Lamb chops with Indian spices

Lamb chops with Indian spices

Lamb chops with Indian spices

One of the top-selling dishes at London's Tamarind restaurant, Alfred Prasad creates an Indian-inspired lamb dish, served with fresh mint

  • Ready in 1-1½ hours, plus 4 hours marinating
  • Serves 4
  • Moderately easy

Nutrition per serving

  • Calories 762
  • Carbohydrates 4
  • Saturated Fat 28
  • Sugar 0
  • Protein 57
  • Fat 58
  • Fiber 1
  • Salt 0.43

Ingredients

  • 8 double-boned lamb best end chops - you will need to ask your butcher for these

  • juice of 1 lime

  • 3 tbsp malt vinegar

  • 1 tsp chilli powder

  • 125ml mustard oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for frying

  • 85g gram flour (chickpea flour)

  • 4 star anise toasted in a hot pan

  • 3 green chillies

  • 8 garlic cloves

  • 1 small papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped

  • Fresh mint sauce (see link below)

  • Tamarind's winter salad (see link below)

Method

  1. Marinate the chops in the lime juice, vinegar, chilli powder and a pinch of salt while you make the rest of the marinade.

  2. Heat 100ml of the oil in a small saucepan and add the gram flour, stirring continuously for a minute or two until the flour forms a smooth sandy paste and you begin to smell a nutty aroma. Transfer the paste to a bowl and leave to cool.

  3. Crush the star anise using a pestle and mortar, then tip into a food processor with the chillies, garlic, papaya and the remaining oil and blend to a smooth paste. Mix both pastes over the marinated meat and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.

  4. To cook the chops, preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Lift the chops out of the marinade and wipe off any excess so the chops are just lightly coated. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the chops in batches for a couple of minutes on each side until browned. Transfer to a roasting tray and roast for 10-20 minutes depending on how pink you like your lamb. Serve the chops with mint sauce and winter salad.