Indian grilled lamb chops

Recipe adapted from here

 

Lamb chops/ cutlets- 1/2 kg (around 6 of them)

Marinade

Greek yoghurt- 2 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder (spicy variety)- 1/2 tsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp

Tomato paste/puree- 1 tsp

Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Butter- 1/2 tbsp, melted, to baste

Wash and pat dry the lamb chops.

Trim off as much of the fat possible (refer notes)

Flatten the chops with a mallet, or use your knife to hammer the meat (with the sharp side) so you create incisions on the meat but it doesn't cut through. Do rapid movements like you are using a mallet. This helps with making the meat tender. If you cant figure any of these, use your palm to flatten the meat.

Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and rub all over the lamb chops.

Cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hrs. Overnight is best.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 200C and line a baking tray with heavy duty silver foil.

Brush a bit of the butter on the foil and arrange the lamb chops without touching each other.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Take the tray out, and baste with melted butter.

Change the oven setting to broil/grill mode on the highest setting. Mine is at 250C. Wait for the oven to preheat to the setting.

Place the tray right under the grill for 3 to 4 minutes.

Take the tray out, flip the chops, baste with melted butter and place back under the grill for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove and keep aside for about 5 minutes before you serve. 

Notes: If you get the lamb cutlets from the supermarket then it will usually have a layer of fat, try and take that off. However, from the Indian butchers, you will most probably get them without the fat. 

The grilling time depends on the grill power. If its a low power one, then grill for another 3 to 4 minutes. The chops need to have a charred effect and must also be cooked through. That said, be careful to not burn them.

The chops go really well with Mint coriander chutney.

Bihari lamb chops

Recipe adapted from here (Serves 3 as part of main meal)

Lamb chops/cutlets- 500 gms

Marinade

Thick yoghurt- 3/4th cup

Chilli powder- 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Poppy seeds- 3/4th tbsp, powdered

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder- 3/4th tsp

Garam masala- 3/4th tsp

Coriander powder- 3/4th tsp

Nutmeg- a generous pinch, powdered

Mace- a generous pinch, powdered

Fried onions- 3 tbsp

Papaya paste- 1 1/2 tbsp

Ginger paste- 3/4th tbsp 

Vegetable oil- 2tbsp (mustard oil is ideal)

Salt- to taste

Flatten the meaty side of the lamb chops using a mallet, as much as you can. This will help tenderise the meat.

Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.

Apply it to the lamb chops properly and cover and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour. Overnight is best.

When ready to cook, line a baking tray with heavy duty baking foil and arrange the lamb chops on it.

Place the oven rack as close to the grill as possible and turn on the broil/grill mode and set temp to the maximum. It was 240c for my oven.

Wait for it to preheat. It could take close to 10 minutes depending on your oven.

Once preheated, place the tray carefully on the rack and grill/broil for 10 minutes on one side.

Remove tray, turn over the chops (brush with the juices on the tray if you feel its drying out) and grill/broil for another 6 to 8 minutes. 

Take the tray out and put a fork through a thick part of the meat. If it goes through easily, then the meat is cooked. Or you can slice a small bit and do the taste test.

The cooking time mostly depends on the thickness of the meat, but start checking for doneness at about 5 minutes after you flip it. Mine took a total of 10 minutes on each side.

Once out of the oven, leave to rest for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a serving plate and enjoy.

You can squeeze some lime juice on top for that extra zing.

We had it with coconut milk pulao, dal fry and gunpowder potatoes (recipe coming soon).

Notes: The original recipe calls for boneless lamb pieces and is served as a kabab. I thought lamb chops were a better idea and i was right. It was the most juiciest marinade and the meat was just falling off the bone once it was cooked.

Dont ditch the papaya paste, it does wonders.

Make sure you cook the masala well, or else it will taste raw, irrespective of the meat being cooked.

I will put it under the grill for a few more minutes next time just to get a bit more of the charred effect.

Would be great fit on a bbq grill

If you are using boneless lamb pieces, you can skewer them and pan fry with some oil, flipping sides till done.

If you would like to try tandoori lamb chops, here is the recipe

Sunday brunch for two

I love the whole idea of a brunch. I've said that loads of times and here I am saying it again. There is something romantic about the whole brunch bit, even better when you are not making it and you just sit there with a cocktail and make idle conversation with friends. I keep thinking about making Sunday a brunch day, but I wake up at quite an ungodly hour and by that time Ro would have already had his breakfast and then brunch idea keeps getting pushed on to lunch. But I still like to refer to it as brunch, you know..because I can :)

Last Sunday wasn't any different. Had a late night out on Saturday and by the time I woke up it was close to 10 and of course Ro had made himself a nice lavish breakfast with eggs and the works and I was just getting into cooking mode when the husband decides he wants lunch NOW (this is probably at around 11.30- 12, and after a heavy breakfast). I was so damn pissed that I decided to ignore him and make my so-called brunch, whatsoever.

