Lamb cutlets with Asian salsa verde

Lamb cutlets with a salsa verde get a Vietnamese twist from Luke Nguyen and if you're looking for a sensational Sunday barbecue idea then let these cutlets be it.

• serves

  2

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 6 lamb cutlets
• Olive oil, for pan-frying
• Baby shiso, for garnish

Marinade

• 4 tbsp Vietnamese miso (also known as preserved bean curd)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp honey 

Asian salsa verde

• 1 cm piece ginger, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• small handful coriander, chopped
• small handful Vietnamese mint, chopped
• small handful mint, chopped 
• 1 birds eye chilli
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• 60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce 
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pea and Vietnamese mint puree

• 300 g shelled fresh green peas 
• 5 Vietnamese mint leaves 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 red Asian shallot, sliced 
• 20 g butter 

Instructions

For the marinade, place the miso and fish sauce in a large bowl and use a fork to combine well. Stir in the honey. Add the lamb cutlets, toss to coat well, then cover and stand for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, for the salsa verde, in a mortar and pestle, pound together the ginger, garlic, herbs and chilli until a paste forms. Stir in the remaining ingredients and set aside. 

For the pea and mint puree, place the peas, mint, garlic and shallot in a saucepan of boiling salted water. Reduce

the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Using a stick blender, purée the mixture with the butter and a dash of the reserved liquid to create a smooth paste. If you don’t have a stick blender use a food processor, or simply mash with a fork. If you want a very fine purée, push the mixture through a fine sieve before serving. Set aside.

Season the lamb cutlets on both sides. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add a drizzle of oil, then cook the lamb cutlets for 1 minute on each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for a few minutes. 

Spoon the warm pea puree onto each plate, then top with the lamb and spoon over the salsa verde.  Garnish with baby shiso and serve.

Luke Nguyen's Food Trail airs Thursdays at 8pm on SBS. Visit the program page for recipes, videos and more.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.