Gordon Ramsay’s Spiced leg of lamb
Serves 6
Ingredients
- Large bunch long spring onions, about 10-12
- 4 large or 6 small ready-made chapattis
- 2.75kg leg of lamb, boned, butterflied and rolled
- 2 large banana leaves
For the marinade:
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp ghee or melted unsalted butter
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 ripe plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
- Small bunch coriander, leaves and stems roughly chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon (or 2 tbsp ground kachri)
For the dry spice rub:
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
Method
1. First, make the marinade. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend to a wet paste, stopping the machine to scrape down the bowl of the processor a few times. Transfer the paste to a bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dry spice rub.
2. Lightly blanch the spring onions in a pan of boiling water for about a minute to soften them. Refresh under cold running water and drain well.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C /Gas 6. Lay out four long strings along a work surface, about 5cm apart. Overlap the chapattis on top to form a rough rectangle that is wide and long enough to wrap around the leg of lamb. Arrange the blanched spring onions in a single layer on top.
4. Open out the lamb, skinned-side up, on a chopping board and sprinkle all over with the dry spice rub. Turn the lamb around and lay on top of the spring onions. Spread the marinade all along the boned side of the meat. Roll the lamb into a log then wrap the chapattis and spring onions around the joint and secure with the strings. Put the whole thing on two large, overlapping banana leaves that have been softened slightly over a low flame. Wrap the leaves around the lamb like a parcel, again securing with string.
5. Put on a large roasting tin and roast for about 1¼ – 1¾ hours until the lamb has just cooked through. To check, insert a metal skewer into the centre of the joint for 10 seconds then remove and feel it against your wrist. It should feel hot. Remove the lamb from the oven and leave to rest for about 15-20 minutes.
6. To serve, unwrap the banana leaves and remove the strings. Unwrap the chapattis and transfer the lamb to a carving board. Slice thickly then serve each slice on a chapatti, which would have absorbed some marinade and the flavourful juices from the meat during cooking. To add some fresh flavours, serve with a sliced tomato, cucumber, onion and mint salad.
