CHINOIS GRILLED LAMB CHOPS
Ingredients
- 2 2 2racks of lamb (about 2 pounds each) trimmed and cut into individual chops
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Marinade
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumesoy sauce
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumemirin (sweet sake)
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumeAsian sesame oil
- 2 2 2cups CUP_USVolumechopped scallions
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumedried red chile flakes
Cilantro Mint Vinaigrette
- 1 1 1cup CUP_USVolumepeanut oil
- 1/2 0.5 0.5cup CUP_USVolumerice wine vinegar
- 1/4 0.25 0.25cup CUP_USVolumecoarsely chopped mint, cilantro and parsley
- 1 1 1tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumehoney
- 1/2 0.5 0.5tablespoon TABLESPOON_USVolumechopped ginger
- a dash of chili oil
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade: In a bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients. In a large shallow dish, pour marinade over the lamb chops and refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.
- While the lamb chops are marinating, prepare the vinaigrette. To make the vinaigrette, in a blender combine all the ingredients, except the oil, and blend until smooth. Slowly add peanut oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat grill.
- Remove lamb chops from marinade and place them on a hot grill. Grill medium rare, about 3 minutes each side; or sauté them in a skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes on each side. (Cook the chops in several batches if necessary, but don’t crowd the pan.)
Presentation
Make an island of sauce on each plate. Place 3 or 4 lamb chops on center. Decorate with cilantro or mint sprigs on top and serve with stir-fried vegetables or vegetable-fried rice (see separate recipes).Wine Recommendation
Lamb is always exciting for wine lovers because it invites big, strong flavors. I like to experiment with new wines and I’ve discovered some wonderful Californian Zinfandels that are perfect partners for the powerful flavors in this dish. Look for Ridge and Howell Mountain Vineyards and see if you can find one of the luscious Turley Zins. They’ll surprise you, I promise.
ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This is one of the all-time favorites at Chinois. The marriage of lamb with mint is a classic, but serving it with cilantro in a vinaigrette makes a really fresh and exciting dish. Look for young Sonoma or Colorado lamb to get the kind of sweetness and tenderness that is best cooked medium-rare.