Recreating Spicy Kebab Memories
Beijing is famous for its street food. The word "chuanr", or kebab, might as well be the first word you learn before traveling there. You will see street vendors hawking these at every corner. Lamb is the most popular variety, but you can chuanr just about anything, from chicken hearts to scorpions to tripe.
One of my fondest memories from growing up is my mom picking me up from kindergarten and the two of us going to get spicy lamb kebabs | 羊肉串 from a street vendor she had deemed clean enough for us to frequent. I would stand there with my stick of charcoal-roasted meat in one tiny hand, grease smeared across my face, other hand gripping a ceramic jar of Chinese yogurt. As the fire spread through my mouth from the savory bites of juicy, fatty lamb, I would strategically alternate sips of cold, tangy yogurt drink.
Turns out, recreating this memory at home isn't so hard.
Start with lamb--a nice, fatty cut of shoulder is ideal. Unfortunately, I had to settle for what Whole Foods had in stock, which was leg of lamb. Whatever you do though, don't trim the fat off as you work the meat into skewer-able bites.
Next, grind up your spices. My arm was sore for two days after this (note to self to work on upper body strength of any kind).
Mix about 2/3 of the spices into the meat.
Reserve the rest to sprinkle on both sides after it's skewered. You should soak your skewers in water beforehand. I usually just get lazy and end up with burnt sticks.
This next part I have to admit I actually needed White Boyfriend's help. When it comes to grilling, I have no idea what's going on. I don't even know how to turn the damn thing on. If you have a charcoal grill, your chuanr will come out fobbier and more flavorful than mine.
When they're done, you can recreate your favorite childhood memory, but replace that yogurt with a cold beer. White Boyfriend will appreciate it. But better eat fast, because he has a lot bigger appetite than your six-year-old self and won't save you the best pieces like your mom did.
For the straight-up Lamb Kebab recipe, click here.