I love dal and I love lamb so the 2 together are a match made in heaven. I am slightly addicted to garam masala and the great thing about making your own is you can adjust the spices to your own taste. The juicy lamb and lentils compliment each other perfectly.

Ingredients

For the lamb

• 4 lamb chops, fat trimmed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• Thumb sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp of garam or chaat masala
• 1 tsp mint sauce
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp oil, I used rapeseed

For the lentil dal

• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp of chaat or garam masala
• 6 cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup red split lentils, rinsed and drained
• 350ml chicken stock
• Bay leaf

Method

For the lamb

1. Add all the ingredients except the lamb into a food processor and blitz to form a paste
2. Add the chops to a bowl pour over the marinade and give them a good rub so they are coated all over, cover and put in the fridge.
3. When ready to cook heat the oven to 200 degrees (fan) heat a knob of ghee in an ovenproof frying pan over a moderate to high heat. Sear the lamb all over for a minute on each side then place in the oven for around 10 minutes. When cooked place in some foil and leave to rest for 10 mins.

For the dal

1. Heat the ghee in a saucepan. Add the chopped shallots and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the mustard seeds and cook for a minute until they start to pop.
2. Add in all the spices and stir to coat the shallots and cook for another minute.
3. Add the lentils to the pan and again stir so they coated. Pour in the chicken stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes so the lentils absorb the liquid but still have a bit of bite to them.

Ladle the dal between 2 serving bowls. Place the rested lamb chops on top. Enjoy 😋