Thanks to my blogging friend Mimi I discovered that there is not only Peking Duck, but also Peking Lamb (or Mutton). The lamb is slow-roasted with 5 spice and then served as wraps with Hoisin, cucumber, and spring onions. (Peking Duck is actually supposed to be served with Tianmian sauce, but Hoisin seems to be more common outside of China.)

The wraps can be made with pancakes or lettuce. I couldn’t resist to prepare the lamb sous vide, and I skipped the step of putting it under the broiler for some extra crust. I pulled the meat and then mixed the juices from the sous vide bag back in, to end up with very moist, tender, and flavorful meat.

Ingredients

Serves 8, for the lamb

• 1 bone-in lamb shoulder, about 1.8 kilos (4 lbs) (or 1.5 kilos/3.3 lbs boneless)
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp honey

To serve

• lettuce leaves or Peking pancakes
• Hoisin sauce
• 200 grams (3 cups) spring onions, in strips
• 600 grams (3 cups) cucumber (peeled and seeded), in strips

Instructions

Prepare the marinade by mixing 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger, 2 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder, 3 Tbsp rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp honey in a small bowl.

Deeply score the meat in a cross-hatch pattern with the sharp knife.

Rub with the marinade and vacuum seal the meat with all of the marinade.

Cook sous vide for 24 hours at 74C/165F.

Reserve the liquid from the bag. (To make a crust, brush with honey and place under the preheated broiler until a crust has formed.)

Take the meat off the bones and pull it with two forks.

The result will be pulled lamb and the reserved liquid. Discard the bones.

Bring the juices to a boil in a saucepan.

Add the meat, and turn off the heat at once. Mix the meat with the liquid. This will reheat the meat without drying it out.

Serve the meat with Hoisin, cucumber, spring onion, and lettuce or pancakes.

Everyone can make their own wraps.