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Monday, May 26, 2008

DIY: Lamb Cutlet

I am a lazy cook. I do not like cooking stuff that will make me stand by the stove more than 30mins. Especially food recipes that calls for many ingredients, I would skip them in a flash.

Recently, I have finally perfected a way to make lamb cutlets the easy way, tasty but with minimal ingredients and fuss. All those mints and rosemary are too complicated for me. So instead what I have done through several trials and variations, this is the final version that worked. U need an oven for this to minimise frying but if you do not have one, u can still panfry it all the way.

Ingredients
- 8 fresh lamb cutlets (for 2 people)
- salt & pepper
- fresh garlic cloves (about 5-6 depending on size)
- honey
- 5 spice powder in a bottle
- dijon mustard seeds

To prepare (5mins, 15mins to sit)
- Lay the cutlets on a plate and season both sides with salt and pepper. Basically for each slab, i grind a full circle of my lake salt on each side.
- Then on one side, i sprinkled the 5 spice powder.
- Minced the garlic gloves and use a teaspoon to spread sparingly on top of the spice powder for each cutlet. (this gives the cutlet a really nice flavour and taste when you panfry it)
- Scoop a nice teaspoonful of mustard seeds for each cutlet and spread it on the cutlet (on top of the garlic). As you spread, the seeds will mix with the garlic which is fine.
- Use a spoon, drizzle half teaspoon honey over eac cutlets. The idea is NOT to coat it with too much honey or the taste will be too sweet. Honey is to sweeten and balance the salt and garlic giving it a slight sweet taste.
- Let it sit for at least 15mins for marinating effects.

To cook (20mins)
- I did it the reverse way. I stick the plate of lambs into the oven in the middle low level, baking at about 230 degrees Celsius.
- After about 10mins or when the meat turned white at the bones, take the plate out. The idea is that your lab should now be about 80-90% cook.
- Start the pan with medium flame, pour a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of butter into the warm oil. (the oil first to prevent butter from burning on the pan)
- Quickly after when your butter has melted (about 40secs), stick your lamb cutlet in with the mustard seed side facing down. The pan fry process will sear the lamb sides and cook the seed and garlic and honey together.
- About 2 min, flip the cutlet onto the other side and repeat for another 1-2mins .
- remove the cutlet and you should have much oil in the pan but bits of musturd seeds sticking together with the honey. Lower flame and pour the meat juice (from the baking plate) into the pan and then pour onto the finished cutlet.

Done.
Your cutlet should now be slightly pink on the inside and still oozing with natural juice when you eat it. Served with brocolini or whatever you like really.

Reason i didnt panfry it prior baking is because i personally found it hard to gauge the cooking time in the oven. I am a novice and so I found it much much easier this way.

I know chef panfry it first to sear the meat juice in before baking, but honestly when i did it the reverse way, it didnt affect my lamb much as it was still tender and juicy instead and I found it much easy to control how long to panfry the meat since i knew the meat is basically already precook. Also, i can adjust the flavour to be saltier or sweeter with honey in the frying pan if need be at the final stage.

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