Susur Lee's Lamb Thailandaise

One of my favourite sessions at the recent Hilton Brisbane Masterclass was Susur Lee's 'Flavours without Borders'.

As Restaurant II Chef/Owner David Pugh says, Susur's food is very approachable for the home cook.

Susur shared a little of his origins growing up in Hong Kong. His mother, who he said was a terrible cook, told him to go and get a job where they feed you, so he did.

Here's his Lamb Thailandaise recipe which comes with two sauces that are quite superb and very versatile. The recipe really reflects the produce and flavours of Queensland and I'm keen to give it a try - family, can I line you up for dinner soon?

Lamb Thailandaise

The pineapple salsa is at the front and you can just see the mint chutney at the back.

1 rack of lamb
2 tablespoons curry powder (Madras or West Indian)
1 teaspoon oil
5 cloves garlic
1 knob ginger
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander

• Heat oil in a pan (not too hot), lightly fry the curry powder
• Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a paste
• Marinate the lamb rack for 2 days
• Add the lamb rack to a roasting pan and roast at 190C for 20 minutes.
• Rest before serving.

Susur says he uses Australian lamb in his Toronto restaurant and believes it is the best in the world.

The sauce will keep for up to a month in the fridge and can also be used for fish, chicken or beef.  He suggests using it on a leg of lamb - poke some holes in the lamb and leave it for three days.

Accompany it with -

Pineapple salsa
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 red eye chilli, very finely diced
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped coriander
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped mint or basil

• Mix the sugar and chilli together
• Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine

Susur says you can also add peanuts to this.

Mint chutney
1 cup packed mint leaves
1 jalapeno chilli
1/2  cup chopped spring onion
1 teaspoon white sugar
11/2 tablespoon white vinegar

• Blend in a food processor until well combined

Susur says this will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. His tip - soak the onion in iced water to get rid of the bitterness.

Tong Yuen

Look for Susur's Tong Yuen on the menu in the Hilton Brisbane Atrium.  I really enjoyed this dessert which was at once sweet and satisfying without being overly filling. Just perfik really.