How to Make Mint Sauce
Lamb is just not the same without mint sauce but there are various other things that complement this tasty green gloop! To start you'll need to make mint sauce - there are basic recipes and more complex versions but get started with something simple. You can buy it easily enough in the shops but mint is a prolific plant and will give you plenty of growth to make it from scratch - and of course the home made version is really easy and tastes much better.
Basic mint sauce recipe
Large handful of fresh mint leaves
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons boiling water
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 level tablespoon caster sugar
Strip the mint leaves form the stalks, sprinkle with salt and chop roughly. Add the mint to a jug with the sugar and stir in the boiling water, then set aside to cool. Add the vinegar, stir well to combine then taste and add more vinegar, water, sugar or seasoning as necessary.
Exotic mint sauce recipe
Try this one with Indian style lamb.
3 bunches fresh coriander leaves
1 bunch fresh mint leaves
1 small ripe mango, peeled, stoned and diced
1 green chilli
Half a teaspoon each of cumin seeds and golden caster sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
Add all the ingredients apart from the yoghurt to a food processor and whizz for a minute or two, until the mixture is smooth. Tip into a bowl with the yoghurt and stir well to combine. Season to taste.
Strawberry mint sauce recipe
Drizzle this summery version over vanilla ice cream or sponge cake.
350g fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
120ml runny honey
Handful fresh mint leaves
Juice of one lemon
Add the strawberries, honey and mint to a small saucepan and heat gently until the honey has dissolved and the mixture is well combined. Add the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth - or you could use a hand blender directly in the saucepan. Strain the sauce through a sieve then add the lemon juice and stir well. The sauce is delicious warm or at room temperature.
Using mint sauce
Traditionally an accompaniment to lamb, mint sauce is more versatile than you may have assumed. It adds a wonderful dimension to mushy peas and works surprisingly well on toast or as a dip for poppadoms. Stir it into plain yoghurt to make a fresh, cooling raita to accompany Indian food and it can even be used to make a mint flavoured panna cotta.
