This recipe for lamb cutlets in Korean spices is pretty hot stuff. The lamb cutlets are marinaded in a red pepper paste and chilli for 12 hours before being grilled and served with a tahini and lemon juice dressing. An impressive dinner party dish.
Ingredients
- 100g gochujang (Korean fermented red pepper paste, see Tip) or use brown miso paste mixed with a little cayenne pepper
- 5 tbsp sake
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp mirin (see Tip)
- 1/2 tsp mild or hot chilli powder
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 12 French-trimmed lamb cutlets, excess fat removed
- 200g fine green beans, trimmed
- 1 tsp toasted black sesame seeds (see Tip) or normal sesame seeds, to serve
- For the sesame dressing
- 30g tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Method
- 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the gochujang paste, sake, soy, mirin, chilli and sesame oil. Add the lamb, turn to coat in the marinade and cover and chill for 12 hours to marinate, turning the lamb over halfway.
- 2. Just before serving, cut the beans diagonally into 5cm lengths. Cook in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and refresh in cold water. Set aside.
- 3. Preheat the grill to high. Lift the lamb from the marinade and spread out in 1 layer on a large, foil-lined baking tray. Grill, brushing with the marinade, for 3-4 minutes each side, until golden but still a bit pink in the middle. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- 4. Divide the lamb cutlets between plates and sprinkle with the black sesame seeds. Make the sesame dressing. Mix together the tahini
- and lemon juice and serve alongside, with the cooked beans.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 455kcals, 26.8g fat (9g saturated), 36.6g protein, 9.3g carbs, 1.6g sugar, 4.3g salt
Chef's tip
Most larger supermarkets stock sake, mirin and pickled ginger. More unusual Japanese ingredients (gochujang paste, black sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi and green tea powder)can be bought from the Japan Centre, 212 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HX. If you’re not in London, Japan Centre has a good website, visit (japancentre.com) for mail order.