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These Korean Style Lamb Cutlets are slightly spicy and totally moreish – marinate them for a couple of hours for extra flavour!
“Oh my. These lamb chops are the best that I have ever tasted. This is my new favorite recipe for lamb.”
Nicky’s Notes
I’ve tested these Korean-style lamb cutlets with everything from a quick 30-minute marinade to a good 6 hours. They’re delicious even after the shorter marinade, but if you have the time, a few extra hours gives you a slightly deeper flavour and beautifully tender lamb.
Gochujang varies quite a bit between brands too, particularly when it comes to heat, so give your marinade a little taste and adjust to suit you.
One important tip when cooking: keep the pan at a medium heat. There’s sugar in that sticky marinade, so too much heat can make the outside catch before the lamb is cooked how you like it.
These never last long in our house – I once planned to save a couple for fried rice and they disappeared before I got the chance!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients Korean Lamb Chops
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
- Lamb cutlets – you can buy them individually, or you can use a French trimmed rack of lamb and slice into individual cutlets.
Ingredient spotlight: Gochujang
Have you tried gochujang yet?
I like to use it when I make my spicy pork ramen, my Korean beef bulgogi bowl , Korean Steak Sandwich and also as a dipping sauce for veggie bibimbap.
It’s a Korean sauce or paste with a smoky-sweet and spicy flavour. Some brands are spicier than others. I’ve been using the paste (rather than the sauce) a lot recently – which has got a bit of a kick, but the kids will still eat so long as they have a big drink of water!
For this recipe, the gochujang is used as part of a marinade, which adds so much flavour! You don’t even need to marinade the Korean Style Lamb Cutlets for too long.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Mix the gochujang marinade ingredients together, then coat the lamb cutlets and chill for a couple of hours (30–45 minutes still works if you’re in a rush). Take them out of the fridge before cooking to lose the chill, then fry over a medium heat until dark golden and cooked through then serve.
Pro Tips
- Don’t fry these cutlets on too high a heat as the sugar in the marinade may cause it to burn. A nice medium heat is perfect.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- A simple green salad or
- Marinated onions or Asian cucumber salad
- Egg fried rice, boiled rice or crispy smashed potatoes
I was planning on saving a couple to chop up – so I could add into some fried rice later in the week – but no. They were all gone, and we were all left with orange fingers and faces.
We did start with knives and forks, but since these Korean Style Lamb Cutlets are pretty small, I think it’s best to just dig in there.
I managed 4, he scoffed 5 and the kids had 2 each. A good size portion is probably 3 each, but we’re a little greedy….
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📺 Watch how to make it
*** Note! This recipe is for 4 servings, but the video is for two servings***
Korean Style Lamb Cutlets Recipe
Ingredients
- 100 g (1/2 cup) gochujang paste
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 12 lamb cutlets
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
To Finish:
- 1 tbsp mixed white and black sesame seeds
- 4 chopped spring onions (scallions)
- 1 tsp shichimi togarashi optional – this is actually a Japanese seasoning blend (I use it in my Firecracker chicken) – it’s a kind of savoury, umami taste. It adds a little extra flavour and looks pretty sprinkled on top.
Instructions
- To a large bowl add the gochujang paste, rice wine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Mix, together, then add the lamb cutlets and mix again to coat. Cover the bowl with clingfilm.12 lamb cutlets, 100 g (1/2 cup) gochujang paste, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 3 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp minced ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours (or as long as 12 hours). If you're short on time, even 30-45 minutes of marinating will still taste great.
- Take the cutlets out of the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook them – so they're not fridge-cold.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) and fry the cutlets for 3-4 minutes, over a medium heat, on each side, until dark golden. You may have to cook in two batches, in which case you can keep the first batch warm in a low oven.1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds, spring onions, and shichimi togarashi before serving. I like to serve them with a big green salad.1 tbsp mixed white and black sesame seeds, 1 tsp shichimi togarashi, 4 chopped spring onions (scallions)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in February 2017. Updated July 2023 with new photos and a video. Updated since with additional improvements and for housekeeping.
🍲 More lamb recipes
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Oh my. These lamb chops are the best that I have ever tasted. This is my new favorite recipe for lamb.
I loved it, made it last night and just like you said.. There were no leftovers!!
Made it a few weeks ago & making it again tonight after repeated requests. The flavours are just amazing!! My husband & daughter were speechless for quite a while. Thank you for a very very tasty marinade.
Korean spiced lamb cutlets, just 2 words – absolutely gorgeous.
This looks pretty delicious! Never thought about preparing lamb this way… Actually I think I should make more lamb overall 🙂