Cừu Nướng Chao, or Grilled Lamb Chops with Fermented Bean Curd Sauce, Yu Choy, and Lemon
Cừu Nướng Chao, or Grilled Lamb Chops with Fermented Bean Curd Sauce, Yu Choy, and Lemon by Anna and Ni Nguyen
Ingredients
For the fermented bean curd sauce:
400 grams (14 ounces) fermented bean curd (about 1 ⅓ jars)
¼ cup fermented bean curd liquid
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
For the marinade, lamb chops, and yu choy:
50 grams (1.8 ounces) preserved white bean curd (about ⅙ of a jar)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons paprika
3 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon salt, divided
25 grams fresh lemongrass (white part only)
20 grams fresh garlic
85 grams fresh ginger
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or canola oil)
1 pound lamb chops (about 8 chops)
1–2 yu choy
For garnishing:
Fresh mint leaves
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Togarashi
Preparation
1. Make the sauce: In a large bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until smooth. If you desire a smoother texture, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer. This will yield 2 cups of sauce. Set aside for serving.
2. Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the preserved white bean curd, sugar, lemon juice, paprika, wine, sesame oil, fish sauce, honey, and ½ teaspoon salt until fully combined.
3. In a food processor, pulse the lemongrass until finely chopped, then add to the marinade. Add the garlic to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, then add to the marinade. Add the ginger to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped, then add to the marinade and stir everything to fully combine.
4. Rub the lamb chops all over with the marinade. Place in a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight for best results). At least 1 hour before grilling, let the lamb chops come to room temperature, laid out in a single layer.
5. To grill, grill according to your grill directions for the level of doneness you prefer (we like our lamb chops cooked to medium doneness) Let the lamb chops rest.
6. While the lamb rests, trim and discard any tough ends from the yu choy, then toss in a mixing bowl with the grapeseed oil oil and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Grill over medium heat until the greens brighten in color but haven’t yet begun to wilt, approximately 5 minutes.
7. To plate, spread the sauce generously over the bottom of a large serving platter. Top with the yu choy, then the grilled lamb chops. Sprinkle everything with the mint leaves, lemon zest, lemon juice, and togarashi. Serve.