Lamb chops with Thai flavours

I wouldn't usually associate lamb with any Asian cuisine, except it's copious use in India and a few Chinese stir fries I've made, (which were delicious), but usually it seems more akin to Mediterranean or British grub. Recently though, I've started to see it feature in dishes from Vietnam, The Philippines and this one from Thailand. Some people think lamb has a strong, unpleasant smell that needs soaking or a good marinade to lessen. I've never really found this myself, certainly it is a little 'gamier', but not in a bad way. I personally think lamb needs less mucking about with than say, pork, the chops needing nothing but a grilling to crisp the fat and slightly char the flesh, while remaining pink and tender inside. Then, just a lick of sweet, vinegary mint sauce or maybe some fruity redcurrant jelly is all that is needed. Yet, sometimes, those chops seem to be begging for a little adventure.

This recipe seemed to fit the bill exactly. Classic Thai flavours of garlic, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice are used in a marinade that is fragrant and a little spicy. The resulting cooked lamb was delicately Thai influenced, not pungently so, but a good overnight soak rather than the measly 2 hours I gave it would have given it more punch. 

Recipe : Lamb chops with Thai flavours

4 - 6 meaty lamb chops

1 tbsp fish sauce, preferably a Thai brand such as Three Crabs

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp raw cane sugar

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

the juice and zest or one lime

Mix together all the marinade ingredients and pour over the chops, which you have laid out on a baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight for maximum flavour potential. 

When ready to cook, remove from marinade and cook, either by grilling under a broiler or bbq, until the fat is golden brown and crispy and the flesh tender but slightly charred. These would be well suited to any type of Thai dipping sauce you could think of, perhaps a fish sauce, sugar and lime juice concoction, (tweaked to your liking),  or maybe some Sriracha mixed with a little sugar also or even the classic sweet Thai chili jam found everywhere.