Fit for Company, Fit for a Crowd, Two-for-One, Rewarms Well, Great Leftovers
Pakistani weddings are grand celebrations lasting for several days. Tables are adorned with exotic curries, vegetable and rice dishes, and, at the center, a whole young lamb or goat. The meat may be spit-roasted or, more likely, cooked long and slow, braising in its own juices. My recipe was inspired by this grand tradition, but it uses a modest cut, lamb shoulder. Like any pot roast, it’s easy to make, so don’t wait for your daughter’s marriage to prepare it. You can serve it as a main course for a family meal, or as a centerpiece for a multicourse Pakistani or Indian banquet, adding curries, vegetable side dishes, lentils, rice, pickles, and chutneys. The recipe calls for lots of fresh cilantro; once it has cooked for a long time, it takes on a wonderful mellow, herbaceous, and citrusy flavor.
Serves 6, with leftovers
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 3- to 4-pound boned, rolled, and tied lamb shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups thinly sliced onions
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons Bruce’s Curry Powder
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 bunches fresh cilantro (about 8 ounces each), stems finely chopped, leaves coarsely chopped and kept separate
- 2 cups homemade lamb stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cooked basmati rice
CURRY RUB
- 2 teaspoons Bruce’s Curry Powder (recipe follows)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
BRUCES CURRY POWDER
Makes a generous ½ cup
Start with whole spices and grind them in a spice grinder, a mortar with a pestle, or a clean coffee grinder.
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground brown or yellow mustard seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground fenugreek seeds
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Store in a tightly sealed jar. (The curry powder keeps for 1 to 2 months.)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rub: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over the lamb. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the lamb and set aside. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring, until the onions begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Add the curry powder and stir until the vegetables are well coated. Add the lime zest, lime juice, cilantro stems, about half of the cilantro leaves, and the stock. Bring to a boil. Add the lamb, cover, and bake for 1½ hours, or until the meat is quite tender.
- Transfer the pot to the stove top. Remove the lamb and degrease the surface of the sauce. The sauce should be soupy but intensely flavored; if it is too thin, bring to a boil and reduce until full-flavored. Stir in the remaining cilantro leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the lamb into chunks or slices. Arrange over the rice on a platter, spoon plenty of sauce over the meat, and serve.
ALTERNATIVE CUTS:
- Boneless goat shoulder or boneless leg of lamb. Also good with whole bone-in lamb or goat shanks or chunks of lamb or goat meat.
COOK’S NOTES:
- If you like a richer, thicker gravy, combine ½ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, ¼ cup sour cream, and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in a small bowl. Whisk into the degreased sauce and gently heat until the sauce thickens.
LEFTOVERS:
- Turn into Lamb Biryani.
