Love spicy tongue-numbing noodles? Try this crispy cumin lamb sauce with ready-made pasta

Cumin lamb pappardelle

This is a playful nod to biang biang noodles, originating from Shaanxi, China. Pappardelle is an amazing cheat’s substitute for this spicy, numbing, crispy cumin lamb sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 400g lamb mince
• 1½ tbsp neutral oil (sunflower, vegetable or light rapeseed), plus extra if needed
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 1 large thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 400g pappardelle
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• ½ Chinese cabbage
• 50g salted butter
• 1-2 tbsp black rice vinegar, depending on how much you like it
• 4 tsp crispy chilli oil, plus extra to serve (Lee Kum Kee is perfect here)

METHOD

1. Heat your largest frypan or a wok over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and Sichuan peppercorns. Toast until they smell amazing, then tip into a pestle and mortar.
2. Put the pan back over high heat and add the lamb mince. Use your spoon to break up the mince into smaller pieces. Fry, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until browned and crisp. If it starts to stick, add a splash of neutral oil.
3. While the mince is browning, roughly crush the spices, along with a big pinch of sea salt. Boil a large saucepan of salted water.
4. Returning to the mince, reduce the heat to low and finely grate in the garlic and ginger. Add the crushed spices and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce. Stir, cook for 30 seconds more, then scrape the lamb into a bowl. Take the pan or wok off the heat for a second, but don’t clean it.
5. Drop the pappardelle into the saucepan of boiling water. Cook for 1 minute less than the packet instructions.
6. Chop the spring onions into roughly 5cm pieces (both green and white parts). Slice the cabbage in half lengthways, then chop into chunky pieces.
7. Return the frypan or wok to high heat – you want it to be searingly hot.
8. Once hot, pour in the oil, then add the spring onions and cabbage. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until both are softened, then return the spiced mince to the pan. Mix everything together, then reduce the heat to low.
9. By now, your pasta should be cooked. Use tongs to transfer it to the frypan or wok. Add the butter, vinegar and crispy chilli oil, along with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Toss everything together so that each strand of pasta gets coated in the sauce.
10. Divide between four bowls, top with more crispy chilli oil, if you like, and enjoy.

Serves 4

This is an edited extract from Sundays by Sophie Godwin, Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99. Photography by Caitlin Isola. Buy now