Grilled Coconut-Curry Lamb Chops with Red Pepper Sauce

• Recipe by Nobuo Fukuda

To pair with these luscious, exotically flavored chops, restaurateur Peter Kasperski opts for wines that result in a complex, exotic match. His choice is a New World Syrah with a touch of Viognier: a powerful wine with lovely floral and peach accents. He likes d’Arenberg’s 2006 Laughing Magpie, from Australia; if you can’t find that, another good Australian pick is Yalumba’s 2006 Y Series Shiraz-Viognier.

Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2. 1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
3. 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
4. 1/4 cup mirin
5. 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
6. 2 tablespoons mild curry powder
7. 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
8. 1 teaspoon Chinese mustard
9. 8 lamb rib chops
10. 1 red bell pepper
11. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12. Salt
13. 1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk 3/4 cup of the stock and 1/4 cup of the vinegar with the coconut milk, mirin, fish sauce, curry powder, peanut butter and mustard. Transfer to a large, resealable plastic bag. Add the lamb chops and turn to coat completely. Seal the bag and refrigerate overnight.
2. Roast the red pepper over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning, until blackened all over. Transfer the pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Peel the pepper and discard the core and seed. Transfer the pepper to a blender. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of stock and 1/2 tablespoon of rice vinegar and puree until smooth. With the machine on, add the oil and puree until creamy and smooth. Season the sauce with salt.
3. In a small bowl, toss the cucumber with a pinch of salt and let stand until softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
4. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Drain the lamb chops and grill over high heat, turning once, until charred and medium-rare, about 7 minutes. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with the red pepper sauce and cucumbers.

Make Ahead

The red pepper sauce can be refrigerated overnight.