After deliberating on what to do with a 1.25lbs of frozen sliced lamb that I purchased from my local Asian grocer, I opted to create two dishes from this earthy-flavored meat. Because the lamb is thinly sliced, it is not overpowering like heartier cuts of lamb. But if you don’t have good ventilation in your kitchen (and you dislike the smell of cooking lamb) then I recommend throwing the windows open or turning up your vent hood on high.

I chose to present the more successful of the lamb recipes I cooked. Preparing this recipe requires two steps, marinade then stir fry.

For the marinade:
1/2 or 3/4 pound thinly sliced lamb
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp shaved fresh ginger
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of fresh lemon thyme, chopped
ginger powder
garlic powder

Mix all of the dry ingredients: garlic, ginger, thyme and soy sauce together. Pour the marinade into a resealable freezer bag with the lamb. Refrigerate overnight.

For the stir-fry:
6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
3 green onions, sliced
5 thai chiles, julienned
half a bunch of snow pea leaves
1/4 cup of soy sauce
peanut or vegetable oil

Before cooking, remove the stems from the snow pea leaves, unless you like the stringy parts (young snow pea leaves do not have the tough, stringy stems, a typical preparation found here). Brown the garlic in vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Toss in chiles and stir. Add the marinated lamb, making sure that the meat is separated and cooks evenly, about 4-5 minutes. Toss in the snow pea leaves and cook until slightly wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and a little water (to deglaze) if more liquid is needed for a sauce. Reduce heat, toss in green onions and stir fry until tender. Remove from heat, then serve over a bed of steamed rice.

Another upside to thinly sliced meats is the relatively fast cooking time. Stir frying this dish took no longer than 15-20 minutes, not including the overnight prep time. And using sliced meats gives you a better handle on portion control.