Blitz the ginger, garlic, coriander, chives, spring onion, salt, black pepper and Sichuan pepper, 5 sec/speed 10. Scrape down the bowl, and add the soy sauce, dry sherry, and chilli sauce, and blend 5 sec/speed 6. Set aside.
TMix+ believes the best mince is made when the meat is frozen, and then blitzed in the Thermomix; in this case, the frozen lamb, 10 sec/speed 10.
Add the spices and sauces and breadcrumbs to the lamb mince, and blend 10 sec/speed 6 or until the mixture forms a solid mince.
Fry a little of the mince in a little oil, and taste for seasoning. Amend, if required.
Remove and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes. Heat the oven to 200ºC.
Roll out the pastry into manageable rectangle shapes roughly 30 centimetres long x 12 centimetres wide and 3 millimetres thick.
Cut the edges of the long sides with a sharp knife to create an open edge; this will help the pastry puff better.
Form the meat mixture into long sausage shapes the same length as the pastry. Place along the long side of a rectangle placing it at the edge closest to you.
Egg wash the other edge and roll the pastry forwards being quite definite in your movements and being sure to make a decent overlap. Finish with the overlap on the bottom.
Brush the whole roll with egg wash and scatter it with poppy seeds. Cut the roll into whichever lengths you prefer using a sharp knife and one purposeful cut.
Bake for 20–30 minutes, or until the pastry has risen, is well browned, and cooked through. If the rolls look to be getting too dark, turn the oven down to 180C.
It’s simple to create your own powdered Sichuan pepper in the Thermomix. You will need about 20 grams of pepper grains to make it worthwhile, and achieve the right end texture. It’s always better, with spices, to roast and mill frequently, as required, rather than make a lot in one batch, and then discover the powdered result in the back of the cupboard in 12 months!
1. Toast the Sichuan peppercorns 3 minutes/Varoma/speed soft, then mill 1 minute/speed 9.
2. Sieve to remove any husks.