By the time I was done it was about 1.30 (perfect lunch time, if you'd ask me) and Ro obviously wanted to eat what I made and did so with a long face. And then we had to argue about random stuff (so not what I had in mind) and I stormed out of the room leaving everything in the kitchen as it is and vessels unwashed. If Ro hadn't even bothered to clean up, I would have probably stormed out of the house itself, but that drama didn't happen and by evening Ro pretended all was good with the world and I even bribed him into making me a hot cuppa ginger-lime tea (oh its awesome if you haven't tried it btw) and then caught a movie (The Lincoln lawyer which was interesting to say the least). Dinner out and cocktails were a great end to an otherwise normal Sunday and I decided 'all's well with the world, after-all' :)

Individual oven-coddled eggs with mashed potato and herbs (Baked eggs and potato)

I found this recipe while I was browsing and the bon appetit online version appeals a lot to me, the pictures at least and its very rarely I actually read through a recipe (typical me) unless I'm looking for something in particular. This recipe by Dorie Greenspan caught my eye since i WAS looking for a baked egg brunch idea and have no regrets. It tasted so darn good that I cant wait to throw a brunch party and flaunt it. Go ahead say it 'I'm so vain' ;)

Anyhoo, the herbs in this dish just added that awesome flavour and I cant imagine why I never really used Rosemary and Thyme in my cooking. But like I have mentioned before, its an acquired taste, and if you don't like it...then you just don't!

Also, I was wondering how incredibly cute these eggs would have looked in the amazing Le Creuset cookware. Cant wait to get my hands on some of those.

Milk- 1/4 cup

Bay leaf- 1

Potatoes- 7 oz (I used about 5 to 6 baby potatoes)

Shallots- 2 medium, thinly sliced

Butter- 1tbsp

Rosemary- 1/2 tsp, minced

Thyme- 1/2 tsp, minced

Eggs- 3

Whipping cream- 3 tbsp

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese- 3 tbsp or as per your taste

Salt & pepper- to taste

Chives or parsley- to sprinkle (optional)

Bring the milk to a boil, add the bay leaf and let it seep for about 15 minutes.

While that's taken care of, cook the potatoes in boiling water till mashable consistency..say about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Drain, remove skin and mash with a potato masher or fork.

Add the shallots, butter, rosemary, thyme and milk (discard the bay leaf), season with enough salt and pepper and mix well till you get a smooth consistency.

Butter 3 ramekins and divide the potato mix equally.

Crack one egg each carefully over the mashed potato in each ramekin.

Spoon 1 tbsp cream on top of each egg and also sprinkle enough (approx. 1 tbsp) Parmesan cheese.

Preheat the oven to 176C and place the ramekins in a baking tray. Fill the tray with enough hot water making sure they come half way up the ramekin.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the egg whites are set but the yolk is still soft.

Take it out of the oven, sprinkle some parsley or chives and serve on its own or as a side to any main meal.

Notes: I halved the recipe. Double it if you need to please more guests :)

You can also make the whole thing in a baking dish rather than doing it individually in ramekins.

I baked it for a bit longer (30 minutes) cos I was a little scared of the uncooked yolk (salmonella and all that crazy stuff you know!). Also I hate runny yolk. But I think 30 was a tad too much and it became a bit too hard, so lesser time hence forth.

You also don't need to particularly bake it in a water bath. Tried both ways, not much difference.

The best ever beef chops with gravy

My mom-in-law, who is such an awesome cook, introduced me to these beef chops on my visit home last December. I stood by her side trying to grasp all that she was showing me but you know me, how spaced out I am, that I start thinking about what to wear for the dinner party that evening. So after the first few steps, it all went over my head. I told mamma that I will call her up for the recipe and method since I was pretty sure I wouldn't remember half of what she showed me. I went back to my place and bragged about this dish to my mom and one day while we were sitting around chatting, my mom asked me for this recipe and I had no clue. No problemo, I called up my mother-in-law and she gave me the details. Made it and it was such a big hit. Came back to England and obviously I had forgotten the recipe AGAIN! Lucky for me, my sister-in-law and family had just relocated to UK and time differences were not an issue. Called her up and got the details on how to make it. Made it and it was brilliant (although Ro would beg to differ). Made it again last weekend and it was even better. So before I forget here's the recipe for my mom in laws kick ass beef chops with gravy.

