A saucy dish with CHAI & DRY

Ingredients:

-1 lb. fresh lamb riblets
-12 oz. can of CHAI & DRY
– strong cup of smokey lapsang tea
-sesame oil
– 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
– 1.5 tsp. sugar
– soy sauce
– corn starch
-1/2 tbsp. smoked coriander
-1/2 tsp. cardamom powder
– copious amt. of freshly ground black pepper
-thumb-sized chunk of ginger root, peeled and sliced into thin sheets.
-small red pepper seeded and sliced into strips
-3 garlic cloves sliced
-1/2 med. onion sliced radially
-2 med. carrots, peeled cut into 4″ lengths, then sliced into 1/4″ strips
3 large green onions, white part sliced into short rounds, green tops cut on the bias into 4″ lengths

Preparation:

Marinade: Whisk together 3 tbsp. of the sesame oil, vinegar, black pepper, coriander, cardamom. Add can of CHAI & DRY, stir.

Marinate the riblets overnight. Remove riblets and reserved marinade. Pat riblets dry, place on plate and refrigerate.

Cooking:

Remove riblets from refrigerator 45 min. before cooking. Heat enough of the sesame oil in a wok at med. Toss the ribs in the oil to sear all over, remove to a plate. Place reserved marinade in saucepan and simmer to thicken till color is dark rather than translucent. Stir in dissolved corn starch one tbsp. at time, leaving each to thicken for a minute before adding the next. Stop adding cornstarch when the sauce is nicely viscous, remove from heat. Note that the sauce will continue to thicken some, so don’t go too far. It can thicken further when added to the wok.

Add carrot strips and stir-fry till just slightly limp. Add ginger root and red pepper strips and continue to stir regularly. When vegetables are limp, but al dente; add garlic, mix riblets into vegetables and cook for 2 minutes more, then add onions and cook only until the onions are translucent but still have crunch. Stir in as much as the sauce as appeals to you, toss the green onions on top, cover the wok, turn off heat and let steam for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.