Lamb... or even under the label "mutton" .... is a popular item in our eating preferences and habits; and there are even local dishes to it.
The focus in this post ..... is Roast Leg of Lamb (perhaps, also Roast Shoulder of Lamb)......
Some introductory information
I read from a blog(s), primarily written from a European context, .....which has stated that .... "One of the most popular cuts is the leg of lamb, which suits home cooks but is rarely offered in restaurants. Professional kitchens like the expensive rack of lamb, with the bones "frenched" so they're bare, and the rack sliced neatly into pink chops. Another restaurant cut is the tender lamb loin or saddle. Legs and shoulders are typically home cuts, the shoulder being something more likely to show up in a stew. The leg is a centerpiece for a celebration".
And I fully agree as the Malaysian scene reflects the same scenario ..... Rack of Lamb... is their cut of focus.......... thus, a request for a Roast Leg of Lamb is not that readily available; perhaps, some restaurants/pubs should take note of this .......... I may want to buy 6-10 friends a night of drinks; but can I say with 1-2 days notice, place an order ... Roast Leg of Lamb .... if yes, it would be wonderful for the dish goes well with drinks...... if there is a joint in Kuala Lumpur with such flexibility to customer's needs; please drop me a note!!!!!!!!!.
The Main Point
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| Home cooked -Simple straight forward, old fashion .....Roast leg of lamb |
I am not going into anything to argue that "How a roast leg of lamb is a British classic or not"; but my main point is that the Brits did have an influence on our local scene on this dish (I am not talking the entire roast lamb (or goat) where you can see at some celebrations ) ..... but a typical Roast Leg of Lamb (or shoulder ) as within the contexts of what is depicted in the photos herein:
I love this simple old fashion, straightforward, Roast Leg of Lamb (and shoulder) .... even from the younger days.... and till now (photos herein is a home cooked Roast of Lamb .... it is delicious and succulent.... yummy; and I do attribute my taste/liking towards it to the British influence on Malaysia...... many many years ago.
The photos herein was my dinner .... last night (4th November 2012) .... take my words for it ... absolutely yummy; we had in the past make this roast and had friends over to eat ......... and it has always been a same comment "yummy" .... and eat like a glutton (even me suffer from this tendency, each time .... ).
The only problem..... the local taste is up for it ..... but its availability in restaurants (or pubs) are lacking in this direction ..... we may change the style in someway on the local front ..... but it is still a old fashion, straight forward roast leg of lamb.
The lamb is from New Zealand ...... not readily available in local restaurants but one can still buy the raw leg of lambs (and shoulders) from selected local supermarkets .... thus, to enable home cooking (otherwise, I will not be able to have a eat my heart out meal at home ..... roast leg of lamb).
After the roast comes out from the oven, the juices that flowed from the roast was collected ..... with an attempt to get rid of the layer of fats on top.......... were used to make the gravy to be served with the meal. We also had the Mint Sauce to the lamb .... that "devastating" flavour to enhance the taste of the sliced lamb.
On this occasion, we did not have roast potatoes (a traditional must) to go with; but just broccoli - cooked Chinese style (fried)........ staring a local modification towards variations of eating.
We had also in the past, to actually eat it with rice .... the sliced pieces of lamb, rice, vegetables ... with the gravy and mint sauce .............. a sort of customisation to local eating habits ... take my word... is still an absolute yummy scenario.
Photo above ..... was the balance of the roast after the gluttonous meal ....... had it cooled down and was wrapped in aluminium foil and dished into the freezer for another occasion .
Looks lovely, looking at this makes my digestive juice to pour ..... as for the balance we will have slices of it (cold) to make sandwiches ....... this is also yummy.
And .... not forgetting, also my favourite, a portion will be used to make casserole..... with carrots and potatoes ..... fantastic meal; and this shall be for the coming weekend.
