Ingredients:

For the lamb:
2.2 kg / 4 1b 13½ oz leg of lamb

For the marinade:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 tbsp lemon juice
15 g / ½ oz fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
¼ tsp red chilli powder
salt, to taste
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp water

For the honey rub:
100 g / 3½ oz almonds, blanched
100 ml / 3½ fl oz Greek yoghurt
1½ tbsp honey

Directions:

Blend together all the ingredients for the marinade in a blender or food processor.

Trim the excess fat and membranes from the leg of lamb. Make deep regular cuts all over the flesh with a short, sharp knife. Rub in the marinade, making sure you get it into the deep cuts. Place the lamb in a plastic food bag with the marinade and leave in the fridge, ideally for 24 hours, or for a minimum of 6-8 hours.

For the honey rub, blend together 70g / 2½ oz of the almonds, the yoghurt and half the honey in a blender or food processor. Take the lamb out of the fridge and remove the plastic bag. Rub the honey blend into the lamb and ideally leave the lamb for another two hours (or at least 30 minutes), covered, in the fridge. Remove the lamb from the fridge and bring to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 225°C / 425°F / Gas 7 and place the lamb on a rack with a roasting tray underneath. Cook for 15 minutes then lower the heat to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4 and cook for another 1 hour 40 minutes, or until the meat juices run fairly pink when pierced, basting every 20-30 minutes.

Scatter over the remaining almonds and drizzle over the remaining honey and roast for another ten minutes. Check if the meat is cooked using a meat thermometer. The temperature should be 130-150C. The higher the temperature the more well cooked the meat will be.

Remove the lamb from the oven. Cover it with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Pour out the juices, spoon off any excess fat, and serve it on the side. Serve the lamb with roasted potatoes and a vegetable of your choice.

Biting into crabmeat and prawn at the same time produces a rich and luxurious feeling. These crisp and juicy crab claws are as good to look at as they are to eat, so they are bound to be a successful starter for a dinner party. You can prepare in advance up to the end of step 6, and then simply refry the claws just before serving.

This classic dish is one of the Cantonese dim sum delicacies.

This is a very popular dish in Hong Kong: it satisfies the ever-present Chinese craving for a contrast between a crunchy and a tender texture in food. In the same mouthful, one can experience a smooth and creamy filling wrapped in a crispy batter coating. The recipe works equally well without the crabmeat.

This dish derives its name from the Chinese emblem of beauty, the phoenix. Prawns are likened to its long and graceful tail.

True to form, Cantonese pickled vegetables are sweet and sour rather than spicy, and their unique taste is achieved by a harmonious and subtle blending of salt, sugar and vinegar.

Five-spice powder lends this dish its name as well as its characteristic aroma. In Fukien, where this dish originates, ducks’ eggs, both the white and the yolk, are used because of their stronger taste.

Spring rolls, also known as egg rolls, are a tasty filling wrapped in a thin dough and deep-fried until crispy. Here, for the filling and pork marinade, use medium-dry sherry if Shaohsing wine is not available.

A popular cold starter or a snack that is part and parcel of Cantonese dim sum.

A Cantonese dish at its simplest and best. The fresh scallops are steamed with just a touch of garlic, then served with a sauce to add zest to their natural sweetness. The details of preparation, seemingly elaborate, are nevertheless worth observing if you wish to make this simple yet sophisticated dish.

Do not be put off by the initial rubbery appearance of the jellyfish, which is sold in sheets, folded and packed into plastic bags with large grains of salt in between the folds. When properly prepared, edible jellyfish gives great pleasure to those who enjoy food as much for texture as for taste. This is
certainly why the Chinese like it.

Texture is the essence of this dish. The quickly cooked shrimp should be crisp yet tender, and the longer they are marinated in the refrigerator—up to 3 days—the better their texture becomes. The delicate colour of the shrimp needs no garnish.

You can also use boneless shoulder or chops to make this dish. You will find the result just as deliciously satisfying.

This pleasant Northern dish is served cold with a slightly tangy sauce, and because it can be prepared completely in advance it is very handy for entertaining. The fen pi, literally meaning the skin of flour, must not be soggy if the dish is to be successful.