This is the recipe of my friend Vikram Vij, whose Vancouver restaurant, Vij’s, is among the best Indian restaurants in North America. Other cuts of meat you can use here: Beef tenderloin (filet mignon), cut into medallions. Pilaf (page 513), Dal (page 433), and other standard Indian accompaniments would do nicely here.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings as main course, 8 as starter

　　2 racks of lamb, 8 ribs each, or 16 rib chops

　　1/4 cup dry white wine

　　1/4 cup grainy yellow mustard

　　Salt to taste

　　2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　1 tablespoon minced garlic

　　1 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　2 cups heavy cream

　　2 teaspoons dried green fenugreek flakes (kasuri methi) or ground fenugreek

　　1/4 teaspoon cayenne

　　2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　1/4 teaspoon paprika

　　

Step 1

Cut the racks into individual ribs; combine in a bowl with the wine, mustard, and a large pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

　　

Step 2

When you’re ready to cook, start a charcoal or gas grill or preheat the broiler; the fire should be quite hot and the rack 2 to 4 inches from the heat source (a little farther away if you’re using the fattier shoulder chops). Put the oil in a small pot over medium heat and add the garlic. As the garlic turns golden, add the turmeric and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Add the cream, fenugreek, cayenne, lemon juice, and paprika and turn the heat to low. Keep warm while you grill the ribs.

　　

Step 3

Grill the ribs quickly, just a couple of minutes per side (3 or 4 minutes for shoulder chops). Serve, either doused with the cream sauce or with the sauce on the side for dipping.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.