Tandoori Style Lamb Cutlets

Spice Kitchen

Posted by Hardie Grant

About

Serves 4

Grilling (broiling) or barbecuing meat and vegetables over charcoal is a really important method in Indian cooking. It is done in a clay oven, the tandoor, or in a sigri, an open steel grate with a charcoal re. The sigri technique can be more easily replicated at home with a Western-style barbecue. If you use charcoal, you will be richly rewarded with fantastic avours. Gas barbecues or chargrill pans are the next best alternative. Serve with Naan or Parathas, and a leafy green salad.

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You Will Need (12 things)

  • 12 Lamb cutlets or 2 x 8-bone racks of lamb
  • Green Chutney to serve
  • Onion Salad to serve
  • Lime wedges to serve
  • 2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp ground Coriander
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • ½ tsp –1 teaspoon Salt , or to taste
  • 2 tbsp Mustard Oil or vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 tbsp White Vinegar
  • 125 g plain Yoghurt

Steps (3 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    If you are using the racks of lamb, cut each rack into 4 x 2-bone portions. Using a very sharp knife, remove one bone completely from each portion and scrape away the meat and fat at the top of the remaining bone to provide a clean ‘handle’.

    Alternatively, ask your butcher to do this for you. To make the marinade, mix together the chilli powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, oil and vinegar in a large shallow bowl.

  2. 2

    Add the lamb cutlets to the marinade and coat well. Cover and put in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour. Stir the yoghurt through the marinade, making sure it is mixed thoroughly and coats the lamb. Refrigerate for a further 1 hour. Preheat a barbecue, chargrill pan or grill (broiler) to a high heat.

  3. 3

    Remove the lamb from the marinade and barbecue or grill on one side until sealed and seared – about 2 minutes for the thin cutlets, and about 4 minutes if you are using the thick, ‘double’ cutlets. Turn the cutlets over and cook for a further 2 minutes for thin cutlets, and a further 4 minutes for thick cutlets. The cutlets are ready when they are seared on the outside but pink and juicy inside. Serve with green chutney, onion salad and lime wedges for
    squeezing over.

    Note: Lamb cutlets are the individually separated rib chops from a rack of lamb. They are almost always sold by butchers already French-trimmed, which means that the meat and fat at the top of the bone have been scraped
    away using a very sharp knife to provide a clean ‘handle’. If you are using the racks of lamb for this recipe, you could ask your butcher to prepare the racks into the 4 x 2-bone portions described instead of doing it yourself.