
Black Stone Flower Lamb Chops with Burnt Onion Raita
Lamb chops are marinated with a toasted spice mix, ginger-garlic, turmeric, chilli, mint and papaya, then charred in a hot pan. Butter, lemon and chaat masala finish them smoky and tangy, with burnt onion raita and wild garlic chutney alongside.
Spice mix
10 gToasted and ground before the marinade (steps 1–2)Marinade spices
54 gStirred into the lamb marinade (step 3)Finishing chaat masala
0.3 gDusted over the cooked chops before resting (step 6)Everything else
Method
- Put 2 g ground allspice, 1.1 g ground clove, 2.6 g ground cumin, 1.3 g cinnamon stick and 2.9 g black peppercorn in a dry pan over medium heat. Toast for 2–3 minutes, until aromatic and slightly darkened, then tip out.
- Cool the toasted spices, then grind them to a fine powder; this is the spice mix.
- Put 800 g lamb chop in a bowl. Add the spice mix, 27 g vegetable oil, the marinade spices (45 g ginger garlic paste and 9 g ground turmeric), 103 g lemon juice, 18 g green chilli, 7.2 g mint leaf, 30 g green papaya paste, 150 g onion and 11 g sea salt. Rub the mixture well into the chops, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Take the marinated chops out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
- Heat a heavy frying pan over high heat. Cook the chops for about 8 minutes, turning now and then, until the outside is charred and the centre is tender with a slight pinkness. A very hot barbecue or griddle pan also works.
- Brush the chops with melted unsalted butter to taste, squeeze over lemon juice to taste and dust with 0.3 g chaat masala. Rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve with 200 g burnt onion raita and wild garlic chutney to taste, spooning over any pan juices.
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Lamb chop

PorkUse equal weight of bone-in pork chops; cook over medium heat, taking care not to dry them out, done in 10-12 minutes.
Lamb shoulderUse equal weight cut into thick steaks; requires lower, slower braising for 45 minutes longer to become tender.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Ginger garlic paste

Ginger and garlic pasteUse the same weight; the difference is only the order of the names.
Garlic pasteMix with an equal weight of ginger paste and use the same total weight.
GarlicFor 20 g paste use about 10 g crushed garlic and 10 g grated ginger root with a splash of water. Add a little extra water if the dish looks dry.

Ground turmeric

Ground gingerUse 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
SaffronSteep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Lemon juice

Lime juiceUse equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.
Dried mango powderUse 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.
White vinegarUse 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Green chilli

Chilli powderUse 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.
Dried red chilliUse 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Mint leaf

Mint leavesUse the same weight; identical herb, just the plural listing.
Dried mintUse 25% of the fresh weight, about 1 g dried for 4 g fresh; crush between fingers. Flavour is stronger and slightly hay-like.
Coriander leafUse the same weight; it gives a fresh green note but not true mint flavour.

Green papaya paste

Raw papaya pasteUse the same weight; it is effectively the same ingredient and works well as a tenderiser or thickener.
Unripe papaya pasteUse the same weight; blend peeled, deseeded firm papaya to a smooth paste.
Raw papayaBlend an equal weight of peeled, deseeded raw papaya to a paste; add a little water only if needed.

Onion


Unsalted butter


Chaat masala

Tandoori snack spice mixUse the same weight; taste first as it can be smokier and saltier. Add lime or amchoor if the dish needs more tang.
Dried mango powderUse about half the weight, mixed with black salt and a pinch of ground cumin. It gives tang and saltiness but lacks the minty, asafoetida notes.
Black saltUse about half the weight and add lime juice to taste. It gives the salty, sulphurous edge but not the full tangy blend.

Burnt onion raita

Plain yoghurtUse the same weight; stir in a little fried onion and a pinch of chaat masala if you have them. It is fresher and lacks the burnt-onion smokiness.
Full-fat yoghurtUse the same weight; thicker and richer, so loosen with a spoon of water. Same dairy base but no burnt onion.
Mint raitaUse the same weight; it gives a cool mint flavour instead of smoky onion, so adjust salt and chilli.

