Lal Manse (Curried Lamb Chops)

by Chef Vikram Vij

This dish does require constant stirring. Take your time and enjoy making this dish. It will taste better if you open up a bottle of wine while you are cooking and another while you are eating it. The gravy should stick to the meat and not be too thin or runny, but there should be enough sauce to mop up with naan or rice.

1/2 cup ghee or butter
2 bay leaves
3-inch cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 red chilies
5 black cardamom pods
1 cup sliced red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped ginger
1 1.5-pound (750-gram) trimmed rack of lamb,
cut into chops
Salt to taste
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 cups yogurt
3/4 cup puréed red onion

Heat ghee or butter in a heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, peppercorns, chilies and cardamom and fry for 1 minute. Add sliced red onion and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and fry another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring.
Add lamb, season with salt and brown about 3 minutes a side. Add tomatoes, cover and let simmer slowly, turning meat occasionally. If lamb sticks to pan, add warm water and stir together to prevent lamb from sticking.

Combine nutmeg, mace, cayenne, turmeric, yogurt and puréed red onion and stir into meat. Season with salt to taste.

Simmer for at least 20 minutes over low heat.

Wine pairing by Beppi Crosariol:

Here’s a dish to shatter the myth that red meat always calls for red wine. Viognier, a white grape yielding a floral, silky wine, can stand up to curry’s complex aromatics. The chilled temperature also refreshes the palate. Usually medium to full-bodied, viognier can be found in expensive bottles labelled Condrieu from France’s northern Rhône Valley. But many good examples for less than $20 can be had from all over the world, notably southern France, Australia and California. White alternatives: sémillon-sauvignon blanc blends from Australia.