3.2 g
• Protein: 45 g
• Cholesterol: 135 mg

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