Lamb Braai Ramen
A braai is not a barbecue in the South African understanding of the word. A barbecue is a cooking method. A braai is a social institution. It's the event, the fire, the gathering, and the food, all together and inseparable, and the food is almost secondary to the fire and the standing around the fire discussing whether the fire is ready. Lamb is the meat that braai was made for, particularly chops, which char fast and need minimal seasoning because the smoke does the seasoning. What happens when you take those lamb chops, pull the drippings into a broth, and put ramen noodles underneath is that you get a bowl that tastes like an evening in the Western Cape, which is one of the better things a bowl can taste like.
Lamb fat drips to coals—smoke lifts up and comes back down—a braai is a life
Let Me Tell You...
I have never been to South Africa but I've eaten braai at someone's house in Johannesburg's diaspora in London, which is not the same thing and everyone at the table made sure I understood that.
What I understood was the smoke and the fat and the particular assertiveness of braai lamb, which is seasoned with nothing but salt and then left to the fire.
That's a confidence in the ingredient that not every cooking tradition has.
Most traditions would add something.
South Africa says the lamb is enough, and the lamb, over coals, agrees.
Cold lamb over high heat chars the outside before the center reaches temperature.
Chakalaka is the South African vegetable relish that goes with braai everything.
It's a spiced stew of onion, tomato, peppers, beans, and curry powder, and it's been made from whatever vegetables were available for generations, which means there's no single correct recipe and every version is someone's grandmother's version and correct by definition.
The version here is simplified for this bowl but keeps the curry powder and tomato base that make it recognizable.
It's acidic and bright and it cuts through the lamb fat exactly the way it's supposed to.
Store covered in the fridge and serve at room temperature over the warm broth.
The broth is built from the lamb drippings the same way a French jus is built, by deglazing the resting pan with stock and letting the fond dissolve.
The difference is that braai lamb drippings have smoke and char in them, and that character carries directly into the broth without any additional technique.
The rosemary goes in with the stock and it's a very South African move, rosemary grows wild across the Cape and ends up in everything.
The broth ends up tasting like the landscape, which is the best thing a broth can do.
Every drop counts.
The bowl is for a Saturday.
It requires fire or a very good grill pan and it requires the patience to let lamb chops rest, and in exchange it gives you the most deeply flavored broth any ramen has seen this week.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 4 lamb rib chops or loin chops (about 1.5 lbs total), at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt (for seasoning lamb)
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (for deglazing)
- 3 cups low-sodium beef or lamb broth
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- For chakalaka: 1 tablespoon oil; 1 small onion (diced); 1 red bell pepper (diced); 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes; 1 can (14 oz) baked beans in tomato sauce; 1.5 teaspoons mild curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes; salt to taste
Preparation
- Make the chakalaka: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add curry powder and chili flakes, stir for 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes and baked beans. Simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Season with salt. Set aside at room temperature.
- Season lamb chops generously on all sides with flaky sea salt and black pepper. Grill over very high heat (or a ridged grill pan on highest flame) for 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate to rest for 8-10 minutes. Collect any resting juices.
- In the same pan over medium-high heat, add red wine and scrape up any drippings. Add smashed garlic and rosemary. Cook until wine reduces by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add broth and any resting juices from the lamb. Simmer for 10 minutes until broth is rich and flavored. Strain through a fine sieve. Season with salt.
- Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and divide between bowls.
- Ladle broth over noodles. Rest one or two lamb chops across each bowl. Spoon chakalaka generously over the lamb and serve immediately.