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Lamb Shank Madras

Lamb Shank Madras is a classic Indian recipe for a Bengali curry of lamb shanks cooked in a Madras-spice gravy. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indian version of: Lamb Shank Madras.

prep time

40 minutes

cook time

240 minutes

Total Time:

280 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : CurrySpice RecipesLamb RecipesVegetable RecipesIndian Recipes

Madras curry powders have a long history. They originate with the British control of India in the 19th century where Indian spices were not as common in the mother country as they are today. Traders in the ports of the Bay of Bengal would sell returning sailors/functionaries/soldiers and other sundry members of the British East India Company ready mixed spice blends that they could use to make curries, kedgeree, mulligatawny soup and other Anglo-Indian dishes at home. These were the foundation of Madras curry powders, known for their significant turmeric content. Spice blends that remain popular in the UK today. Typically, Madras curry powders come in mild, medium and hot. My wife loved these and in South Africa I used to buy mild powders regularly (though we added insanely hot Ivorian chillies). For this dish I typically use hot madras curry powder, but you can substitute medium or mild depending on your personal preferences. This curry is even better if you make it a couple of days in advance and re-heat.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
4 lamb shanks
2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 onions, sliced
4 tbsp madras curry powder
8 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
220g (7 ¾ oz) tin of chopped tomatoes
3 whole dried red chillies
5 curry leaves
4 cardamom pods, split (or crushed)
3 tbsp lime pickle
300ml (1 /1/4 cups) chicken or lamb stock
chopped mint leaves, naan bread and rice, to serve

Method:

Combine the yoghurt, cumin, turmeric, 1 tsp sea salt and the lamb shanks into a large mixing bowl Using your hands coat the lamb all over with the yoghurt and spice mix. Cover the dish with foil or clingfilm (plastic wrap) then transfer to the fridge and allow to marinate for a couple of hours, (or overnight).

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat, add the shanks and cook, turning frequently to brown all over for 10 mins, then remove from the dish and set aside. Scatter the onions into the dish and fry for 10 mins until golden brown. Stir in the curry powder, garlic and ginger and cook for 3 mins until aromatic. Add the lamb shanks back to the dish along with the tomatoes, chillies, curry leaves, cardamom pods and lime pickle. Give everything a good stir and pour over the stock. Bring up to a simmer, cover, then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160C (140C fan/gas mark 4) and cook for 3 hours.

Remove the lid and continue cooking for 1 hour more – this will help reduce some of the liquid and char any exposed meat. When the lamb is very tender, leave to rest for 30 mins or leave to cool completely and reheat the next day for the best flavour.

Scatter with chopped mint and serve with naan bread and rice on the side.