Indian Spice Rubbed Lamb / Chicken / Beef

Indian Spice Rubbed Lamb

This is a super tasty spice rub mix, perfect to keep in a bottle in the pantry or mix as needed. I have included the measurements for an immediate dinner use and also a larger amount to prepare and save for later. 

It is fragrant and the heat can be controlled by you – if you like it mild – reduce the cayenne pepper, or add more if you like a bit of heat. The amount I have mentioned, I think, makes it flavoursome but not too hot.

It is based on a Nigella recipe and I have used it to spice up lamb chops, lamb steaks, butterflied chicken breast fillets and beef steaks.

Once you have made the rub mixture, it is patted onto the meat and you  cook your steak / chops in the usual way.  The rub cooks to a delicious crust and is a quick way to jazz up a mid-week dinner with almost no effort.  

I have also dusted the spice rub onto raw chops, popped them in a freezer bag, defrosted and cooked them a week later and they were equally good.   Let me know how you cooked this!

Nigella recommends to avoid cooking the chops on too high a heat – you don’t want burnt spices and smoke – patient cooking will reward you with aromatic smells wafting from your kitchen. Yum.

And … if you don’t have time to make the spice rub, Nigella says

3 teaspoons of Madras Curry powder (which is a mild, fragrant turmeric mixture)combined with ½  teaspoon of salt will also work …

Indian Spice Rub  for the meat of your preference (as a guide – this is enough for 8 lamb chops - using about 1/2 teaspoon of mix per chop - approx)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper -   this makes it mild/medium.  Adjust to your preference

½  teaspoon salt  OR   1 teaspoon Sea Salt flakes  -  Nigella uses much more, but I think this is plenty.

Your choice of meat -   eg   8 lamb chops (trim off the fat)  OR  12 small lamb cutlets (trim off the fat)

Tiny splash of oil for cooking

Combine all the spices and salt in a wide shallow bowl. 

Dust the meat pieces with the spice mixture and pat into the meat.

Warm a small amount of oil in a frypan and cook the meat as usual.

Chops will be burnished with a coating of the dusted spice rub.

Serve with lots of steamed veges or salads and maybe a small dollop of yoghurt mixed with mint.

And    …

Indian Spice Rub – Pantry Ready Quantity    to have ready in a bottle (just be sure to name it!)

I have included the teaspoon and the tablespoon measurements – use whichever you prefer

                               4 Teaspoons = 1 tablespoon using Australian Metric system

10 teaspoons ground coriander   = 2 ½ tablespoons

10 teaspoons ground cumin         = 2 ½ tablespoons

10 teaspoons ground ginger         = 2 ½ tablespoons

5 teaspoons ground cinnamon    =  1 ¼ tablespoons

2 ½  teaspoons ground cloves

2 ½  teaspoons cayenne pepper -   this makes it mild/medium.  Adjust to your preference

5 teaspoons  salt  OR   10 teaspoons Sea Salt flakes    OR  1 ¼ tablespoons salt 

OR   2 ½ tablespoon Sea Salt flakes  -   Nigella uses much more than this, but I think this is plenty.

Measure spices into separate bowls (refer Tips and Hints)

Combine all the spices and salt in a bowl. 

Pour into an airtight bottle, label and store in a dark pantry.

Shake the bottle well prior to using to evenly distribute the spice and salt mix.

Tips and Hints:

When making large quantities of spice mix:

Get all your spices out prior to starting.  Check you have enough of everything for this quantity.

Write down the name and amount of each spice – ie if you decide to mix using the tablespoon measurements provided – write down eg 2 ½ tablespoons cumin etc etc.

Cross off as you go. 

Because you will need the 1/2 teaspoon, the  1 teaspoon and the 1 tablespoon spoons – keep them on different areas of your bench  or even place them on a piece of paper detailing ¼ , ½  etc etc.

Measure the spices into individual bowls during the measuring process.

Only combine them at the end when you are confident the amounts are correct.

It is much easier to re-measure the ginger from a single bowl than after it has been tossed all together.

I know it sounds pedantic – but  I have learnt from experience  (!!!)– someone will interrupt you with a question halfway through or the phone will ring  …  and some days  …  counting 1, 2 , 3  is really, really, really hard.

This method really only takes a minute to set up but it will save you – it is shattering to realise you picked up the wrong spoon and the combination then is totally out of whack. 

So, do whatever works best for you – and every time you reach for the bottle of your fragrant spice mixture to rub onto the meat, enjoy the aromas and ......   smile!   – dinner is almost ready!

Enjoy – Colleen