Massaman Lamb Shanks

• servings: 2 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

4 medium-sized lamb shanks (roughly 300 g/10½ oz each)

2 tbsp massaman paste (I use Maesri brand)

270 ml (9 fl oz) canned coconut milk

1 cup (250 ml) beef stock

4 small potatoes (cut in half, skin on, see note 1)

2 small red onions, cut into wedges

2 small red chillies, sliced, to serve (optional)

¼ bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves picked, to serve (optional)

1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve (optional)

Jasmine rice, to serve

Naan bread, to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (160°C/325°F fan-forced). (See note 2 if you’d like to cook these in a slow-cooker.)

Heat a large, ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and cook the lamb shanks for 6–8 minutes, turning regularly, until browned. Set aside and turn the heat off.

Add the massaman paste, coconut milk, beef stock, potatoes and red onion to the pan. Stir to combine and return the lamb shanks to the pan (or transfer to a baking dish if you don’t have an ovenproof frying pan).

Cover tightly with a lid or two layers of foil. Bake for 2 hours or until the lamb is soft enough to be shredded with a fork.

Sprinkle with chilli and coriander to serve (if using).

Serve with lime wedges, jasmine rice and naan bread.

Notes

Cut the potatoes slightly larger than for the oven method, so they don’t break down too much.

Brown the shanks (optional, but recommended): Heat the oil in a pan over high heat and sear the lamb shanks for 6–8 minutes until browned. Transfer to the slow-cooker. (If you’re short on time, you can skip the browning – the flavour will just be a little less rich.)

Build the sauce: Stir the massaman paste, coconut milk and beef stock together in the slow cooker. Nestle in the potatoes and red onion, then add the lamb shanks back in. Make sure they’re mostly submerged.

Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 5–6 hours, until the lamb is fall-apart tender and the potatoes are cooked through.

Liquid amount: Slow cookers don’t reduce liquid the way ovens do, so the sauce will be thinner. If you’d like it richer, you can do the following:

Remove the lamb and vegetables at the end and simmer the sauce on the stove for 5–10 minutes to thicken.

Or stir through 1–2 teaspoons of cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with water in the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Nutrition

• Calories: 877
• Total Fat: 42.7 g
• Saturated Fat: 26.7 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 38.6 mg
• Sodium: 561.7 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 104.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.1 g
• Total Sugars: 12.4 g
• Protein: 27.2 g