SERVES 6
I named this dish Lambshank Redemption after one of my favorite movies. Guess the name. 😊 Incidentally, the first time I cooked this dish, I had just finished watching that movie. Actually, this preparation is called Nihari. Among the Muslim families in India and Pakistan, this is a very popular breakfast or brunch dish. It is supposed to be eaten with a naan, even though it goes well with plain rice too. Essentially, in this preparation, the lamb is slow cooked in homemade fresh garam masala.
3 lamb shanks (3½ to 4 lb)
2¼ tsp salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper
6 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 whole nutmeg, crushed into smaller pieces
1 tbsp mace pieces
2 tbsp whole fennel seeds
2-3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tsp ginger powder
8 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 tsp kashmiri chilli pepper (if you want to kick it up, you can use cayenne pepper)
1 tbsp bright red paprika
Crispy fried onion slices (you can fry them yourself or just get them from the grocery store)
2 tbsp whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour will work as well)
For garnish:
Fine julienne of peeled fresh ginger
Thinly sliced fresh hot green chillies (such as jalapeno peppers)
A handful of chopped cilantro leaves
Edible flower
Lemon wedges
1 Place the lamb shanks in a single layer and sprinkle all over with ½ tsp salt and lots of black pepper. Pat them into the meat.
2 Put the ginger in a blender with 5 tbsp water and blend until smooth. Set aside.
3 Put the nutmeg, mace, fennel seeds, bay leaves and cinnamon in a spice grinder and grind as finely as possible. Put in a bowl. Add the powdered ginger and set aside.
4 Preheat the oven to 325 °F (163 °C).
5 Pour the oil into a wide, nonstick, lidded pan and set over high heat. When hot, add the lamb shanks and brown lightly on all sides. Remove the lamb shanks. Quickly add the ginger paste, and stir and fry for 5-6 minute, or until lightly browned. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder and paprika. Stir once or twice, then add half of the fried onions, well crumbled, the ground spices, 3 cups of water, and the remaining 1¾ spoons of salt. Stir well. Put the lamb shanks back into the pan, spoon some sauce over them, and bring to a boil. Cover well, first with aluminum foil, crimping the edges, then with the lid, and bake slowly in the oven for 3 hours, turning the shanks over every 30 minutes.
6 Remove the pan from the oven and uncover. Spoon out as much of the oil floating at the top as possible, and taste for salt. Mix the flour slowly with 4 tbsp of water and pour this slowly into the pan to thicken the sauce. Stir gently over low heat for 5-6 minutes.
7 Julienned ginger, sliced chillies, chopped cilantro, lemon wedges, edible flowers and fried onions should be served on the side for dinner to sprinkle onto the nihari.
Serve with warm naan or plain rice.
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