Spiced lamb chops with cucumber raita

Ingredients

• 8 lamb chops, bones Frenched (ask your butcher to do this for you)
• olive oil, for drizzling
• lemon wedges, to serve

Marinade

• 3 cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tsp chilli powder, to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt

Raita

• 1 long cucumber, halved, seeded and grated
• 250 g (1 cup) Greek yoghurt
• 1 handful mint leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt, to taste

Marinating time: 2 hours, preferably overnight

Instructions

1. For the marinade, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add the lamb chops to the marinade and stir to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight if time permits.
3. For the raita, grate the cucumber into a kitchen cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Mix the yoghurt, mint, cumin and a pinch salt in a bowl, then add the cucumber and stir to combine well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue over medium-high heat. Remove some of the marinade from the lamb chops, then drizzle the chops with a little oil. Grill for 15 minutes, turning once or until golden and cooked to your liking. Serve with the raita and lemon wedges.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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