Spicy Lamb Buns w/ Honey Soy Drizzle

In China–Beijing especially, it seems, you’ll see a lot of things served with bread–pillowy soft steamed buns, doughy pancakes, and small hollowed-out bread “cups” that you can fill up with meat and vegetable fillings. Yes, here in China, the carb fest extends far beyond just rice and noodles. In the spirit of blissful carbohydrate intake–with a wanton disregard for fad diets everywhere, we made these Spicy Lamb Buns with Honey Soy Drizzle. They’re the perfect combination of perfectly cooked spicy lamb, crunchy herbs and veg, an amazing sauce, and soft, buttery bread. Need I say ANY more? The roasted lamb, juicy and warm and when combined with crunchy vegetables and a simple honey soy drizzle, it’s already amazing. Now add soft flatbread, and you have the most incredible lamb bun you’ve ever tasted. Don’t be intimidated by the flatbread or the roast lamb; they’re both so easy to make! The recipe for the bread used here was adapted from Half Baked Harvest’s fabulous homemade naan recipe. With a few modifications, it’s the perfect vehicle for all these amazing, savory ingredients.

Recipe Instructions

Start by marinating the lamb. Combine the cumin powder or cumin seeds, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn powder, if using, and rub it all over the lamb. Set aside to marinate in the fridge while you assemble the buns. To make the buns, start by dissolving the sugar in the hot water in a medium bowl. Once the water has cooled slightly (it should be warm, but not hot), stir in the yeast until dissolved and let stand for ten minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, whisk in the milk and yogurt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix it all together to form a dough. Knead until the dough comes together into a soft, slightly sticky ball (add a little more flour if necessary, but the dough should still be relatively sticky). Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Roll the dough out until it’s about an eighth of an inch thick (it will puff up quite a bit while cooking). Cut circles in the dough (about 4 inches in diameter. We just used a small rice bowl to cut out the circles). Continue to re-roll and cut more circles until all the dough is used up. Brush one side with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Leave the dough circles on a floured board and cover with a damp towel. Now heat a cast iron pan or skillet until almost smoking. Add 2 tablespoons oil and sear the lamb on all sides, until you get a nice, dark crust on the outside of the meat. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 7-12 minutes until it reaches your desired doneness. Set the meat aside on a plate to rest. While that’s happening, make the drizzle by heating a tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the honey, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce, and allow it to bubble until it becomes syrupy. Set aside. Now, cook your buns (this doesn’t take long at all!). Heat a pan over medium heat and brush the pan lightly with melted butter. Add the dough circles to the pan, sesame side facing up. Cook for 1-2 minutes and flip. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side and take out of the pan. To assemble, grab one of your buns, add some sliced lamb… Along with carrot, scallions, mint, cilantro, and a drizzle of sauce.