Emirati Style Lamb Shanks with Spiced Rice
These delicious succulent Emirati style lamb shanks are marinated with a local spice mix, braised until the meat is falling off the bone, and served over flavour-packed rice.
Ingredients
For the lamb:
- 3 lamb shanks 450g each, bone in
- 2 tbsp bzar see below
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 dried black lemon cracked
- 1-2 green chilies sliced lengthwise, seeds removed
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 400 ml chopped tomatoes
For the rice:
- 300 g basmati rice
- 300 ml water
- 2 tbsp braising liquid
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp roasted pistachios
- 2 tbsp dried barberries or cranberries
- 2 onions thinly sliced, fried and drained
For the bzar:
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp green cardamom seeds
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 whole nutmeg crushed
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Marinate the lamb in the mixture of minced garlic, ginger, bzar and 1 tbsp olive oil for at least two hours.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole and brown the lamb on all sides.
- Remove, add the onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, peppercorns, green chillies and dried lemon and fry for a few minutes.
- Deglaze the casserole with chicken stock.
- Add chopped tomatoes or passata, ground coriander and turmeric and cook for a few more minutes.
- Return the lamb to the casserole. It should be covered in liquid by about 2/3.
- Put the lid on and cook in the oven at 170C for about 2 hrs or until super tender.
- Cook basmati rice according to the instructions. To add flavor to rice, add 3 tbsp of braising liquid into the cooking water.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and arrange on a large serving plate.
- Sprinkle with fried onions, pistachios, dried berries and fresh coriander and place the shanks on top. Use two forks to pull the meat apart.
- Serve with yoghurt mixed with fresh cucumber and chopped mint.
Notes
- You can marinate the meat overnight.
- For the bzar mix, grind the whole spices or use powdered spice. You can also use Baharat seasoning as the base and add ground turmeric, cardamom and chili powder.
- Don't confuse green cardamom pods with seeds. Pods are added whole into the casserole with lamb. Seeds are extracted from the pods and then grounded to powder.
- You can keep the lamb in the fridge for two days. If making in advance, reserve the braising liquid for boiling the rice.