Spicy Lamb and Cumin Noodles

Name: Spicy Lamb and Cumin Noodles
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Tanzanian
Ingredients: ½ cup (120 ml) olive oil; Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 2 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste; 1 pound (455 g) ground lamb; ½ cup (25 g) roughly chopped fresh mint, plus more for serving; Cumin seeds, use ground cumin; Cumin seeds, use ground cumin; Shallots, use 1 medium red onion plus 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; Shallots, use 1 medium red onion plus 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; Shallots, use 1 medium red onion plus 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; Smoked paprika, use regular paprika; Smoked paprika, use regular paprika; Red pepper flakes, use Kashmiri red chili powder or Aleppo chili flakes; Red pepper flakes, use Kashmiri red chili powder or Aleppo chili flakes; Red pepper flakes, use Kashmiri red chili powder or Aleppo chili flakes; Pappardelle, use another large pasta; Pappardelle, use another large pasta

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

Third Culture Cooking

By Zaynab Issa

Published 2025

About

While rich and meaty similar to a bolognese, these spicy lamb and cumin noodles aren’t as saucy as a traditional meat sauce. The earthy, spiced oil made with frizzled shallots and caramelized tomato paste creates a deeply flavorful, slippery and silky coating for the wide pappardelle noodles. Another key note: the ground lamb and cumin. A flavor combination inspired by the classic Northern Chinese cumin lamb noodles, it’s one I’m quite familiar with thanks to

Ingredients

Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Tanzania
China
Main course

Ingredients

Method