Grilled lamb with sesame sauce

Lamb was not a meat I had known in my Chinese childhood. The first time I had lamb was in France; I was surprised by its assertive, but delectable, flavour. I quickly learned that lamb marries well with Asian spices. In this recipe, I serve the lamb with a Japanese-inspired sauce. Use the most expensive sesame paste you can afford; the higher the price, the better the quality. Serve this delicious lamb with potatoes done to your liking.

Ingredients

4 x 175g (6 oz) lean lamb chops

For the marinade

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp roasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 tsp freshly ground five-pepper mixture or black pepper
1 tbsp dried thymme
2 tsp whole dried rosemary leaves

For the sesame sauce

2 tbsp highest quality Japanese sesame paste or creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine) or dry sherry
1 tbsp Japanese white rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp Home-made chicken stock
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub the lamb chops evenly with this mixture. Allow the meat to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.

Pre-heat the oven grill to high or make a charcoal fire in the barbecue. When the grill is very hot or the charcoal is ash-white, grill the lamb chops for about 8 minutes on each side, until medium rare. Remove from the grill, reserving any cooking juices, and let the chops sit on a warm platter for at least 20 minutes.

In a pan, combine the sesame paste, mirin or sherry, vinegar, salt, pepper and stock. Mix vigorously. Bring to the boil and reduce slightly. Meanwhile, pour the reserved lamb juices and any that may have accumulated on the platter into the sauce, with the spring onions. Pour the sauce over the lamb chops and serve at once.

© Ken Hom and reproduced with his kind permission.