Grilled Lamb Vadouvan with Lentils, Quinoa, and Chickpeas is an international collection of tastes and textures served as a curry dish.
Grilled Lamb Vadouvan with Lentils, Quinoa, and Chickpeas
Print This Recipe Yield 6Source Vadouvan paste adapted from The Lemonade CookbookPublished
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon grainy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoon sweet curry powder
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon tumeric
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more for seasoning)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (plus more for seasoning)
- 1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup peeled and chopped shallot
- 2 clove garlic (peeled and chopped)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup canola oil (or other mild flavored oil)
- 6 boneless lamb sirloin chops (about 2 pounds total) you may aletnately use bone in loin chops, just adjust cooking times
- ½ cup beluga lentils
- 1 small onion (peeled and halved through root end)
- 1 carrot (cut into chunks)
- 1 stalk celery (cut into chunks)
- 2 cup vegetable stock (divided)
- ½ cup quinoa
- 2 Roma tomatoes (halved, seeded and diced)
- ½ cup canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Directions
Make the vadouvan paste: Place the mustard, curry, cumin, tumeric, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, salt, pepper, cilantro, basil, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, mirin, vinegar, and honey into a blender or food processor. Pulse several times, then blend the mixture until puréed. With the machine running, drizzle in as much of the oil as necessary to create an creamy, fully emulsified paste thick enough to mound on a spoon. Set aside.
Season the lamb: Wash and dry lamb loins then slather them generously with vadouvan paste on both sides. Set aside at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile make the lentils: In a medium saucepan combine the lentils, onion, carrots, and celery. Pour in 1‑cup stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until tender about 15 minutes. Let the lentils cool slightly in the liquid then drain them well, discard vegetables and place the lentils into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Make the quinoa: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine quinoa and remaining 1‑cup broth. Season generously with a big pinch or two salt. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan and lower the heat to very low. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender, about 15–20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Let cool somewhat then add them to the bowl with the lentils.
Grill the lamb: Preheat a grill or grill pan to very hot (450–500ºF). Sear the meat on one side and let it cook undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the meat over and continue cook another 2–3 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 120ºF for medium-rare, or to taste. Move the meat to a plate to rest loosely covered with foil.
Meanwhile assemble the dish: To the large mixing bowl containing the lentils and quinoa, add tomatoes, chickpeas and about 3/4 cup vadouvan paste; toss gently.
Place a scoop of the vadouvan-dressed lentil mixture onto the center of each of 6 plates. Top with a grilled lamb sirloin chop and serve immediately.
