Asian Marinated Lamb Cutlets

If there's one thing Merivale's Executive Head Chef, and culinary star behind Sydney establishments Mr Wong's and Ms. G's knows, it's the importance of heritage and nostalgia.

Timeless flavours, cooking techniques and secret family tricks, make up Dan Hong's cooking DNA and he's teamed up with Australian Lamb to share his favourite family dishes. For Dan, nothing beats memories of tucking into a plate of Vietnamese style lamb chops or dipping lamb dumplings into chilli oil.

So what's Dan's secret to these delicious recipes? Quite simply, it's his mum, Angie Hong, Dan's first (and arguably most important) culinary teacher. Growing up, Dan fondly remembers his mum putting her own Asian twist on traditional Aussie lamb chops.

"I remember eating chops at my friend's house, simply seasoned with salt and pepper and served with overcooked green veg. While that was quite nice...my mother would put her own spin on lamb, by marinating the chops Asian style and grilling them till the edges of the meat were dark and caramelised" says Dan.

Discover Dan and Angie's lamb recipes below and head to Australian Lamb where you can find a whole collection of recipes from Aussies around the country who have shared their secret family dishes.

 

Asian Marinated Lamb Cutlets

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
- 8 - 12 lamb cutlets
- Coriander leaves to garnish
- Steamed rice, tomato cucumber salad and soy sauce with fresh chilli to serve

Marinade:
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp maggi seasoning sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder

- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 stalk lemongrass (white part only finely chopped)
- 4cm piece ginger finely grated
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ lemon, juice only

METHOD
- Marinade: Place ingredients in a bowl and whisk till well combined. Pour marinade all over the lamb cutlets and using your gloved hands, massage the marinade into chops. Leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight is better.
- Preheat the barbeque or grill plate to medium-high heat. Cook cutlets for 2-3 minutes each side for medium rare. Set aside, covered loosely with foil to rest for 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander
- Serve with steamed white rice and a simple salad of cucumber, tomato and onion and soy sauce with chopped chilli.

TIPS
- Marinading your lamb not only helps to flavour the meat but also tenderise. The longer time to marinade the juicer the cutlets. This is why a minimum of 4 hours is recommended.
- Make sure you remove the lamb from the fridge at least 2 hours before cooking. This helps the lamb to cook more evenly.
- This recipe also suits other lamb cuts like forequarter chops, loin chops and lamb leg steaks.
- Use any leftover lamb to make lamb fried rice. You could also stir fry the sliced meat with some vegetables and serve in Lettuce wraps "Sang choi bao" style.