Thin cut beef steak or frying steak- 500 gms

Onion- 2 small, finely chopped

Ginger- 1 inch piece, thinly sliced

Garlic- 3 pods, thinly sliced (optional)

Soy sauce- 2 tbsp (or less if you don't want a strong taste)

Tomato ketchup- 1 tbsp

Freshly ground pepper powder- to taste

Salt- to taste (check if required at all)
Oil- 2 tsp

Potatoes- 3 large, cut into wedges or circles (you can also use baby potatoes)

Boil the potatoes till about 3/4th done. It shouldn't be over cooked. Keep aside.

Cut the beef steak into smaller slices and thin it out using a mallet or if you don't have that, just use a knife as a mallet and lightly chop it on either side..through the entire length of the steak (I know I'm not making much sense here, but I promise I'll post a pic the next time I do it)

In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients checking for enough salt and adding as required.

Place a pressure cooker on medium high heat and layer the beef steak slices at the bottom. Don't over crowd it and make sure they don't overlap.

Place a generous layer of the onion mix on top of the beef followed by the remaining beef and onion mix, till you are done, making sure you end with the onion mix.

Add a 1/4 cup water (if you want more gravy), close the lid, wait for the steam, place the weight and cook for about 4 to 5 whistles or about 10 to 12 minutes. You would know how long the beef you get cooks, so do accordingly.

Once the steam releases, open the lid and separate the beef chops from the gravy and the onion. Leave the gravy on medium heat to simmer for a while to get a thicker consistency. If there is not much gravy, you can add a wee bit water here.

Heat a frying pan and pour the oil. Swirl it around to coat the pan and once hot, char/fry the beef chops in batches. Just to get the beef a bit brown, you can skip this step if you are lazy. Remove and place in a serving dish.

Do the same with the pre-cooked potato wedges as well. Fry till the colour changes to a light brown. Place them on top of the beef chops and pour the gravy over it. Try and cover most of the chops and potatoes.

Serve hot with chapathi or garlic bread or like I did with the baked eggs.

Notes: My mom in law places the potatoes as well inside the pressure cooker so that also gets cooked simultaneously. I don't trust myself with that method because I always end up over cooking it.

Since I already had my carb in take with mashed potatoes, I avoided the potato wedges with the beef chops and hence its not in the picture.

Roast potatoes (Indian style)

Recipe adapted from here (serves 3 to 4 as a side dish)

Baby potatoes- 20-22 (around 500 gms)

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp

Chilli powder- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Double cream- 1/2 cup

Kasoori methi- 1 scant tbsp

Coriander leaves- 1/2 cup

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Rinse the baby potatoes and leave the skin on.

Slice them in half if you think some of them are big. Try and get them in similar sizes.

Par boil in enough water till 3/4th done. Drain and keep aside to cool.

Once cool, marinate the boiled potatoes with ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Keep aside for about half an hour.

In a large pan, heat the oil and on medium heat roast the potatoes till they turn brown.

This may take a while. Keep tossing in between and make sure you dont break/mash the potatoes. Try and use a pan that will hold all the potatoes in one layer.

It is very likely that the masalas will start sticking to the bottom of the pan, so just keep adding splashes of water if you feel they are getting burnt (a tsp or 2 at a time).

Once the raw smell of the ginger and garlic disappears, add the curry leaves and continue roasting till they turn golden brown. 

Pour in half the double cream, mix well and wait for it to be absorbed by the potatoes.

Follow with the the second half and continue to stir carefully.

Cook for a further 5 minutes or so, till the masalas are all coated on the potatoes.

Add the kasoori methi, 3/4th of the coriander leaves, and also salt if needed and give a final mix.

3 more minutes over medium heat and take it off the flame and stir in the lemon juice. 

Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with remaining coriander leaves and serve hot with either pulao, chapati or even as a side to to your favourite English Sunday roast.

Ive previously paired them with beef smore, roast chicken, beef chops, murgh mussalam, and roast poussin

Notes: You can of course use large potatoes. Just make sure you slice them evenly into large pieces. Dont make them too tiny.

Its a very versatile dish in the sense it goes very well with Indian and non Indian dishes.

Replace lemon juice with aamchor for a distinct taste.