West: Royal Lamb Chops Braised With Nuts And Saffron

Ingredients

34 gr butter
32 gr almonds
1/4 slivered pistachios
6 garlic
1 one ginger
2 gr coriander
5 green cardamom pods
1 green chile
1 gr black peppercorns
1 gr royal cumin
1 gr mace
180 ml water
3 lamb rib chops
1 gr saffron threads
30 ml water salt
100 gr peas
2 cilantro

Instructions

-parsley This elegant entree is a specialty of Rajasthan, home of the Rajput warriors. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add almonds and pistachios; cook, stirring, until light brown, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Combine the garlic, ginger, coriander, cardamom, chili, peppercorns, cloves, cumin, mace and water in a blender and blend to form a smooth paste. Arrange lamb in a large shallow dish. Rub the spice mixture over both sides of lamb. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb and brown well on both sides. Add quarter cup of the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining water; sprinkle in saffron. Cover and cook until lamb is tender, about 10 minutes. Taste, and add salt, if needed. Stir in peas and cook 5 minutes longer. Sauce should be very thick. Transfer lamb to a heated platter. Stir sauce and pour over lamb. Top with fried nuts and cilantro. Note: Royal cumin (black cumin) or shahi jeera gets its name from the royal Moghul dishes it was most used in. It is available at Indian markets. PER SERVING: 640 calories, 35 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 50 g fat (22 g saturated), 149 mg cholesterol, 131 mg sodium, 5 g fiber. Laxmi Hiremath writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, 0. 12.5.