method

Time! You need plenty of it for this dish. You need to marinate the lamb overnight (12 hrs), then you have to organise all your spices (20 mins) grinding them when necessary. Then you need to cook the onions and spices (20-30 mins)before getting to the slow cook of the lamb, which is going to take three to five hours.

So, realistically, you are looking at 17 - 18 hrs prep' and cook time, albeit with a little shuteye while the lamb is marinating!

Okay! First things first, you'll need to get the lamb shanks into the marinade and leave them overnight.

To make the curry, you'll need to get your spice ingredients ready then it'll be fairly straightforward.

We start off by infusing whole spices into mustard oil, softening onions for the base of the sauce and gradually adding spice ingredients as we go along.

Then we need to cook the meat slowly until it literally falls off the bone. We don't want to have to use a carving knife at the table — I'm just remembering one particular dining-out experience we had! Lest said, soonest forgotten!

I'm making a specific garam masala to finish the curry, but you could use a pre-prepared mix from the shop, I won't judge you for that, I just like to make it fresh and tailored to the dish — it definitely is worth doing!

So, let's do this thing!

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The Garam Masala

You can make this first or leave the job until the meat goes on to simmer.

1. Put all the Garam Masala ingredients into a grinder.
   • 5 green cardamom
   • 1 inch cinnamon
   • 1 black cardamom
   • 5 x cloves
   • 10 x black peppercorns
   • ¼ tsp nutmeg
   • 1 x mace flower
   • ⅓ star anise
   • Pinch of salt
2. Grind to a fine powder.

That's it! Job done! Told you it was simple :-)

You'll have enough here to sprinkle on your rice too!

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The marinade

Take a container large enough to hold the lamb shanks. I use a plastic one with a sealable lid.

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
   • ¾ cup plain yogurt
   • 1 Tbsp garlic paste
   • 1 Tbsp ginger paste
   • ½ tsp turmeric
   • 1 tsp salt
2. Coat the meat & leave in the fridge overnight.
   • 1.4kg (approx) 4 Lamb shanks
   • ¾ cup marinade

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The Curry

I prep' my ingredients from the list and arrange them in the order that they are used — which should be the same as the ingredients list if the editor has got it right!

So below I have the mustard oil and whole spices on the left and the garam masala for finishing on the right.

Take the ingredients listed under 'For Cooking'

I'm using a heavy based non-stick wok to cook the spices and onions. Then I'll use a separate pan to seal the meat in — because the base of my wok is not big enough to accomodate four lamb shanks!

1. Heat the mustard oil until the aroma fills your kitchen
   • 60 ml mustard oil
2. Fry the whole spices gently, just until they become fragrant:
   • 6 x green cardamom
   • 6 x cloves
   • 8 to 10 black peppercorns
   • 1 to 2 x black cardamom
   • 1 x stick cinnamon
   • 2 x bay leaves
   • 2 x dried red chillies

NB: Don't overcook the spices or they will become bitter and spoil the curry.

1. Add the sliced onions & salt.
   • 2.5 (400g) medium onions
   • ½ tsp salt

1. Coat the onions in the oil and cover to soften
2. Turn the onions occasionally.

We want the onions to be pale golden brown, not a deep dark colour, so 15 to 20 mins should do.

1. Add ginger & garlic:
   • 1 Tbsp garlic chopped
   • 1 Tbsp ginger chopped
2. Cook till the raw aroma has gone.

1. Add the chilli paste & sliced chillies:
   • 4 green chillies
   • 4 to 5 Tbsp red chilli paste
2. Fry for 3 - 4 mins.

1. Add the ground spices:
   • 1.5 tsp cumin
   • 1.5 tsp corriander
   • 3/4 tsp turmeric
   • 1.5 tsp kashmiri red chilli
   • 1/2 tsp jaggery or sugar
2. Cook gently for 2 - 3 mins.

Now remove the lamb shanks from the marinade and seal the lamb all over in the fried onions and spices. Reserve the excess marinade and add it to the pan with the water.

I'm using my dutch oven to do this just as it has a nice wide base that the lamb shanks will fit in. However, it would take too much water to cover the lamb completely in this pan, so I'll have to tranfer it to a smaller, deeper pan for the slow cook. More washing up I know!

1. Seal the meat on all sides.
2. Add the 500ml water & the reserved marinade.

Scrape the brown stuck bits off the bottom of the pan and transfer everything to a deep pan for the long cook.

It's best if the joints are completely submerged for the duration.

1. Submerge the joints completely in a deep pan*
2. Bring to the boil & turn the heat down to a simmer with the lid on.
3. Simmer and stir occasionally for 3 - 5 hours until the meat is falling off the bone.

*If you need to add more water to cover the lamb completely, add more water! The finished sauce should be rich, thick and glossy. If it's still thin towards the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and let it reduce before serving.

Test for doneness. The lamb should be so tender that it falls off the bone easily, or at least a fork should easily slide into it.

If you can remove the lamb shanks from the sauce intact, it's great for the presentation, but don't sweat, I didn't manage it this time round!

Finally, sprinkle a teaspoon of garam masala onto the curry, cover and allow to warm for five minutes with the lid on before serving.

1. Add 1 tsp garam masala.
2. Cover for 5 mins.
3. Stir well but gently before serving.

If you leave the finished dish in the fridge overnight and reheat it gently the next day, the resulting flavours will be exceptional. That's what I do with this curry and it is definitely worth doing!

Serving Suggestion: Boiled rice is just not good enough for this curry! It deserves bread at least and a special rice if you want to elevate the experience to a completely new level. For that, I prepared Basanti Pulao rice. It takes a little more love to prepare, but you will not be disappointed. Trust me on this!

A true restaurant experience in your own home.

Your special occasion deserves this!