Seared lamb with coconut harissa sauce and tomato salad
This makes a great Sunday lunch option for spring or summer as it is lighter than a traditional roast but still full of flavour.
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch caster sugar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 x 150g/5½oz lamb leg steaks, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce
- 250ml/9fl oz coconut cream
- 2 tbsp rose harissa
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- sea salt
For the tomato and herb salad
- 2 handfuls red, yellow and baby plum tomatoes, cut in half
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
- handful picked dill fronds, coriander leaves and roughly chopped mint leaves
- salt
To serve
- knob of butter
- 400g/14oz jasmine rice, steamed
- large handful salted peanuts, roughly chopped
Method
To make the lamb, mix the garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar together in a large bowl and season well with black pepper. Marinate the lamb in this garlic mixture for at least 30 minutes.
Place a frying pan with the oil over a medium-high heat and once hot, fry the lamb leg steaks for a few minutes on each side until nicely browned and cooked through. Cover with kitchen foil and leave to rest.
To make the sauce, place the coconut cream, rose harissa and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and mix together. Bring to the boil and then stir until reduced and thickened a little to a creamy consistency. Season with salt and set aside.
To make the salad, place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, sugar and pul biber in a salad bowl. Mix well and season with salt. Add the herbs and lightly toss them into the salad.
To serve, slice the lamb into 1cm/½in strips. Stir the butter into the rice and divide between four plates. Add the salad to the plates and then add the lamb strips. Serve with the coconut harissa sauce and chopped peanuts.
