“GET TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL BUTCHER AND LEARN THE DIFFERENT CUTS OF LAMB.”

As gluttons for mutton, it was a must for us to feature a Lamb Special during its prime season here in the UK. WORDS BY BETH HUGHES

HIS SUMMER, FIND out more with Chaat! about the best cuts, tips and lamb recipes, as well as a peek at the benefits of lamb. Hopefully we’ll inspire

you to make the most of this tender meat this season.

PERFECT FOR SPICESLamb meat, easily sourced and bought worldwide, is the most consumed red meat in India due to the sacred nature of cow’s meat. Also a popular meat in many other cultures, scores of Asian lamb dishes exist to satisfy spice lovers. Dev Biswal, head chef of The Ambrette restaurants located in Canterbury, Rye, and Margate, shares some tips on how to create his exotic Spicy Lamb Pie.

“The spices used in the pie recipe are so refreshing it turns it from a warming winter

Lovelylamb

dish to a fresh summer meal,” he tells us. Younger lamb meat should be darker when raw than older lamb meat (over 1 year old), and Dev advises to keep an eye on the changing colour of the lamb as it cooks in the spice mix, ensuring the tender meat doesn’t dry out. “The leg of lamb is a better quality joint with less fat in it” says Dev, who advises using ½ inch cubes of a boneless meat to allow absorption of the fresh spice mix. The better the rearing and quality of lamb, the less fat the meat should have.

Dev’s use of fresh herbs not only please the tongue but can also benefit the body. The fresh ginger used has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects – perfect for a lighter feast on warm sunny days.

Head chef Faisal at Rumi by Bukhara in Liverpool also likes to include the healthiest

ingredients with his lamb dishes. In his famous Nihari Lamb dish, the budding chef uses aniseed, which contains plenty of vitamins and minerals of which can also help control blood pressure and heart rate. Faisal shares with Chaat! his secret summer tip: “Papaya. It works really well with this dish!” Note how the whole joint of lamb works with this dish, as Faisal recommends immersing the leg with the bone. “The slow cooking process is quite timely, approximately three hours, and works better with higher quality meat.”

GOOD QUALITYSourcing the best quality of meat is a given for all chefs, who recommend using the best fresh and local ingredients, just as they do. “I always use Welsh Lamb” says Vanesther, chef at a prestigious Bristol restaurant. Agri-environment schemes and selective breeding methods help Welsh Lamb farmers raise the most tender and lean meat. The unique Welsh landscape contains an expansive grass rich area with an abundance of clean, well-connected rivers and streams, making Welsh Lamb one of the world’s main livestock producers.

Vanesther, in celebration of National Curry

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FEATURE | LAMB

Aromatic Lamb Pie, with Samosa Pastry

Roast Shoulder of Lamb

Nehari

A favourite with diners at The Ambrette restaurants in Canterbury, Rye and Margate, this aromatic lamb pie from head chef Dev Biswal is a perfect winter warmer that packs an exotic and nutritional punch.

Serves: 4-6INGREDIENTS

2.5kg Lamb Leg with bone, without fat cut into 200g pieces2 onions, finely chopped1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste 1 tbsp Red chili powder1 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Coriander powderSalt to taste2l Water 3tsp Aniseed 8 pieces of cinnamon4 pieces of Green cardamom1 tbsp Ginger (julienne cut)1 Green chill1 cup Yoghurt1 1/2 cup OilWheatLime

HOW TO MAKE

Heat oil in a pan and fry chopped onion until golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste, red chilli, turmeric, salt, coriander powder and cook on medium heat. Add Yoghurt and mix the gravy.

Add lamb with bone and stir fry, then add water. Add Whole spices and place it in the pan.

Cover with the lid and cook on low heat - this process is quite time consuming, approximately 3 hours, depending on the quality of the lamb

When meat is tender, it will start falling off the bone. Remove the excess oil from the gravy surface.

Remove and strain the whole spices, and place the meat to one side.

Remove all the bones and whole spicesThe gravy that you’re left with needs to

thicken up, add some wheat and cook for a couple of minutes until the gravy thickens. Add the boneless meat

Add chopped green chilli and ginger julienne cut as a garnish

Serve with lime wedges and Rice/Naan bread

Serves: 6INGREDIENTS

Leg of Lamb - 1kg boneless, cut into ½ inch cubes2 tbsp rapeseed oil½ tsp whole black pepper1 green cardamom pod1 black cardamom pod1 inch cinnamon1 white onion finely sliced4 medium sized tomatoes, quartered1 tsp salt1 tsp fresh ginger paste½ tsp fresh garlic paste½ fresh green chilli½ tsp red chilli powder1 tsp turmeric powder1 medium sized potato, diced and fried1 pinch saffron dissolved in a tbsp. of warm milk1 pinch ground nutmeg½ bunch chopped coriander1 sprig of mint1 tsp lemon juicesalt to season

