Rose Petal Lamb Chops by Sumayya Jamil

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ready in: 30 minutes
Make Sure You Have: Spice blender

Ingredients:
*Garam Masala*
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2 whole cardamon pods
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp cilantro seeds
¼ cup (50g) dry, edible rose petals

Lamb Chop Marinade
1½ cup Greek yogurt
1 large onion, for the brown onion paste (directions below)
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 green chili, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
½ lime, juiced
4 lamb chops
2 tbsp corn oil

Salad
1 tomato, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
½ red onion diced
½ tsp garlic, puréed
1 whole chili, diced
2 tbsp cilantro, diced
1 tbsp mint, diced
1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp pomegranate
2 tbsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste

Directions:
Lamb Chops
1. Start by preparing the garam masala by adding the cinnamon, the cloves, the cardamon and the peppercorns to the spice blender.

2. In a pan, dry roast the cilantro seeds and cumin seeds. The cilantro seeds should be added first, and you should take care not to let the spices burn. Add the roasted spiced to other garam masala ingredients in the spice blender, and blend briefly.

3. To this spice blend, add most of the rose petals in stages, blending briefly each time more rose petals are added. Keep 1 or 2 tsp of the rose petals for serving.

4. In another bowl, add the Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp brown onion paste, the garlic and ginger paste, green chili, fresh cilantro and the lime juice. To make the brown onion paste, fry 1 large onion until it becomes a rich brown color, and then leave to drain on a piece of kitchen paper, and mince roughly. This can be made a number of days in advance and kept in the fridge.

5. To the yogurt mixture, add the lamb chops and most of the garam masala, keeping 1 or 2 tsp for serving, and mix thoroughly. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes.

6. Once marinated, heat a griddle pan with the corn oil, and grill the lamb chops for about 3 minutes on both sides. Finally, top with the remaining garam masala and rose petals, and serve alongside the salad.

Salad
1. To prepare the salad, dice the ingredients into similar sized pieces. Then add the tomato, the cucumber, the onion, the garlic, the chili, the cilantro, the mint, the pomegranate, and the lime juice to a bowl, and mix together. The amount of chili can be varied according to your taste.

2. Dry roast the cumin seeds in a pan, taking care not to burn them. Crush the seeds either in a pestle and mortar or between the palms of your hands, and add them to the salad. Finally, season with salt and serve.