Vikram Vij spices up Valentine's Day with signature Lamb Popsicles (RECIPE)

Feb 11 2017, 5:08 am

The way to your lover’s heart could very well be through his or her stomach, and if that’s the case, you’ll want to get cooking this Valentine’s Day.

If you’re stuck on inspiration, you can always turn to one of Vancouver’s most well known chefs, who loves to keep things exciting in the kitchen: Vikram Vij.

Vij, the proprietor of the storied Vij’s, along with Rangoli and My Shanti, invited us to his kitchen to show us how to make a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner…but the conversation quickly got a bit risque.

If do you want to try your hand at the recipe Vij put together for us, it’s certainly one of his signature dishes, and could be a lot of fun to share with your love. That said, the recipe does serve six, so you can scale it back, plan for leftovers, or invite five of your closest friends over for a sexy feast.

Marinated Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry

By Vikram Vij
Serves 6

Ingredients

For the lamb

  • ¼ cup sweet white wine
  • ¾ cup grainy yellow mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 4 lbs French-cut racks of lamb, in chops

For the curry sauce

  • 4 cups whipping cream
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbsp dried green fenugreek leaves
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp  canola oil
  • 3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp turmeric

Method

  • Combine wine, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add lamb and coat well with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
  • In a large bowl, combine cream, salt, paprika, cayenne, fenugreek leaves and lemon juice. Heat 3 to 4 Tbsp of the oil in a medium pot on medium heat and sauté garlic until golden. Stir in turmeric and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the cream mixture and cook on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until it is gently boiling.
  • Preheat a stove-top cast iron grill or barbeque to high heat. Place lamb on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
  • Serve popsicles piping hot off the grill. Depending on their size, place 4 to 5 lamb popsicles on each plate. Pour the cream curry over the meat or ladle it into a small bowl and use it as a dipping sauce for the popsicles.

Notes on wine pairing: Vij loves the Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner, which is always on the restaurant’s wine list. 

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

+ Dished
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