Sizzling lamb lollipops
I came up with this recipe when I was in Wales, which produces some of the best lamb in the world. Ask your butcher for extra long lamb cutlets, untrimmed, so you have big Captain Caveman style chops to gnaw on. Marinate the lamb overnight if you can, to really intensify the flavours, which are inspired by the amazing Yemeni cooks I met in the old Tiger Bay community near the docks in Cardiff. Their community has been there for over 200 years, ever since the coal boom of the industrial revolution brought their ancestors to Wales. Their food hasn't become famous in the same way other cuisines have. But it should have. It's some of the most exciting food I've seen in a long time.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 14 of 17 ingredients — the other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 14 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Lamb | 100g cooked | 294 |
| Pistachio | 1 oz (28g / ~49 kernels) | 159 |
| Sesame | 1 tbsp (14g) | 120 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Feta Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Cucumber | 1/2 cup sliced (52g) | 16 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Turmeric | 1 tsp ground (3g) | 9 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
| Seed | not in our table | 0 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1 heaped teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 level teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 generous pinch turmeric
- 2 bird's-eye chillies, stalks removed, finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- sea salt
- ground pepper
- olive oil
- 8 quality long lamb cutlets, not trimmed, fatty side scored
- 50 g blanched almonds
- 50 g shelled pistachios
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- ½ cucumber
- 1 handful fresh mint leaves
- 100 g fat-free natural yoghurt
- ½ lemon
- 2 large ripe tomatoes
- 1 fresh red chilli
- ½ lemon
- a few sprigs fresh coriander
- a little feta cheese, for crumbling over