This is one of my husband’s favourite dishes. It’s really easy, at least the version here is. Most of the recipes on my blog use some forms of convenience foods because I’m looking for easy, tasty cooking that doesn’t require a Masterchef Masterclass and that doesn’t look like doll’s food on the plate but rather like a real meal.

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks

1 tbsp Patak’s Balti Paste

1 squirt Gourmet Garden Garlic

1 squirt Gourmet Garden Mild Chili

1 squirt Gourmet Garden Ginger

2 medium potatoes

1 sweet potato

2tsp Massel’s Beef Style stock powder

Water

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

(For variation: 1 cup red lentils)

Method

Make sure the lamb shanks don’t have too much fat on them. They need a little but you don’t want heaps. Cut off any excess, wash the shanks and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a non-stick saucepan and add the lamb shanks.

Cook on medium to high heat until they are nice brown. Remove the shanks from the pan.  (If you are doing the lentil variation then wash and drain the lentils three times and add the lentils to the fat/juices and stir on medium heat for a minute or two). Then add the Balti paste, garlic, chili and ginger and just fry off for a minute.

Put the shanks back in the pan and cover with boiling water. Stir well, add the stock powder and bring to the boil. Then turn down, cover and allow to simmer.

Peel and chop the potato and sweet potato into chunks and then add to the simmering pot.

Add a little more water to cover and put the lid back on. Cook on low heat for 2 hours or until the meat is ready to fall off the bone. Adjust the seasoning and enjoy!

If you make the lentil version the gravy will be thicker. However, we just had this for dinner served with roti (soft tortillas) and it was yummy. In fact my husband’s pronouncement was “Superb! I really enjoyed that!”. I hope you do too.