Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles are a fiery, aromatic dish packed with bold flavors from seared lamb, cumin, chili, and garlic. The thick, chewy biang biang noodles soak up the rich, savory sauce, making every bite addictive. Inspired by Xi’an street food, this dish is perfect for anyone craving something spicy, hearty, and deeply satisfying.
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Spicy Cumin Noodles
This recipe is inspired by Xi’an Famous Foods’ Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles, which combines Biang Biang noodles with spicy cumin lamb. I’ve never had Xi’an Famous Foods’ version, but I absolutely love Biang Biang noodles and spicy cumin lamb, so I can only imagine how delicious their noodles must be.
Since Xi’an Famous Foods doesn’t have a location in Toronto, I developed this recipe by:
- Researching articles from Eater and watching Insider Food’s feature on Jason Wang & David Shi.
- Tasting cumin lamb at three different local restaurants to compare seasoning ratios.
- Studying countless photos to perfect the lamb-to-noodle ratio.
- Making homemade hand-pulled noodles throughout February, which turned into a fun obsession!
I love a lot of ingredients in my noodles, so this homemade version is extra satisfying, with plenty of lamb per serving.
Before diving into this recipe, I went on a huge noodle-making spree throughout February, especially homemade Chinese hand-pulled noodles, which turned out to be perfect for spicy cumin noodles.
Ingredients and Substitutions
There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, but if you cook Chinese food often, you might already have most of them! They can all be found at Asian supermarkets, and many are available in the Asian or international aisle of grocery stores.
- Lamb: Use lamb leg or shoulder for the perfect balance of tenderness and fat. Slice against the grain, about 1/4 cm thick.
- Spices: Cumin, coriander, sichuan peppercorn, white pepper. Toasting & grinding whole spices enhances flavor, but pre-ground cumin & Sichuan pepper work in a pinch.
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Scallions
- Chili Peppers: Use red and/or green chilies. Omit for less spice, or swap with chili flakes or bell peppers.
- Green cabbage
- Red onion
- Chili oil: Homemade or store bought.
- Seasonings: Soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, msg and rice wine.
- Fresh Hand-Pulled Noodles: Use homemade hand-pulled noodles or store-bought fresh flat noodles from the refrigerated section of Asian supermarkets. Dried flat noodles can work in a pinch, but homemade hand-ripped noodles make this dish shine! Hand torn noodles or scissor cut noodles also have that wonderful bouncy chewy chew but is much quicker and easier to make.
- Cilantro
How to Make Cumin Lamb Noodles
If you have the hand pulled noodles prepared the day before, this dish comes together in about 40 minutes. If you want it as a quick weeknight meal, swap the hand pulled noodles for dried noodles.
- Toast & Grind the Spices: Heat cumin seeds, coriander seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and white pepper in a dry pan until fragrant. Grind coarsely.
- Marinate the Lamb: Mix lamb with rice wine, cornstarch, and salt. Let it marinate while you prep other ingredients.
- Prep the Vegetables: Mince garlic & ginger, slice chilies, cabbage, and red onion.
- Cook the Stir-Fry: Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, then stir-fry the lamb on high heat until browned. Add vegetables & spice mix. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Drizzle with chili oil & cook for another minute.
- Cook the Noodles & Combine: Boil noodles then toss with the stir-fry and sauce.
- Serve & Enjoy: Top with fresh cilantro & extra chili oil!
VIDEO: Watch How to Make It
Lisa’s Recipe Tips
- Make Noodles the Day Before: This will speed by the process and you can enjoy these on a weeknight!
- Cook on High Heat: If you have a carbon steel wok and gas burner, this will make the lamb and vegetables char more and make is more flavourful.
- Prep & Cook Fast: Lamb is a protein that is easy to over cook. Be sure to prepare all the ingredients before starting to cook. Once its in the pan, cook fast to ensure it doesn’t overcook.
How to Store Leftovers
I love making extra to have leftovers! This dish reheats great and is perfect to have throughout the week. If use fresh noodles, you can store it with the cooked lamb. If using dried, I recommend storing the lamb stir fry and then cooking the noodles when ready to eat.
- Fridge – Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or stir-fry until heated through.
- Freezer – Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat in the microwave.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, feel free to use beef or pork. For beef, sirloin or ribeye are great substitutes. For pork, shoulder or belly would work great. You could even use ground beef or pork.
If you follow the recipe as is, it’s not too spicy. Of course, this will depend on what kind of chili peppers used, whether it’s de-seeded and how spicy your chili oil is. If you can’t handle a lot of spice, omit the chili flakes and stick to a mild chili oil like chili crisp or miso chili oil that tend to not be too spicy.
Enjoy! If you make this Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and rating below, and if you share it on social media, tag me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen. I can’t wait to see your creations!
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Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
Description
Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles are a fiery, aromatic dish packed with bold flavors from seared lamb, cumin, chili, and garlic. The thick, chewy biang biang noodles soak up the rich, savory sauce, making every bite addictive. Inspired by Xi’an street food, this dish is perfect for anyone craving something spicy, hearty, and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
Spice Mix*
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
Lamb & Stir Fry
- 250 g thinly sliced lamb leg or shoulder (little over 1/2 a pound)
- 1 tbsp rice wine or sake
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4–5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 heaping tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 scallions, sliced with whites and greens separated
- 1 green chili pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 red chili peppers, de-seeded and thinly sliced (or 1 tbsp chili flakes)
- 1/8 (100 g) green cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1/2 (80 g) red onion, sliced
- 2–4 tbsp chili oil, to taste
Sauce
- 1–1.5 tbsp soy sauce, to taste
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce, optional
- 1/2–1 tbsp black vinegar, to taste
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp msg
For Serving
- 2 servings (400 g) of hand pulled noodles*
- cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Toast & Grind the Spices: In a pan over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and white pepper until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and coarsely grind.
- Marinate the Lamb: In a bowl, mix the lamb with rice wine, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside to marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
- Prepare the Vegetables: Slice and chop all vegetables as needed. Set them aside.
- Cook the Stir-Fry: Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring until fragrant. Increase the heat to high and add the marinated lamb. Cook until no longer pink. Add the prepared vegetables and ground spices. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Drizzle in chili oil and cook for another minute. If the pan starts sticking, add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze. Remove from heat.
- Cook the Noodles & Combine: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package or until al dente. Drain the noodles and transfer them to the stir-fry pan. Add the sauce and sliced scallion greens, tossing everything until well-coated.
- Serve: Top with fresh cilantro and drizzle with extra chili oil if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- *If using pre-ground spices, use 2 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground sichuan peppercorn and 1/8 tsp ground white pepper.
- ** If you don’t have any fresh hand pulled noodles or want a quicker version, use any noodles of your choice. Hand ripped noodles and scissor cut noodles are quicker and easier to make! Dried knife cut noodles or frozen udon noodles are great options too.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 720
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1500 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 75 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
This tastes very similar to the one in New York but with more lamb. Actually really easy to make and used your hand pulled noodles. Loved it!