A former MasterChef winner in 2012, Shelina, a Mauritian Muslim born in the UK, is now a successful food writer and presenter. She runs Lakaz Maman in Southampton, where she serves up Mauritian street-food style dishes
See more of Shelina Permalloo’s recipes
Shelina Permalloo
A former MasterChef winner in 2012, Shelina, a Mauritian Muslim born in the UK, is now a successful food writer and presenter. She runs Lakaz Maman in Southampton, where she serves up Mauritian street-food style dishes
See more of Shelina Permalloo’s recipes
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Ingredients
For the lamb
11⁄2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 lamb shanks, 350g-450g each
1 large onion, chopped
4 whole cloves
10 fresh curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
a thumb-size piece of root ginger, finely chopped
4 large vine tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp mild curry powder
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp hot smoked paprika (or use 1 tsp smoked paprika, plus a pinch of cayenne pepper)
600ml lamb or chicken stock* (use fresh, or 1 stockpot or cube)
300g Greek-style natural yogurt
To serve
fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 x 80g pack pomegranate seeds
rice and/or roti
For the Mauritian mango kutcha (pickle)
1 underripe mango or a green mango from an ethnic shop
1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt
2 red chillies, roughly chopped, deseeded if you wish
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1⁄4 tsp brown mustard seeds, crushed
1⁄4 tsp ground fenugreek
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
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Get ahead
The pickled mango can be made up to a day ahead; cover and chill until ready to serve.
In a large saucepan or casserole, heat the oil over a high heat and fry the lamb shanks until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and then add the onion, cloves, curry leaves and cinnamon stick. Cook for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften and take on some colour.
Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring, before adding the tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes lose their shape and start to release their juices, then continue to cook until any excess liquid has evaporated.
Stir in the curry powder, turmeric and paprika with a splash of the stock to make sure the spices don’t burn. Fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant then pull off the heat and stir in the yogurt, followed by the rest of the stock. Return the lamb shanks to the casserole, bring up to a simmer, then cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 21⁄2-3 hours or until the lamb is very tender – the timing will depend on the size of the shanks. Remove the lamb shanks onto a plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest. Increase the heat under the pan and bubble, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
While the lamb cooks, make the pickle. Peel and grate the mango, toss with the salt and place in a sieve over a bowl. Press with a spoon and leave for at least 15 minutes to draw out excess liquid. Pulverise the red chilli, garlic, mustard seeds, fenugreek and turmeric to a fine paste in a pestle and mortar or a small food processor. Mix in the vinegar.
Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan. As soon as the oil is hot, remove from the heat and add the chilli paste. Add the drained mango and stir well. Cool then cover and chill until ready to serve (see Get Ahead tip at the top of the recipe).
Garnish the lamb shanks with the coriander and pomegranate seeds. Serve with the mango pickle and some rice and roti for the ultimate festive feast.
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Before you cook lamb shanks by braising them, wash the shanks and use a sharp knife to remove some of the larger deposits of fat. Heat some oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven, then brown the shanks for about 4 minutes on all 3 sides.
In other words, if the meat ends up tough and chewy, it usually means you probably need to cook them longer. However, thanks to my Instant Pot (a.k.a. electric pressure cooker), I can get a hearty platter of fall-off-the bone lamb shanks onto the dinner table in about 90 minutes!
Part of what makes lamb shanks so flavorful is the marrow deep in the bones. As the shanks cook, the marrow liquefies, adding the concentrated essence of the lamb to the sauce. This means that when you're cooking meat on the bones, you don't necessarily have to add stock when liquid is needed.
Braised or slow-cooked is best way to cook lamb shanks.
Because they are a tougher cut, the best way to cook lamb shanks is by braising or slow-cooking them in the oven until the meat is fork-tender and the marrow has melted into the rich sauce.
One of the most popular methods, braising, involves cooking the shank slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot. This method not only tenderizes the meat but also creates a rich, flavorful sauce.
Do you need to trim lamb shanks? Shanks will usually be ready to cook right away, but you can trim off excess fat and the silverskin (a thin, shiny membrane) for nicer presentation.
Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.
Insert a probe, attached to your ChefAlarm, into one of your shanks and set your high-temperature alarm to 203°F (95°C). By the time the meat comes up to that temperature at that cooking temp, enough of the collagen will have melted to make your shanks fork-tender.
Place the leg and cut-off bone portion in a large kettle. Add the onion, carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt and cover with cold water. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer, covered, until very tender, 2½ to 3 hours.
Simply salt your lamb (heavily), then add it to a bowl filled with cold water and add a cup of distilled white vinegar. In ten minutes or so, your lamb will be ready to rinse and cook.
The benefits of eating lamb shank includes, it's a good source of protein, it contains high levels of essential amino acids, it is a rich source of vitamin B12 and iron, it's also a good source of zinc, selenium, and niacin.
Lamb Shanks: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait The shank — the lower part of the leg, from the knee down — is one of the toughest cuts you can find on a lamb. But what makes it impossible to saute is what makes it ideal for braising.
To some people, the idea of resting your lamb after cooking makes them think that they're just going to let it get cold, but that's actually not the case. Allowing meat to stand away from the heat helps to redistribute the juices throughout your cut – giving you juicer, tastier meat.
An average 1-pound lamb shank will yield about 7 1/2 to 8 ounces of meat (uncooked). One lamb shank will serve from 1 to 2 people, depending on the size of the shank and appetite.
Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.
There is no need to rinse raw lamb before cooking because this creates a cross-contamination hazard. Any bacteria which might be present would be destroyed by cooking.
While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn't require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary.
What do you soak lamb chops in? As you may already know, fat holds odors and flavors. Therefore, trimming as much fat as possible before cooking it's a great tip. To help in this process, it is recommended to soak the lamb chops in lemon water (or vinegar water) for 30 minutes.
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Prep time: 45 mins
