Wok-fried lamb with Peking leek & ginger-juice gai lan
Thin lamb slices flash-fried with Peking leek and ginger, tender and not gamey, with gai lan in ginger juice — warming to your toes.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yang Deficiency means feeling the cold, with cold hands and feet, and Start of Spring still carries a chill. Lamb warms the middle and kidneys, pungent leek and ginger free up yang as spring tradition advises, and ginger juice takes the chill off the gai lan.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Marinate the lamb with the soy sauce, 1 tsp Shaoxing wine, the cornflour and pepper for 10 minutes; mix in a little oil before cooking.
- 2Wash the leek and cut into thick slanted slices. Shred half the ginger; grate the rest and squeeze out the juice.
- 3Blanch the gai lan in boiling water with a little oil and salt for 2 minutes until bright green, drain onto a plate and drizzle with the ginger juice.
- 4Heat the oil and fry the ginger shreds and leek over high heat for 1 minute until the leek just softens; set aside.
- 5In the same wok, stir-fry the lamb over high heat for about 1 minute until mostly browned, return the leek, splash 1 tsp Shaoxing wine around the edge of the wok, toss and serve with rice.
Cautions
- Lamb and leek are warming — skip this dish if you have a sore throat, spots or a fever.
Chef's tips
- Frozen sliced lamb shoulder from the supermarket is easiest and fairly lean. Cook fast over high heat so the lamb stays tender.
The TCM view
Lamb is sweet and warm, warming the middle and kidneys and building strength; Peking leek is pungent and warm, unblocking yang and dispersing cold — spring onion was one of the 'five pungent vegetables' traditionally eaten at Start of Spring; ginger warms the middle; gai lan is sweet, pungent and cool, balanced by the ginger juice. Warming without being over-drying.
