Tandoori Lamb Chops/Cutlets

[f1ava]

The type you'd get on a typical 'mixed grill' dish at an Indian restaurant:



Anyone have any good recipes?
We don't have a tandoor but would like to try to replicate on the barbecue if possible.

Tips appreciated

[Fane]

Anjum Ananand does a great one in her "Indian Every Day" book. They're a summer BBQ staple for us now. I've tried googling it, but the receipe doesn't appear online that I can see.

From memory, marinate the chops in bashed up mint, a bit of veg oil, a bit of white wine vinegar, pinch of chilli and a spoonful of garam masala. There's probably something else, but just go buy the book as it's cheap and has some great reciepes in it.

[jep]

Madhur Jaffrey's classic book Indian Cooking has a very very good tandoori chicken recipe (oh, and the butter sauce is to die for!) where you can substitute lamb chops if desired. Depending on your garam masala blend, you may want to put a little extra in, and I usually add an extra clove of garlic.

Tandoori- style Chicken

2lb chicken pieces, skinned
1tsp salt
1 juicy lemon
1 3/4 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 medium onion, peeled & quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
a 3/4 inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled & quartered
1/2 fresh hot green chili, roughly sliced (or diced green chilis)
2tsp garam masala
Wedges of lime, optional

Cut each leg into 2 pieces and each breast into four pieces. Cut 2 long slits on each side of each part of the legs. The slits should never start at an edge and they should be deep enough to reach the bone. Cut similar slits on the meaty side of each breast piece.

Spread the chicken pieces out on one ore two large platters. Sprinkle 1/2 the salt and squeeze the juice from 3/4 of a lemon over them. Lightly rub the salt and lemon juice into the slits. Turn the chicken pieces over and do the same on the other side with the remaining salt & lemon juice. Set aside for at least 20 minutes

Combine the yoghurt, onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, and garam masala in the container of an electric blender or a food processor. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Empty the paste into a strainer set over a large ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Push the paste through.

Brush the chicken pieces on both sides with the food colouring* and then put them with any accumulated juices and any remaining food colouring, into the bowl with the marinade. Mix well, making sure that the marinade goes into the slits in the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 6-24 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat oven to its maximum temperature. Take the chicken pieces out of the bowl, shaking off as much of the marinade as possible. Arrange them in a large shallow baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just done. You might test the chicken with a fork just to be sure. Serve hot, with lime wedges.

• The traditional orange colour of cooked tandoori chicken comes from food coloring. You may or may not want to use it. If you do, mix 3 Tbsp yellow and 1/2 to 1 1/2 Tbsp red liquid food colours to get a bright orange shade. If your red is very dark, use only 1/2 Tbsp of it.

[avaF1]

Thank you very much

[NorthDave]

Rick Stein's India has a recipe where he cooks them in milk first - with cardamon etc first and then cooks them over a really high heat.

I did the milk bit but only had a grill when I tried it. They were OK but I think the searing heat is the key.

Found the recipe here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lamb_cutlets_spi...