Royal Vindaloo Lamb Shanks
I found this recipe recently scribbled on a piece of paper tucked at the back of my desk, and I cannot believe I had forgotten all about it. Its a superb ‘Indian’ style slow cooked lamb shank. The recipe is called Royal Vindaloo Lamb and yes dried red chillies are used, but please do not let that deter you, as the hot spice soak is more for flavour than intense chilli heat.
By the way, a quick culinary school lesson for those of you who are beginners, a meat shank or shin is the portion of meat around the tibia of the animal, the leg bone beneath the knee and shoulder. Lamb shanks always tend to be braised whole and for a long time, to make sure that the meat is succulent and tender – literally falling away from the bone.
Best to serve hot with basmati rice, a generous dollop of fresh mint yoghurt, a pickled cucumber and tomato Kachumber salad, and fresh Homemade Roti or traditional Indian Puris
Finally, I call this recipe ‘Royal’ as the end result really is quite something; incredibly delicious ‘melt in the mouth’ lamb with an intoxicating aromatic heat. Definitely a cut above the average vindaloo meat curry!
Ingredients
-
Vindaloo Marinade:
-
7 large dried red chillies
-
1 small cinnamon stick
-
5 cloves
-
4 cardamon seeds
-
1 tsp cumin seeds- toasted
-
1 tsp black mustard seeds- toasted
-
1 tsp black peppercorns- toasted
-
1 tbsp fresh ginger- peeled and grated
-
7 garlic cloves- peeled
-
125 ml cider vinegar
-
125 ml dry white wine- or water
-
Lamb Shanks and Final Stage
-
6 lamb shanks- allowing 1 per person
-
125 ml coconut oil- rapeseed or vegetable
-
2 onions- finely diced
-
Couple pinches of sea salt
-
Heavy grind of black pepper
-
Mint Yoghurt:
-
Handful fresh mint leaves- picked from the stalks, finely chopped
-
4 tbsp plain thick style yoghurt- or non dairy coconut yoghurt
Instructions
-
Prepare vindaloo marinade :
-
01 First toast the cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and black peppercorns in a small pan over heat to release their natural aromas.
-
02 In another small saucepan, warm the cider vinegar and wine/water until hot. Set aside.
-
03 Finally in a small bowl, add all the remaining ingredients plus the toasted spices and top with the hot vinegar liquid. Stir well and leave to soak for an hour or so and allow to cool.
-
04 Once cool and the chillies are soft, tip everything into a spice grinder or liquidizer and blend well until you have a smooth, spicy liquid.
-
Marinade shanks:
-
05 Place lamb shanks into either a plastic container with a lid (see image #3) or lie flat on a plate. Even better perhaps to use a large plastic zip lock bag. Cover well with the vindaloo marinade and leave in the fridge for minimum one hour or longer.
-
To cook:
-
06 Heat oil in an oven proof casserole dish. Drain the lamb from the marinade (keeping the liquid for later) and add to the hot oil, sealing well all over.
-
07 Turn the heat down and now add the chopped onions, allow to soften before adding all the marinade liquid (see image #4). Cover and place in moderate oven for a minimum of 2 hours, and longer if the shanks are large. See notes for additional advice.
-
08 Serve hot with rice and suggested accompaniments.
-
Mint yoghurt:
-
09 In a small bowl mix plain yoghurt and fresh mint. Cover and leave in the refrigerator until required.
Notes
It is possible to leave the shanks to marinade in the vindaloo spice mixture over night, and do not worry if the vindaloo marinade appears rather wet, this is correct. Please remember it is best to always cook lamb shanks slowly and until the cooked lamb flesh starts to fall away from the bone, otherwise they can be tough. If after 2 hours test the meat and if still tough continue cooking for further 30-40 minutes until you have that 'falling from the bone' texture.
