Tag: main course
Afghani-Style Marinated Lamb Chops
Afghani-Style Marinated Lamb Chops
I’m a huge fan of lamb. I’m very partial New Zealand and Icelandic lamb as opposed to American lamb. My meat department I used to manage offered New Zealand lamb on the regular, with Icelandic lamb being available in the fall for 1 month to U.S. consumers. Both are slightly smaller than American lamb, but much more tender in my opinion. The NZ lamb was 100% grass fed, while the Icelandic was fed berries along with grass, making it sweeter in flavor. There are 2 options of lamb cuts to use for this recipe. You can use lamb rib chops or lamb loin chops. Rib chops are cut off the rack of lamb. If this was a beef cut, you’d know this as a bone in ribeye. These can be cut single or double bone. Lamb loin chops are the equivalent cut of a porterhouse steak, with one side of the bone the NY strip, the other side the tenderloin. Loin chops are typically cut 1 1/2” – 2” thick.There are a couple of options to cooking the lamb chops. The first option is to bake them at 350 degrees. Loin chops will take about 30 minutes. Double bone rib chops will take 20-25 minutes. Both need to be flipped half way through the cooking time. The other option would be to grill or broil. The lamb chops will take 5-6 minutes a side for medium rare. They turn out great either way you decide to cook them.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs lamb loin chops 1 1/2” – 2” thick
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp papaya paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix together all of the marinade ingredients.
- Add the marinade to the lamb loin chops in a gallon sized ziplock bag. Marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the lamb chops on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Bake the lamb chops for 30 minutes, flipping half way through the cooking time. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Crispy Marinated Tofu
Crispy Marinated Tofu
I think this recipe in particular is my favorite way to prepare tofu. The pressed tofu is marinated in a simple soy/chili sauce marinade, then coated in cumin seasoned cornstarch and lightly fried. The tofu needs at least 4 hours of marinating, preferably overnight. By pressing as much liquid as you can out of the tofu allows it to soak up more of the marinade. Once it’s coated in the cornstarch, fry for 4 minutes a side over medium high heat. I saved some of the marinade and microwaved it for about 45 seconds. After the tofu has drained on paper towel, I spoon over the cooked marinade. Garnish the tofu chopped cilantro and green onions.
Ingredients
- 1 block firm or extra firm tofu pressed
- vegetable oil for frying
Marinade
- 1/3 cup light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 3 tbsp chili paste
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp housin sauce
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
Coating
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp cumin
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
- green onions chopped
Instructions
- Mix together marinade ingredients.
- Cut your block of pressed tofu into 16 pieces, like so.
- Marinate the tofu for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Mix together the coating ingredients.
- Toss the tofu in the coating mix, making sure everything is evenly coated.
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the tofu.
- Fry for 4 minutes a side.
- Drain on paper towel.
- Garnish with green onion and cilantro.
Gochujang Marinated Grilled Shrimp
Gochujang Marinated Grilled Shrimp
If you like spicy, this recipe is for you. Gochujang paste is great as a marinade for shrimp, as well as chicken, pork, and squid. When selecting shrimp, I chose to use 8-12 count. These are the ideal size for grilling and broiling, especially if you want to add a glaze to the shrimp.
Equipment
- metal skewers
- charcoal
- chimney starter
- charcoal grill
- brush
Ingredients
- 1 lb 8/12 ct. shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1 tbsp honey
Garnish
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. Save half of the marinade for basting.
- Add in the shrimp. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Skewer the shrimp. Let your charcoal turn grey in the chimney starter. Pour the charcoal into the grill and place on the grate. Place the skewers directly over the charcoal.
- Grill the shrimp for 2 minutes a side.
- Brush the shrimp with the other half of the marinade. Grill for another minute on each side.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
