Lamb chop pakoras with fattoush
Lamb chop pakoras hide tender spiced lamb within a spicy crisp coating – and the chop bone becomes a little handle to eat the nugget of gorgeousness. Serve as a starter with raita and chutney, and with fresh, crunchy fattoush salad for lunch or supper.
Ingredients
- 1kg/2lb 4oz small lamb chops
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 500ml/18fl oz milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 cloves
- 12 cardamom seeds, lightly bashed
- 2 mild chillies, finely sliced
- thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú gram flour
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 125g/4½oz thick natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- groundnut oil, for deep frying
For the fattoush
- 2 pitta breads
- 250g/9oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- 2 large or 4 small Little Gem lettuces, shredded
- 1 large green pepper, diced
- 4 spring onions, sliced into rounds
- 200g/7oz radishes, sliced into rounds
- small bunch parsley, finely chopped
- small bunch mint, finely chopped
For the dressing
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sumac, plus extra to serve
- pinch ground cinnamon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Method
Trim the fat from the lamb and scrape the bones clean.
Put a frying pan over a medium heat, add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast for a minute, then place in a pestle and mortar with the peppercorns and grind finely.
Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan and add the cumin and coriander mixture, the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, chillies, ginger and onion. Bring to the boil and add the chops. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20–30 minutes until the liquid has reduced and the chops are tender. Pat dry.
Meanwhile, make a batter by whisking together the gram flour, mustard seeds, yoghurt, salt, cayenne and 5 tablespoons of water. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to rest.
To make the fattoush, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Split the pitta breads crossways so you have 4 thin flatbreads. Put these on a baking tray and bake for 10–15 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Leave for a minute or two until cool enough to handle, then tear the pitta bread into small pieces.
Put all the vegetables and herbs into a large bowl, add the pieces of pitta bread and mix thoroughly.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, season to taste and pour over the salad. Mix thoroughly.
To cook the pakoras, heat the oil in a deep heavy-based pan. It is ready when a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden brown when dropped in. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Using the bone as a handle, dip each chop in the batter (keeping the batter off the bone) and fry until golden: you may need to do this in 2–3 batches. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve with small bowls of salt flakes, raita, chutneys and lime quarters. Serve the fattoush salad on the side, with a little more sumac sprinkled over.