Recipes By Christina Morales, Alexa Weibel
2 recipes found
Spicy Cumin Lamb Burgers
Many people go to Xi’an Famous Foods in New York City for their spicy hand-pulled noodles, but the sleeper hit is the cumin lamb burger. This recipe, adapted from “Xi’an Famous Foods: The Cuisine of Western China, From New York’s Favorite Noodle Shop” by Jason Wang and David Shi (Abrams Books, 2020), starts with homemade buns that rise and crisp on a griddle, resulting in a soft interior similar to a pita. (You can make the bread from scratch, or substitute a burger bun or even an English muffin.) The restaurant’s signature spicy cumin lamb with red onions and green longhorn peppers is stuffed inside the bread, resembling a steak sandwich as opposed to a burger. You’ll want to slice the lamb as thinly as possible (a short stint in the freezer helps firm it up), which increases the surface area to great effect: The meat cooks through quickly, browns effectively and easily absorbs a tongue-tingling dose of cumin and chile.
Purê de Mandioca (Creamy Yuca Purée)
For some Brazilians in the United States, yuca purée takes the place of mashed potatoes on the Thanksgiving table. In Brazil, where yuca is indigenous and abundant, the root vegetable is often peeled, boiled and mashed. Milk and butter make the purée rich and creamy. This recipe was provided by Thailine Kolb, who learned the dish from her mother, Liomar dos Santos Paula Araujo. In Brazil, her mother serves the dish at Christmas, but Mrs. Kolb, who lives in New Haven, Conn., has embraced it as a Thanksgiving tradition. You can use fresh or frozen yuca, with similar results. If using fresh, be careful when cutting the firm vegetable and removing the outer bark. When using fresh or frozen yuca, be sure to remove and discard the starchy core before eating.