Borrowed the idea from The Guardian, naturally, and made it my own. The results are so satisfying, that we completely lost the picture taking opportunity or even the idea of it.. Must try to make the chops again, soon, and make sure the proper documentation will be created..
The beauty of the dish is that it really is not complicated, can be cooked under a grill, in a frying pan, griddle pan, or on a barbecue – all work equally well. I served it with dal, but we found the Indian flavours are not overwhelming and the accompaniment could include rice, pasta… There is no sauce to speak of (included relish is delicious, but is not suitable to serve as a sauce, e.g. for pasta..), so you may be somewhat creative about it. Our dal with ginger and garlic performed well enough.
The relish is simply excellent. We used it as a dip with crackers, a drop on a sandwich, a suitable companion to the cheese tray..
For 4 consumers I had
- 12 lamb chops (two remained for the next day snack..)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled( i took 5 mini ones, worked well)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp coriander seeds
- black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Next time I will increase the numbers above – I found the marinade somewhat in short supply – could have used a bit more…
Marinate the chops first. Smash the garlic and a pinch of salt to a rough paste in a pestle, then add the spices and pulverise until coarsely ground. Stir in the oil, then rub the mix all over the chops and leave ( I recommend a zip-lock bag) to marinate while you prepare everything else. I left them in the room temperature for almost 2 hours. Occasionally turned them around to make sure the coverage is as full as possible,
Get a griddle pan nice and hot. Season the chops with salt, then fry (or grill, or barbecue) for five to seven minutes, turning once until done to your liking (and depending on thickness). Rest for five minutes while you reheat the dal.
Serve with something like dal, or pasta, and the relish. Individual plates or shared serving dishes work.