FOR THE POTATO TOPPING

4 medium sized potatoes, boiled and grated1 tsp fresh ginger paste½ tsp fresh garlic paste¼ green chilli finely chopped2 tbsp. butter100ml water200 ml single cream

Serves: 6INGREDIENTS

Shoulder of Lamb with fat 2 cups oil2 tbsp Chilli powder2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste1 Green papaya2 kg natural yoghurt1 tbsp Turmeric powder2 tbsp Cumin powder1 tbsp Coriander powder1 cup Tamarind1 tsp salt

Week, concocted a beautiful lamb curry which combined her own professional knowledge with her Malaysian roots. “Growing up in Malaysia, which uses a lot of lamb in cooking, I used to eat this dish all the time. When I knew I wanted to make a lamb curry I phoned family members and we racked our brains. My family absolutely love this dish,” she proudly says. Using plum tomatoes, coconut milk, and Macadamia nuts to thicken the consistency, this traditional-with-a-twist dish is simply “moreish” according to its dedicated chef. Perfect for family occasions, Vanesther suggests adding less chili so children can happily tuck in too.

A CUT ABOVE THE RESTWhile magazines urge people to get to know their local butchers, local butchers also urge cunning cooks to ‘know their cuts.’ Commonly, the neck, fillet and chops of lamb are the more expensive, while the shoulders are a great alternative to leg. More inexpensive still are the scrag and the two top bits of neck just below the head, as opposed to the best bit of neck taken from towards the middle of the animal. A joint of neat chump from the back of the animal will be packed with juices, and a cut of breast taken from the underbelly will still contain ribs. If you ask nicely, your butcher may remove the fat, and also remove the ribs to offer a boned and rolled breast.

The fatty lamb breast is perfect to use in a traditional Kashmiri Tabak according to Hari Gotra, up and coming chef and online seller of curry kits. “I think this is a really interesting one because it uses lamb breast which is cut into strips to produce bone free ribs. This cut isn’t used a great deal these days,” says Hari. “If however you don’t want to use this then you can use lamb shoulder chops instead.” Following a long, intricate process of thrice-cooking the ribs, Hari’s recipe promises an aromatic and crispy lamb dish. “If pork scratchings are your thing then this probably will be too,” she jokes.

IT’S GOOD FOR YOULamb itself is packed with nutrients for the body’s muscle and blood function, such as vitamin B-12, zinc, iron and especially protein. Research shows that lamb is more easily absorbed by the body than other foods – a superb reason, it sounds to us, to whack the BBQ out, and be refreshed with Welsh Lamb Apricot Burgers or be adventurous with Welsh Lamb and Feta burgers. We’d also recommend cracking open a bottle of amber ale - the complex, heavy brew offers an intensity that compliments and matches the strong flavor of lamb. <

1 tsp lemon juiceSalt to taste1 tsp ground black pepper

HOW TO MAKE

Heat oil in a large pan. Temper black pepper, cinnamon, crushed green cardamom and black cardamom.

When the spices crackle, add the sliced onions and fry on medium heat till golden brown; add salt to speed up the process of caramelization of onions.

Add the fresh ginger, fresh garlic, green chilli, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Fry everything together for another 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook till all the ingredients dissolve into one single reddish brown mash.

Add the cubed lamb to this spice mix, cook till it is seared well and the meat changes colour and is almost cooked. This should take two hours on a low to medium heat. Add small amount of water if the mixture gets dry.

Meanwhile, prepare the potato topping. Heat the butter in a thick bottom pot

Add the ginger, garlic , chilli and lightly fry. Add the grated potatoes and cook.

Add water and cream and cook together to a thick creamy consistency. Add lemon juice, black pepper and salt to taste.

After the meat mixture has simmered for two hours, add the diced potatoes, saffron, nutmeg, fresh coriander and mint. Season to taste.

Line the pie mix in a mould or ring. Top with the potato topping and enjoy hot.

A square of samosa or spring roll pastry is the perfect finishing touch for this dish!

Neck

DIFFERENT CUTS OF LAMB

Loin

LegBellyBreast

ForeshankHindshank

Shoulder

Rack(cutlets/ chops)

Chump (rump)

HOW TO MAKE

Make deep cuts on the shoulder blend the green papaya to a paste consistency

Place ginger garlic paste and papaya onto the shoulder

Mix all the rest of the ingredients with a stick blender or whisk

Marinade over shoulder for 2 daysPre- heat oven at 200 C. Add the

marinated shoulder on an oven tray and cover with foil

Add water and keep the shoulder covered under the liquid place in pre heated oven

After 2 hours check the shoulderAfter 3½ hours should be readyUse the leftover marinade to make a

gravyOnce cooked, serve with salad and

roast potatoes

“LAMB IS MORE EASILY ABSORBED BY THE BODY THAN OTHER FOODS.”

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