Lockdown Recipe of the Day: Rosemary-soy rack of lamb with a pistachio crust

The idea stuck in my head that I had combined soy and rosemary before in a lamb dish. I assembled a range 0f ingredients: fresh garlic and ginger, rosemary, a tall bottle of Suree soy sauce (a blend of soya bean extract with molasses, salt and sugar) and a little bottle of low sodium soy sauce. I decided to throw caution to the winds. Consider me your guinea pig, then, and take the plunge yourself: just be sure to cook the racks until they are perfectly tender and pleasantly pink in the middle. I cooked them on the braai, which takes time but is worth the wait. Don’t rush them or overcook them; it’s a fine balancing act.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 x three or four rack of lamb portion per serving

2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce such as Suree sweet soy sauce or kecap manis (i.e. a mixture of soy and molasses)

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tbsp rosemary needles, finely chopped

Ground black pepper

3 or 4 Tbsp pistachios, crushed

Extra sweet soy sauce to hold the pistachios

Method

Combine the soy sauces, ginger, garlic, rosemary and ground black pepper (to taste) in a bowl and coat the lamb racks with it. Leave to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

Braai the racks on a grid high above hot coals until well browned and caramelised and continue cooking until they’re pink at the centre and super tender. Check by inserting a skewer into the thickest part. The juices should run pale pink. When they do, remove and keep warm.

Toast pistachios lightly in a dry pan and then crush them. Brush sweet soy sauce onto the fatty side of the cooked racks to “glue” the nut coating. Press them into the pistachios and serve. DM/TGIFood

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