Quercy lamb marinated in Asian style: the favorite recipe of King Charles III by superstar chef Ken Hom

He's the boss of the stars. Tony Blair, Elton John, Tina Turner, Jacques Chirac… The elite swear by him. Ken Hom, the chef, left his pretty Catus stone house for Bangkok in Thailand where he cooks for ultra-select clients. The chef agreed to share with us the recipe he made on May 6, 2023 for the coronation of the King of England Charles III. Just that! For this special menu, Ken Hom had concocted a rack of roast lamb from Quercy with an Asian marinade.

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“Cooking during the holidays is generally a stressful time and if you are the cook, you work while everyone laughs and drinks lots of champagne. Here, as tender as it is wonderful, the distinctive taste of Quercy lamb is nevertheless sturdy enough to handle the East-West flavors of sesame oil, mustard and soy sauce with grace and dignity,” he begins by explaining. He continues: “This dish doesn’t require a lot of work and it is unusual, delicious and easy to make.
Serve this lamb with roast potatoes and a green salad for a perfect Christmas or New Year's dinner.

The recipe is intended for four people but can easily be doubled. Ingredients: for the meat, two 750 gram racks of Quercy lamb and two tablespoons of peanut oil. For the marinade, two teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, one tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, two tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds, one tablespoon of sugar, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard , one tablespoon of light soy sauce, two tablespoons of thick soy sauce, two tablespoons of finely chopped garlic and one tablespoon of coarse sea salt.

Start by seasoning each rack of lamb with salt and pepper. “Brown each rack of lamb in a non-stick pan with peanut oil for five minutes, turning frequently. Let the lamb cool,” comments the chef. Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and rub the mixture onto both sides of the lamb with a rubber spatula. Leave to marinate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 230 degrees. Place the racks of lamb in a baking dish. Moisten the fresh or dry sage leaves with a little water and spread them over the racks of lamb. Reduce the heat to 200 degrees, cover the lamb racks with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes if you want a more golden and crispy appearance. “Then remove the lamb to a cutting board and let the racks rest for 20 minutes,” continues Ken Hom.

Deglaze on a burner

Skim the fat from the baking dish, add the chicken broth. And, a slightly more technical step, deglaze on a burner, scraping to loosen the tasty bits. Add sesame oil, sesame paste and butter to the sauce and mix well. Cut the racks of lamb, place them on a serving dish and serve with the sauce. And there you have it, a royal recipe to savor.