Spiced Ground Lamb

Make this flavour packed ground lamb recipe with a Mediterranean-inspired spice mix in just 15 minutes. My secret tip ensures the lamb stays moist and juicy. While we love to serve in a rice bowl, you can serve this ground lamb in various other ways.

Ground lamb cooked with coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper until brown. serve with rice and fresh green salad.

Mediterranean-inspired spice blend of coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne compliments the lamb really well. Caramelized onion and the warmth of spices make this ground lamb taste incredible. My secret for getting juicy ground lamb is to tenderize it with baking soda for just 15 minutes. This one-pan, flavor-packed spiced ground lamb recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make and you have endless ways to serve this.

Lamb is not a popular choice of meat in many countries. Compared to beef, lamb has a rather strong taste, but I have always found lamb more flavorful and goes well with warm spices

Tenderize for moist juicy Ground Lamb

Velveting is an age-old technique used to tenderize the chicken/beef in Chinese stir fry. Velveting meat softens fiber making it less prone to dryness and getting chewy upon cooking. You need as less as 15 minutes of resting time to get the most tender melt-in-your-mouth stir-fried ground lamb.

Ideally, other cuts of meat once tossed in baking soda and rested, can be rinsed under running water. But in the case of ground meat, you can’t rinse the meat. But we are adding just 1/4ts teaspoon of baking soda to a pound of meat, because of the negligible amount of soda you will not have any aftertaste.

perfectly browned and juicy ground lamb in a Mediterranean spice blend.

Ingredients

Ground Lamb–
Baking soda– Avoid old soda as it might leave an unpleasant aftertaste.
Oil – Olive oil or any neutral cooking oil will do.
Onion– white or red onion, anything will work. Dice it small.
Garlic– Fresh minced garlic.
Spice mix- Ground coriander, cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper and salt.
You could use some fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, or fresh parsley to garnish at the end.

Choosing the right quality ground lamb

Good quality ground lamb is the key for any recipe. Preferable meat from shoulder or leg with 80-20 lean-to-fat ratio. A good percentage of fat is essential for good flavor and to keep the meat juicy. Best is to go to your local butcher where you get to choose the choice of cut.

Right way to cook Ground Lamb

Lamb when cooked properly, has robust flavour and also stays moist. It is also super quick to cook.

Before you begin cooking, prepare the lamb by bringing it close to room temperature.
Drain any liquid in the lamb by patting it with a kitchen towel or if it is frozen then place it in a colander ( a bowl underneath) to drain the liquid.
Don’t skip tenderizeing. With the bare minimum effort, this will ensure that lamb stay moist and juicy.
The skillet should be hot, when lamb hits the pan. Let it cook on high heat undisturbed for one minute. Then stir and break the lumps.

Quick glance at the step-by-step process

Mixing baking soda with water ensures the soda distributes evenly in the meat. Let it just rest for 15 minutes while you prep.

Saute diced onion and garlic until onion is lightly browned and garlic is aromatic.

Tenderise lamb and saute onion garlic in oil

Add minced lamb to the skillet. Spread to a single layer and let it cook on high heat for about 1-2 minutes.( Note- cooking undisturbed gives time for the lamb to brown). Stir and break any big lumps.

cook ground lamb in the skillet along with onion garlic.

When the lamb looks light brown in colour, after about 4-5 minutes. Add all the spice, salt, and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes until its fragrant. Add about 1/4 cup of water towards the end, stir, and switch off the flame.

Recipe tips

The lamb needs to be close to room temperature before cooking. And also drain as much water as possible.
Add spices towards the end, to prevent it from burning.
Don’t go too lean on lamb, Fat is essential for flavor and also keeps the meat moist. ( just as a premium cut of steak has a good marbling).
Use a potato masher to break big lumps of meat while cooking.

Serving Spice Ground Lamb

Though my favorite way to serve this is to make a rice bowl with a refreshing salad, there are various other options to serve this spiced ground lamb.

Creamy hummus topped with spiced ground lamb is a popular appetizer and I also serve some lavash or pita bread on the side.

Stuff some warm pita bread lamb and a fresh salad or you can also make a wrap using this spice ground lamb.

Storing

Cooked ground lamb can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Just reheat in a the microwave or a quick sear in a hot skillet for a minute or so.

To freeze – Portion it to small servings and place it in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip lock bag. Lable it with date and store up to 4 months. Take out the required portion from freezer, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave or hot skillet before serving. While reheating add a splash of water.

Ground meat always comes handy to whip up a quick dinner. Give my 15 minutes Asian Ground Beef recipe or Healthy ground beef vegetable skillet recipe a try.