Aarti Paarti: Spicy Sticky Lamb Chops
Posted by Aarti on May 7th, 2010 . Filed under: Uncategorized .Hiiii-ya! Aarti Paarti is back! This is the third season of the show, so I thought I’d start it with a bang!
This is a re-imagined recipe from my childhood. Mum would make these finger-lickin’ good lamb chops every now and then, and we would have a very hard time stopping ourselves from gobbling them all down in one go.
Her secret weapon? Ketchup. Yup.
I have nothing at all against ketchup. But, I set myself the challenge to recreate similar flavours without the ketchup… to make it from scratch. And, I hope this doesn’t offend you mum, but I think I might like this version better. It just tastes, um… fresher. Does that make sense? It could all be in my head. Well, more pointedly, it’s all in my belly at this point. Those lamb chops disappeared FAST! Within about 30 minutes, they were all gone. Guess nothing has changed from my childhood.
You know what else hasn’t changed? How funny my friends are. Take a look:
Many thanks to Jeff Bowser for sharing his wonderful character, Chip Chenoweth with us. If you like what you see here, take a look at some mini episodes that he and my husby, Brendan, shot together.
I actually posted this recipe last year, but I didn’t share the fava bean puree part. So here you go! As I mentioned, if you can’t find fava beans, peas would be a nice substitute. This really couldn’t be much easier!
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FAVA BEAN PUREE
You’ll need:
3lbs fava beans, shucked and pods discarded
2 tbsp plain yogurt
2 sprigs of mint, leaves picked and stems discarded
Salt and pepper
1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prep an ice bath: throw a big handful of ice into a bowl of cold water.
2) When the water is boiling, add the fava beans. Cook for about 5 minutes.
3) Fish the beans out and immediately dunk ‘em into the ice bath. Allow to sit a couple of minutes.
4) Grab a bean, rip off the little “zipper” looking thing at the top of the bean (what attaches the bean to the pod). The squeeze the opposite end of the bean — a bright green little lovely should pop right out! Repeat ad nauseum until all the bean are shucked!
5) Drain beans and throw into a food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients, and even a splash of extra virgin olive oil if you’re feeling frisky. Whiz it all up until smooth. Hey presto, you’re done!
As for the potatoes, I used new potatoes which are incredibly tender. I put them in a pot of cold water and brought them to a boil, cooking them until a knife ran through easily, about 10 minutes. Then I cut them in half, and placed them, flesh side down, in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, just enough that they turn golden brown.
This is such a great recipe, one that is simple enough for a family dinner, but fancy enough for a special occasion. I hope you try it. Let me know what you think!
-x-
aarti
May 7th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Hey super star, it is a huge compliment that you take inspiration from my cooking, but I am glad that you give your own touch to them.
Do you remember eating them in Logano?? It was one of the best family holidays we have had. Hope we do it again some day soon
Your friend is hilarious!! I wish him every success and you of course.
May 10th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
We love your show and looking forward to see you on the Food Network. You are a winner and a lovely person.
Best to you,
Judit & Corina
June 6th, 2010 at 12:21 am
Aarti, I looked at all the finalists for the Food Network and you are the best personality. You will go far in life for sure. Best of all luck.
Jace
June 20th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Aarti, I’m rooting for you on the Food Network Star show!!! I can’t wait to try this recipe and many more of yours. Good luck!
July 11th, 2010 at 5:58 am
Love you on the show Aarti – you are a star!! Rooting for you! And your recipes are great!
July 30th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Love it! Love you! I can’t wait to make the Samosa’s and the Spicy Lamb. My hubby John hasn’t had time to see your Blog yet, but he will…oh yes he will!!. At the time of writing this, I can only surmise that you have won (no contest in my mind) “The Next Food Network Star”!!!!
Can’t wait for Sunday night!
You are such a natural in front of the Camera (it was hard to believe you didn’t see it early on during the show competition, but next to Aria, that helped you to stay grounded and consistent!!).
Thank you for this excellent food blog!!
August 13th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Aarti, girl you sure can burn!!! I love all of your recipes! You are soooo beautiful, warm and funny! You are very inviting, and I can’t wait till Sunday so you can win this thing! Lol!! My four year old Madison and I faithfully watch every Sunday! We wish you all of God’s blessings!
August 15th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS
u totally rock
looking forward to see u on food network
August 15th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Congrats, Aarti! I had you pegged to win from the first episode. I have never eaten Indian food in my life, but tonight I’m going to make your pizza!
August 16th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Hey Aarti, Congratulations, you were excellent thruout the show, i like the way you represent urself and keep smiling, wish you all the best for ur coming show on food network and u r a real star……..
August 19th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Congratulations!!! My husband and I have soooo been cheering you on. My husband works for a company with an office in Hyderabad, India. In fact we are heading there in just a couple of weeks. I can hardly wait to see your country and already love the food. We live in the Seattle Eastside area, and are fortunate to have several wonderful Indian Restaurants. We are so loooking forward to your recipes. You go girl!!!!
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:49 pm
I was PRAYING you’d win the Challenge!!! When I first saw you AND what you could cook..I thought – They HAVE to choose her! I am so happy that you won and I wish you ALL the best!!! You deserve it! Stay sweet!
August 27th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Can I just say..FINALLY another Indian infusing their family traditions into Western foods.We have been doing it since we moved to the States in the early 70′s.
My kids love when I make Masala Chicken.or just plain Chicken Curry..Thanks for putting Desi’s on the map of American cooking..
-Marlene
Colorado
August 28th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Congratulations Aarti! I am so glad you won. I have been watching The Foodnetwork for years but this is the first time I have ever reached out to a star! I knew you were going to win. I made your Lamb Kabobs with the spiced potatoes. My husband loved it! I live in an area in Jersey City, NJ with a high popultation of indian residents so I was able to find the indian spices in my local supermarket. I couldn’t find the pomergranate molassess anywhere so I used pomergranate vinegar & boiled it down. I have two questions: How do I make the pomergranate molasess like you did on the show? Can I change this receipt to apply to lamb chops?
Thanks!
September 26th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Congrats, Aarti!! I was rooting for you all the way on the show, and when you won, I was soooooo proud of you. My family and I are all enjoying your cooking. I have tried every recipe that you have done so far… except for the Lamb Chops and Fava Beans which are scheduled for tomorrow’s dinner. We have thoroughly enjoyed everything so far.
Oh yes, I have not one, but two masala dabbas for my spices… and some extra single units for all the additional ones. I am in love with the Indian Flavors. They just explode in my mouth.
Keep on doing what you are doing. And, say hello to Bren for me.
October 8th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Thank you for this recipe, Aarti!! I made this recipe back to back; first time with pork loins, second time with the lamb. Both times were delicious! The second time I added 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar which gave it a touch more sweetness. I love that the flavors of your dishes give the illusion of a long, complex prep. Thanks so much for your creativity and warm, bubbly personality as I am now on an Aarti Paarti recipe streak. I’ve been walking around for the last couple of days calling my lamb loins, “lambies”!!
August 29th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
This is such a fantastic recipe and so so tasty as well.Thank you very much for this lovely recipe
January 29th, 2013 at 5:22 pm
I LOVE that you are on FoodNetwork because I LOVE indian food! (don’t tell my mom she’s korean but indian is my favorite) I just started cooking wheat free and it’s so awesome all the wheat free things you can make with lentils (MMMM dosas), garam flour and even sweet paneer desserts!