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Tonight’s quick-cooking dish is inspired by a popular duo in American Sichuan cuisine: warm, earthy cumin and rich lamb. Here, tender, delectably chewy rice cakes and a blend of lamb and beef give balance to a spicy sauce featuring cumin and Sichuan peppercorns—the seed of a tree in the citrus family known for its pleasant, tongue-tingling hotness. (Chefs, you’ll sauté the cabbage and carrots in the fond left from cooking the meat to infuse the entire dish with even more flavor.)
Get PlansWash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Peel and thinly slice the carrots. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Cut out and discard the cabbage core; thinly slice the leaves. Roughly chop the peanuts.
In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ground lamb and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 4 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a medium bowl and set aside in a warm place.
Add the garlic, carrots and white bottoms of the scallions to the pan of reserved fond; season with salt and pepper. (If the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil.) Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened and fragrant. Add the cabbage; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Turn off the heat.
Once the vegetables have cooked for about 5 minutes, add the rice cakes to the pot of boiling water and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly.
To the pan of cooked vegetables, add the browned lamb and beef, cooked rice cakes, peppercorn sauce, soy glaze, vinegar, ½ cup of water and as much of the sambal oelek as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and slightly thickened. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the finished rice cakes between 2 dishes. Garnish with the peanuts and green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!
Tips from Home Chefs