Wok-Fried Lamb with Cumin

The combination of lamb and cumin may conjure up images of Middle Eastern cooking, but lamb and cumin coexist in a number of northern Chinese dishes too—typically paired with lots of hot chile pepper.

During several trips to the vibrant Chinese neighborhood in Flushing, Queens, I found wonderful versions, all equally spicy. In some, lamb breast was braised to utter tenderness and then fried crisp. In others, strips of lamb were stir-fried, as in this recipe. I haven’t met a person y