Having said how nice and lovely the roast is; I have a wishful thought which I hope can become a reality on the local scene ...... by and large, Malaysians like to eat out, which I think is quite a distinctive trait, and we have the flexibility to adjust our taste buds or likings towards certain food ..... and even to make some local modifications towards it.
To be more specific, perhaps, to say to look at the Happy Hour scene ....... we love to have a meaty snack with our drinks ... and at the same time we don't want to order a full meal, say a plate of Rack of Lamb with the full works of potatoes and the other stuff .... which actually makes me drink less beer.
There can be a way round this scenario ..... (to Pub owners.... this can increase your sales.... give it some thoughts) .......... I do wish there can be more meaty snacks... shared with friends, say in small, medium and large portions ........... sliced roast lamb can be an option towards this end .... a plate shared amongst friends on the bar counter......
I just wish there can be such a scenario .... perhaps, even better it can be complimentary Happy Hour meaty snack ....... slices of roast lamb (not everyday but at least on some days)........... I have not come across such a place that can offer towards this wishful thinking ... if there are such places, please drop me a note.
(to be fair.... there is a pub, WAGON in Wisma Cosway, Kuala Lumpur, which serves meaty Mutton Curry, with bread, as a complimentary happy hour snack every Friday)
KS Wong, Kuala Lumpur
I love this simple old fashion, straightforward, Roast Leg of Lamb (and shoulder) .... even from the younger days.... and till now (photos herein is a home cooked Roast of Lamb .... it is delicious and succulent.... yummy; and I do attribute my taste/liking towards it to the British influence on Malaysia...... many many years ago.
 |
| Home Cooked: The Leg of Lamb ... out of the oven ... transferred to another tray .... before I start the slicing......... the aroma in the kitchen while in the oven is just fantastic ...... enticing the flow of digestive juices even before the roast is ready. |
The only problem..... the local taste is up for it ..... but its availability in restaurants (or pubs) are lacking in this direction ..... we may change the style in someway on the local front ..... but it is still a old fashion, straight forward roast leg of lamb.
 |
| I did the slicing myself ............ the Leg of Lamb is from New Zealand (Photo-KS Wong) |
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| Another shot of the sliced lamb ..... wow, makes me hungry..., even looking at the photo (Photo-KS Wong). |
On this occasion, we did not have roast potatoes (a traditional must) to go with; but just broccoli - cooked Chinese style (fried)........ staring a local modification towards variations of eating.
We had also in the past, to actually eat it with rice .... the sliced pieces of lamb, rice, vegetables ... with the gravy and mint sauce .............. a sort of customisation to local eating habits ... take my word... is still an absolute yummy scenario.
 |
| This was the balance of the roast after ..... the meal |
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| a close look at the balance of the roast |
And .... not forgetting, also my favourite, a portion will be used to make casserole..... with carrots and potatoes ..... fantastic meal; and this shall be for the coming weekend.
 |
| Taking another look at the balance of the roast leg of lamb |
To be more specific, perhaps, to say to look at the Happy Hour scene ....... we love to have a meaty snack with our drinks ... and at the same time we don't want to order a full meal, say a plate of Rack of Lamb with the full works of potatoes and the other stuff .... which actually makes me drink less beer.
There can be a way round this scenario ..... (to Pub owners.... this can increase your sales.... give it some thoughts) .......... I do wish there can be more meaty snacks... shared with friends, say in small, medium and large portions ........... sliced roast lamb can be an option towards this end .... a plate shared amongst friends on the bar counter......
I just wish there can be such a scenario .... perhaps, even better it can be complimentary Happy Hour meaty snack ....... slices of roast lamb (not everyday but at least on some days)........... I have not come across such a place that can offer towards this wishful thinking ... if there are such places, please drop me a note.
(to be fair.... there is a pub, WAGON in Wisma Cosway, Kuala Lumpur, which serves meaty Mutton Curry, with bread, as a complimentary happy hour snack every Friday)
KS Wong, Kuala Lumpur
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