My favourite Mutton 'Chaamps' or Lamb Chops!

This is one of my most favourite recipes. It's simple, rich in flavour and absolutely finger licking good. I almost didn't share it coz it's THAT great! But then it wouldn't be fair to have a blog about food and not share the best of the best on it, would it?! So all I ask from you is that when you get all those compliments from your friends for being a such a rockstar cook, do send some my way!

Here it is, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients:

Mutton/Lamb Chops - 500 gm

Yogurt - 1 cup

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder- 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp

Green Chillies, chopped finely - 2

Ginger-Garlic Paste - 3 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - for basting

Brown Onion Paste - 1/2 cup

Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Amchur Powder (Raw Mango Powder) - 1 tsp

Onion Rings - For Garnish

Method:

1. Clean and trim the mutton/ lamb chops.

2. Whisk together yogurt, brown onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, Red Chili powder, garam masala powder, green chillies and salt. Let it chill.

3. Rub the chops with coriander powder and marinate in lemon juice for 30 minutes.

4. After 30 minutes, marinate the chops in the yogurt mixture for 2 hours.

5. Put the chops on a grill or a pan and cook till done.

6. Sprinkle amchur powder before serving. Garnish with onion rings and serve with mint chutney.

I usually make the chops in an open pan with a lid so that once it has browned, I can cover it and let it cook through as the quality of lamb chops in India is not that great and it takes far longer to get done. 

I had about 15 people over for dinner the other night and here's a picture of the chops cooking. Of course, it was almost 5 times the above quantity and I had to prepare it in two batches! 

Sorry, there is no 'after' picture of the final finished dish. As you can imagine, no one wanted to really wait till I got a picture! It just disappeared, so maybe next time.

Straight from the kitchens of Ladakh

Here's a continuation from my last post, and this comes straight from the kitchens of an army battalion posted in Ladakh! I had the privilege of trying these dishes when I was visiting them last year, and can promise you that they are finger licking good.

Before I share the recipes with you, a couple of things to note:

• Usually Tibetans do not use any spice powders, but coriander, turmeric and red chili powder as well as ready made meat-masala powders can be added as per choice and taste. 
• These are very basic and easy to cook recipes, and have actually been written by a Tibetan cook. Once you start preparing it, you may need to adjust certain proportions as per your liking. Increase or decrease the quantity of water depending on the consistency you want.
• You can also use your choice of meat for these recipes. What I had was Yak meat but it can easily be substituted with either mutton, lamb or even chicken.
• A vegetarian version of the Thukpa can be made by just omitting the mutton from it, the rest of the process remains same.
• Most of these recipes have 'ajinomoto' or mono sodium glutamate listed in the ingredients. There are certain health scares related to the use of this flavouring, although there are certain groups that would disagree. However, in case you want to avoid using it just substitute it with either Oyster sauce or Worcester sauce. 

Bon Appétit!