Wild garlic chutney

Green chutneyUse the same weight. Stir in 1 crushed garlic clove per 100 g to mimic the wild garlic note; it will be sharper and less leafy, so taste before adding salt.
Coriander chutneyUse the same weight. Add a little crushed garlic if you have it; the result is more coriander-forward and hotter than wild garlic chutney.
Mint chutneyUse the same weight but expect a minty, sharper chutney; add crushed garlic and a few spinach leaves to soften the mint.

Ground allspice

Ground cinnamon (cassia)Use about 70% of the weight and add a pinch of ground clove (about 20% of the allspice weight); the result is more cinnamon-forward.
Ground cloveUse only about 20% of the weight; it is much stronger and can dominate the dish.
Ground nutmegUse about 50% of the weight; it gives warmth but lacks allspice's peppery edge.

Ground clove

Ground allspiceUse 1.5–2 times the weight; it has a similar warm pungency but is milder and rounder, so the dish loses clove’s sharp medicinal heat.
Ground cinnamon (cassia)Use the same weight; it gives warmth but is sweeter and lacks clove’s strength, so use only if the amount is small.

Ground cumin

Cumin seedDry-roast briefly and grind finely; use equal weight (1:1). Imparts an even punchier, nuttier, toasty aroma than pre-ground cumin.
Ground corianderUse equal weight (1:1). Adds mild, lemony sweetness rather than cumin's smoky, earthy bite; curries will taste lighter and less savoury.
Black cumin seedsGrind finely; use 60% to 75% of the weight. Produces a darker, more complex, smoky-herbal flavour suited to rich gravies.

Cassia bark

Ceylon cinnamonTrue cinnamon: thinner, papery quills, milder and sweeter. Use about 1.5 times the weight, and taste.
Ground cinnamon (cassia)Use about a third of the weight (0.5 g ground for a 2.5 cm piece), stirred in with the ground spices rather than fried whole, since the powder burns quickly.
Cassia budsUse 60-70% of the weight; stronger and more peppery, so taste before adding more.

Black peppercorn

Coarsely ground black pepperUse 75% of the weight. Add midway through simmering; spreads heat evenly through the dish instead of delivering isolated bursts.
Ground black pepperUse 50% of the weight. Stir in near the end of cooking; significantly darkens light gravies and provides an immediate, sharp bite.
Similar dishes

- Same: Tamil Black Pepper Lamb Chops shares lamb chops, turmeric, ginger, garlic, green chilli, onion, cinnamon and black peppercorn with this dish.
- Different: It is a ghee-rich curry with water, ground coriander, Kashmiri chilli and cardamom, while this dish uses a papaya-mint marinade, chars the chops in a pan and finishes them with butter, lemon, chaat masala, raita and chutney.

- Same: Bhuna Gosht (II) shares lamb, vegetable oil, onion, ginger-garlic, turmeric, cumin, chilli, clove, cinnamon, black peppercorn and salt with this dish.
- Different: Bhuna Gosht (II) uses bone-in lamb and no marinade, papaya, lemon juice, mint, butter, chaat masala, raita or chutney, and it adds ground coriander, bay leaf and black cardamom for a slow-cooked thick sauce rather than charring chops in a hot pan.

- Same: Mirchiwala Gosht shares lamb, ginger-garlic, onion, green chilli, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, clove and black peppercorn with this dish.
- Different: Mirchiwala Gosht uses a yogurt marinade, ghee or oil, dried red chilli, several chilli powders, black cardamom and bell pepper, and it is slow-simmered as a curry; this dish uses papaya paste, mint, lemon, butter and chaat masala and chars the chops in a pan, with raita and chutney alongside.

- Same: Chaamp shares with this dish a lamb chop marinade built on papaya, ginger-garlic and warm spices.
- Different: Chaamp adds yogurt, vinegar, garam masala, chilli powder, egg white and breadcrumbs and is shallow-fried in ghee, while this dish uses lemon juice, turmeric, mint, green chilli, allspice, clove, cumin, cinnamon and black pepper and is charred in a hot pan with butter.








































