Liam's Recipes

Persian Style Braised Lamb

Name: Persian Style Braised Lamb
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Over-rice
Ingredients: 3 lbs lamb shanks (4 shanks bone-in, can use boneless lamb if preferred; 1 large onion, diced; 3 garlic cloves, diced; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp lemon zest (or dried lime powder, to taste); 1 tbsp Advieh Khoresh (buy premade, look up a recipe, or sub as you see fit); 2 bay leaves; 2 tsp dried thyme or dill (or both); 1 tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp saffron dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water (if you have it, not worth buying for this); Salt and pepper

servings

20 minutes

active time

2 hours

total time

Start Cooking

Ingredients

3 lbs lamb shanks (4 shanks bone-in, can use boneless lamb if preferred

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, diced

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon zest (or dried lime powder, to taste)

1 tbsp Advieh Khoresh (buy premade, look up a recipe, or sub as you see fit)

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried thyme or dill (or both)

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp saffron dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water (if you have it, not worth buying for this)

Salt and pepper

Directions

Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and allow them to sit for a few minutes, then use a paper towel to pat away the excess surface moisture.

In a large pot with a heavy bottom, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the lamb shanks, in batches if you need, and sear them on all sides, about 6-8 minutes total. Remove the seared lamb from the pot and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil along with the diced onion. Saute until light golden brown. Add the garlic, Advieh Khoresh, and turmeric, and allow those to toast in the oil, being sure not to burn the garlic.

Once you’re afraid things will burn, add about 2 cups of water to the pot and scrape up the fond at the bottom. Add the lamb shanks back in along with the saffron water, lemon juice and zest, bay leaves, and thyme and/or dill. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 1.5-2 hours, or until the lamb is fork tender and falling off the bone.

Remove the lamb from the pot and set aside for serving. From here, you can boil and reduce the braising liquid to get the desired sauce consistency. Once you’ve reduced all you want, discard the bay leaves and taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve the lamb shanks with everyone choosing how much sauce they want. Enjoy!

Notes

An easy-to-make, fairly streamlined variation of braised lamb that uses the typical Persian spices. A tough cut of lamb is cooked low and slow along with onions. Recommended to serve with bread or rice, like Baghali Polo.