Grilled Lamb/ Lamb grilled with Indian Spices/ Lamb Green Grill

Grilled Lamb with Indian spices is perfect for outdoor grill gatherings. The unique combination of choice herbs and spices takes it to another level. I have a special story to tell you about our recent outdoor open fire lamb grilling. You might wonder grilling in winter? Yes, that too on open wood fire. Cannot thank my dear brother Binoy enough, for arranging this wonderful experience! With the pandemic spoiling our Christmas vacation plans to Kerala, we ended up in charming Yercaud and returned with joyful Christmas memories! Brrr… It was extremely cold in Yercaud and clad in our winter jackets (and socks) we enjoyed freshly brewed coffee from the estate, and the morning walks through the foggy, rugged paths all through the plantation. It is a beautiful place, serene and picturesque and we had a very refreshing vacation.

Festive seasons are meant to be joyful time with family and friends and our host made sure we enjoyed our stay and the outdoor grill. We set up our wood fire near the beautiful pond in the estate with my kids helping and learning to set up campfire. Although I have done barbeques and tandoor grills many times before, it was my first experience of grilling over wood fire. Grilling Chicken is easier than grilling Mutton, as it requires lesser cooking time. Controlling the wood fire was little tricky in the freezing temperature, and the kids asking every 10 minutes – ‘whether the grilled Lamb was ready’ was not helping either.

Green Marinade for Grilled Lamb:

This Lamb green grill, is quite simple to prepare and requires simple Indian ingredients. I marinated 4 lamb legs (bone – in, weighing around 1.5 kg each) with green marinade – Two legs with Spicy Kanthari (Bird’s eye chilli) and two with fresh Green Peppercorns (Pacha Kurumulak). Exceeding our expectations, Grilled lamb turned out delightfully delicious, imbued with the herbs and spices. Marinating part was easy, and I must say I was happy to get the Kanthari (Bird’s eye chilli) and Green Peppercorns- fresh from the garden. Since the lamb cut had Bone-in, it was hard to cut the portions after grilling, and so we didn’t have perfect steak pieces, but no one cared! We all enjoyed the tender grilled lamb with fresh green salad, rotis and garlic dip. The green marinade was delicious with perfect flavours; the meat was infused with the flavours of select herbs, spices and butter, grilled to perfection over natural wood fire. You can try this with Lamb chops or steak for easier grilling. Both Bird’s eye chili and Green Peppercorns are renowned for its anti-microbial and antibacterial properties. It also helps to burn extra calories. So, you can enjoy this delicious grilled lamb guilt-free.

Christmas and New year always bring lots of cheerful memories. In our family, festive times calls for enjoying scrumptious food like Appam and Mutton stew, Duck Mappas, Chicken roast, Tandoori chicken, Fish molee, Tharavu Puralan, Duck Pepper roast, Special chicken dishes, Beef fry, Fish curry, Pork fry and other exotic seafood dishes and celebrating with close family members. This New year, I am giving you these beautiful combinations for grilling lamb. Enjoy weekend grilling over charcoal grill or oven and relish with your family and friends. I am grateful to God Almighty for the gift of life, for my loving family and friends and wish you all a blissful 2021.

​Health Benefits:

Bird’s eye chili/ Kanthari, is known for its weight reducing qualities. “Capsaicin” present in these chillies (green or dried) has metabolism boosting properties. It helps in increasing the appetite and improves digestion. Also, it speeds up the metabolism by increasing the body temperature, which in turn helps in burning more calories to bring the temperature to normal. More calories burnt means less fat and less cholesterol! Such good news for the weight watchers! Known as a powerful pain reliever, Capsaicin also helps to reduce blood sugar and blood pressure. Apart from its exceptional medicinal values, Kanthari is also renowned for its anti-microbial, antifungal and antibacterial properties. But if you are prone to stomach ulcers or heartburn, please avoid the same as it could cause stomach irritation.

Green Peppercorns are great for healthy digestion. Piperine, a vital compound found in green peppercorns helps in the secretion of stomach juices that aids in digestion. It is rich in Vitamin C and K, which are powerful antioxidants and can help in lowering the concentration of free radicals. They also aid in the secretion of hydrochloric acid which has antimicrobial properties that helps to kill bacteria present in food. Besides, it is high in dietary fiber and helps in weight management.

Ingredients for ‘Kanthari’ Marinade:

 Ingredients for ‘Green Peppercorn’ Marinade:

Watch Video Recipe

Method:

1. Clean and trim the fat from the lamb legs or lamb ribs.
2. Make deep slits along the meat.
3. Take a fork and prick on the meaty parts.
4. This helps the meat to absorb the flavours and cook evenly.
5. For the Kanthari Marinade, grind all ingredients together except salt and curd.
6. Add curd and salt to the ground Kanthari Mix and combine well.
7. Pour this marinade over the lamb leg and rub well over the meat.
8. Rub the marinade into the slits as well.
9. Cover and keep aside for 2 hours or overnight for best results.
10. The salt and lime juice tenderizes the meat and the lamb will be infused with delicious flavours.

11. For the Green Peppercorn marinade, grind all ingredients except curd.
12. Add little water (1 -2 tbsp while grinding) and make a smooth mix.
13. Mix curd to this and combine well.
14. Make slits like before and prick with fork.
15. Apply the marinade over the lab.
16. Rub well and cover the slits with marinade.
17. Cover and keep aside. The longer you marinate, the richer the flavours would be.
18. Check the video for better understanding.

19. Once the grill is ready, place the lamb legs on the rack.
20. When the underside gets slightly browned, turn the leg and apply butter to keep the lamb moist.
21. Turn and cook both the legs till done.
22. Apply butter all over the lamb with a brush or spatula to keep it moist.
23. The lamb will get a nice char on the outside and the amazing aroma will make everyone salivate. Then, you will know it is almost done.
24. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving. Resting time is important as it allows the lamb to preserve the moisture and the flavours.

Several factors influence the grilling time of Lamb. Tender lamb cooks faster. Also, it depends upon whether you are using open wood fire, Charcoal or grill. If you have a meat thermometer, it will help to determine whether the lamb is cooked inside.Arrange the grilled lamb in a serving platter along with salad vegetables and fresh lettuce. Enjoy with Pita bread, Hummus, Garlic dips and fresh vegetables.

Tips:

• You may adjust the spices according to your taste. Kanthari or Bird’s chilli measure is medium spicy. Green Peppercorns are mildly spiced, so please adjust the measure if you want it spicier or add few green chillies.
• The total grilling time can vary for each. With Bone-in, my lamb legs took around 45 minutes over wood fire.
• You can use a BBQ grill, Oven or tandoor as well.
• Butter adds a lot of flavour so, use it generously. (use unsalted as the marinade has enough salt)
• Add the chillies and peppercorns with the stem. It has lots of fiber.
• After grilling, allow the lamb leg to rest for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours.
• Serve with lots of fresh veggies, lettuce leaves, dips, Pita Bread or Rotis.

Enjoy this Grilled Lamb with green marinade and let me know how you like it. Your feedback and suggestions mean a lot to me and would encourage me to create more wonderful recipes for you. Thanks and God Bless!!