• you will need to ask your butcher for these
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp malt vinegar
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 125ml mustard oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
• 85g gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 4 star anise toasted in a hot pan
• 3 green chillies
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1 small papaya , peeled, seeded and chopped

Marinate the chops in the lime juice, vinegar, chilli powder and a pinch of salt while you make the rest of the marinade.

Heat 100ml of the oil in a small saucepan and add the gram flour, stirring continuously for a minute or two until the flour forms a smooth sandy paste and you begin to smell a nutty aroma. Transfer the paste to a bowl and leave to cool.

Crush the star anise using a pestle and mortar, then tip into a food processor with the chillies, garlic, papaya and the remaining oil and blend to a smooth paste. Mix both pastes over the marinated meat and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.

To cook the chops, preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Lift the chops out of the marinade and wipe off any excess so the chops are just lightly coated.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the chops in batches for a couple of minutes on each side until browned.

Transfer to a roasting tray and roast for 10-20 minutes depending on how pink you like your lamb. Serve the chops with mint sauce and winter salad.

by Pak101.com (few years ago!) / 972 views