Xinjiang Style Lamb Kidney Kebabs

If you walk along the streets of Flushing or NYC’s Chinatown, carts located on the corners waft the heavenly spiced scent of Xinjiang style kebabs to passerby’s. Lamb, beef, chicken are available, but delectable organ meats such as kidney, liver, heart, intestine, and tendon jockey for position on the grill. For someone like me who loathes to waste any part of an animal and adore organs, it’s right up my alley… and my childhood.

When we were little and my parents would take us in to Flushing to run errands, I could often be found munching on a kebab or two. My favorite has always been the uncommon flavors and textures that organ meats bring to the table. Having picked up half a lamb from R & K Homestead, I was provided with the kidneys and livers which I ferreted home in excitement—recreating childhood dishes that I can’t easily get on the east side of Long Island brings me a lot of nostalgia and a lot of joy and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the kidneys.

You can use regular beef or lamb meat for this as well, the spice mixture is the same. Choose a fatty piece for it to stay juicy and decadent, with some bread to soak up the flavors. Traditionally, a piece of fat would be placed between each piece of meat!

If you ask me what kidney tastes like, I may not be able to describe it to you—it is similar to liver but still different, with a unique flavor that I am quite fond of. I made a marinated pork kidney dish (which I will actually do again with the pork kidneys I was also given in my order) a while ago which is milder in flavor than lamb (although this particular set of kidneys were not at all gamey to begin with.)

Make sure you pull the outside membrane off the kidneys, and while mine were tender and mild enough that it didn’t matter, most people cut the white renal pelvis out so it doesn’t negatively affect the texture or flavor. I added a little of my salt preserved lemon puree, for a slight hint of citrus and acidity, but you can leave it out.

I would recommend you cook it over a coal grill, but in the absence of, the air fryer or oven does it’s job—or you can sauté it in a pan.

Ingredients

• 4 lamb kidneys, halved and gently washed
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt preserved lemon puree (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorn powder or pepper
• Soaked skewers

1. Marinate the lamb kidneys in the spicy and soy sauce mixture for at least ten minutes.
2. Slide it onto the skewers, being careful not to crowd so it can cook thoroughly.
3. Grill over charcoal until the center is no longer pink.