Indianspiced lamb chops with mint chutney

There is something so uniquely Australian about lamb chops on the barbecue that always brings a smile to my face. In the olden days, we would team them with some tomato sauce, but these days I love to have this mouthwatering mint chutney as the accompaniment, as it brightens up the dish and has the most tantalising flavour. Mint and lamb are a match made in heaven.

Serves 4

8 lamb chops

2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted lemon wedges, to serve toasted cumin seeds, to serve

Crispy curry leaves

150g coconut oil

4 sprigs of curry leaves sea salt

Mint chutney

2 large handfuls of mint leaves

1 large handful of coriander leaves

2 garlic cloves

2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped 1 tsp finely grated ginger

1 tsp honey (optional)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp extravirgin olive oil

Raita

1⁄2 Lebanese cucumber

200g coconut yoghurt

1⁄2 tsp ground cumin

1⁄2 tsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp chopped mint leaves

Indian spice marinade

2 1⁄2 tsp coriander seeds

2 1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds

2 1⁄2 tsp sea salt

3 tsp turmeric

2 1⁄2 tsp garam masala

1⁄4 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)

3 garlic cloves, grated

1 1⁄2 Tbsp finely grated ginger

Method

To make the crispy curry leaves, melt the coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cooking in batches of two sprigs at a time, fry the leaves for 45 seconds until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season with salt and set aside.

To make the mint chutney, place the mint, coriander, garlic, chilli, ginger and honey (if using) in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and 1 tablespoon of water and continue to blend to a fine paste. Add a little more olive oil if it’s too thick.

Season with salt.

To make the raita, cut the cucumber in half lengthways and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds, then finely dice the cucumber.

Combine the cucumber with the yoghurt, cumin, coriander and mint in a bowl and season to taste with salt.

To make the Indian spice marinade, toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a frying pan over medium heat for 12 minutes until fragrant.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then grind in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle. Mix the ground spices with the remaining marinade ingredients in a large bowl.

Add the lamb chops to the marinade. Massage the marinade into the lamb chops until well coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or, for best results, overnight.

Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the lamb, turning occasionally, until browned and cook to your liking (67 minutes for mediumrare). Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Place the lamb on a large platter and pour over the pan juices. Serve with the mint chutney, raita and lemon wedges on the side, then sprinkle over some toasted cumin seeds. Garnish with the crispy curry leaves.