Lamb Chinese

Mongolian lamb

Name: Dimsimlim's Mongolian lamb recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: /chinese
Ingredients: Vegetable oil, to ﬂash-fry; 1 long green shallot, cut into 4cm lengths; 1/2 onion, thinly sliced; 250g lamb shoulder, thinly sliced; 1/4 tsp bicarb soda; 40.00 ml cornflour; 20.00 ml vegetable oil; 2 tsp Chinese rice wine (shaohsing), plus extra, to splash; 1 tsp chicken stock powder; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce; 1/2 tsp caster sugar; 1/4 tsp YumYum Umami Seasoning or MSG; 1/4 tsp ground white pepper; 20.00 ml Chinese rice wine (shaohsing), plus 1-20.00 ml extra, to ﬁnish; 3 tsp hoisin sauce; 3 tsp doubanjiang (spicy Chinese fermented chilli bean paste, from Asian grocers); 2 tsp sesame paste; 2 tsp black bean chilli sauce; 2 tsp ﬁnely chopped garlic; 1/2 tsp YumYum Umami Seasoning or MSG; 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce

Rate now

20m

15m

Jump to recipe

by Vincent Yeow Lim (Dimsimlim)

Sep 30, 2025

“There’s tender, and then there’s Mongolian lamb tender. The secret to this Chinese-restaurant favourite is all in the velveting, but don’t worry – we’ve set you up with the signature sauce, too.” – Vincent Lim.

This is an edited extract from The Wolf of Wok Street by Vincent Lim, published by Hardie Grant Books.

Vegetable oil, to ﬂash-fry
1 long green shallot, cut into 4cm lengths
1/2 onion, thinly sliced

Velvet

250g lamb shoulder, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp bicarb soda
2 tbs cornflour

Seasoning

1 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp Chinese rice wine (shaohsing), plus extra, to splash
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp YumYum Umami Seasoning or MSG
1/4 tsp ground white pepper

Sauce

1 tbs Chinese rice wine (shaohsing), plus 1-2 tbs extra, to ﬁnish
3 tsp hoisin sauce
3 tsp doubanjiang (spicy Chinese fermented chilli bean paste, from Asian grocers)
2 tsp sesame paste
2 tsp black bean chilli sauce
2 tsp ﬁnely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp YumYum Umami Seasoning or MSG
1/2 tsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp dark soy sauce

Method

1.

To velvet the lamb, place the meat in a large bowl and add the bicarb along with 1 1/2 tbs water. Stir the mixture until the beef is well coated and combined. Next, add the cornflour and continue stirring until the beef has completely absorbed all the liquid. This step ensures that the beef will remain tender during cooking.
2.

Once the lamb is well coated, add all the seasoning ingredients. Stir thoroughly to ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed throughout the beef. Cover the bowl and allow the lamb to rest. For the best flavour and texture, let it marinate overnight for use the next day or, if you’re short on time, for at least 1 hour. If you’d like to prepare the lamb in advance, you can freeze the seasoned lamb for up to 1 month. For optimal results, freeze the lamb first and then defrost it before cooking.
3.

Fill a wok or large pot one-third full with oil and heat to 190°C over medium-high heat (you can also test the oil with a wooden chopstick – if bubbles form around it when lowered in, the oil is hot enough). Once the oil is hot, carefully add the velveted lamb, one piece at a time to avoid it clumping, and flash-fry for 2 minutes, or until just cooked through. Strain the lamb from the oil and set it aside on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Leave about 1 tbs oil in the wok, and reserve the rest for future use.
4.

After removing the lamb, place a cast-iron sizzling plate on your wok burner, on top of a spare burner or in an oven preheated to 220°C/200°C fan-forced to heat. You want the sizzling plate to be ready by the time the stir-fry is done.
5.

Return your wok to the heat, and add the sauce ingredients with ¼ cup (60ml) water. Stir until the sauce is well combined and bubbling. Add the flash-fried lamb and shallot to the wok. Toss everything together until the lamb is evenly coated with the sauce and heated through. Finish the dish by adding another splash of shaohsing wine, giving the lamb a final toss to combine all the flavours.
6.

By now, the sizzling plate should be hot. Carefully remove it from the heat and place it on a heatproof board. Scatter an even layer of thinly sliced onion onto the sizzling hot plate, then immediately spoon the Mongolian lamb and sauce over the top. It should sizzle as it makes contact with the hot plate. Serve immediately.