Crispy lamb ribs with cucumber and sesame salad
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
This Asian-inspired dish has a springtime feel as it is served with a fresh salad for a lighter dinner.
Ingredients
For the crispy lamb ribs
- 1kg/2lb 4oz rack lamb ribs
- 150ml/5fl oz dark soy sauce
- 1 onion, cut in half
- 2cm/¾in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 head garlic, cut in half
- 2 star anise
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- oil, for deep frying
For the spice mix
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 8 dried chillies, broken into pieces
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp soft light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp black vinegar
For the dressing
- 50ml/2fl oz soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 50ml/2fl oz apple cider vinegar
- 50ml/2fl oz extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp sugar, or to taste
For the salad
- 1 cucumber, seeds removed and sliced
- 200g/7oz mangetout, julienned
- 50g/1¾oz enoki mushrooms, trimmed
- 1 red chilli, sliced
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
- 5 sheets nori seaweed, toasted and crumbled
To garnish
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, left whole or chopped
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Method
To make the lamb ribs, cut the ribs in half to fit in a casserole. Add the ribs, dark soy, onion, ginger, garlic, star anise and coriander seeds to the casserole. Cover with water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 50–60 minutes, or until just tender and cooked through. Leave to cool in the stock. Remove the ribs and drain, keeping the cooking liquor.
Chill the ribs in the fridge until firm. Cut the ribs into individual pieces.
To make the spice mix, pound the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chillies and salt in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Heat a generous amount of oil in a wok and fry the ribs until crispy all over. The ribs can also be fried in a deep fat fryer at 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Remove the oil carefully from the wok, leave to cool and discard.
Add the ground spices to the ribs in the wok. Toss well to coat before adding the light soy, brown sugar and vinegar. Toss for 1–2 minutes to glaze.
To make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a jug to emulsify.
To make the salad, mix the cucumbers, mangetout and mushrooms in a large bowl. Toss the salad in the dressing. Garnish with the red chilli, sesame seeds and toasted nori.
Serve the crispy lamb with the salad. Garnish with the coriander, spring onions and lime wedges.
