Method

• Clean the chops and trim off some of the fat if needed. Otherwise ask your butcher, to larder trim them for you.       
• Scour the fat part with a sharp knife in a set pattern & rub in some of the salt, lemon juice and turmeric and set aside.
• Put the cumin, cardamom, cinnamon & cloves in a small frying pan and roast them gently on a slow flame or heat until they are aromatic and lightly coloured. Remember that you MUST not let them burn. Therefore they will need constant agitating.
• Put all the ingredients into your blender & make a fine paste. You may wish to break the cinnamon into small pieces and the ginger to be cut into pieces as well before adding to the machine. Break the chilli into bits.
• Check the seasoning after adding the remaining salt and marinate the chops.
• Coat them thoroughly in the masala by placing them in a tray just big enough to hold them. If you space them out too much you may not have enough marinade.
• The best thing to do would be to leave the chops marinated over night, in a container with a lid small or large enough to hold them all and to have them coated with the marinade.
• Leave them out for a couple of hours at least before placing them covered in the refrigerator.
• If you leave them in your refrigerator for more than a day there is nothing to worry about. You can keep them in the marinade for upto three / four days so long as they are well covered.
• Preheat your oven to approximately 200° to 220°C.
• Roast them on a lightly greased or non-stick tray or pan, fat side up & roast to the desired level of cooking.
• Reduce the temperature of the oven to between 160° to 180° once the chops have gone into the oven
• Remember that due to the marinade the chops will always remain pink inside. This does not mean that they are raw. You also do need them pink rather than over cooked and discoloured.
• Test them for your self. The duration of cooking time will depend on the number of hours the chops have been marinated. For top quality chops you should try and keep them to a maximum medium level, for best results.
• However turn them once or twice in the oven but not too much as that will result in overcooking some parts and an uneven result.
• There are several ways in which to use the pan drippings, if you have any.
• One of the best is to slice two medium onions and saute them in a little bit of oil.
• Try not to use the lamb fat drippings, as the taste will become too strong. You may wish to skim and discard the fat or reuse it if you are happy with the flavours.
• Add to the onions two chopped tomatoes, sauté for a while and add the pan juices.
• In this you may wish to add chunks of par boiled potato & simmer till they are cooked, to serve as an accompaniment or just serve the gravy it as.
• Season at will but you will automatically get a good flavour. Sprinkle some chopped coriander and fresh mint at the very end if you have to complete the gravy.
• These chops will also cook very well on the barbecue, which is exactly what they are for anyway.
• In case you decide to grill them or barbecue them, do not place them with all the marinade on them. Scrape off a bit when placing on the fire.
• Use the marinade for something else later or just make nice gravy from it.