Peter’s Lamb Shank Casserole

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions
  • 30ml vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 root of ginger
  • 3 normal size potatoes
  • 28 curry leaves
  • 1 block of mutton stock
  • 20 sprigs of fresh coriander
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 can of whole peeled tomatores
  • brown vinegar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 roll of cinnamon or 2 sticks
  • 6 whole star anise
  • 7 pods of green cardamom
  • 10ml whole mustard seeds
  • 15 whole Cumin
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 45ml wet medium strength masala
  • 20ml Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1.5kg sliced lamb shanks
  • 1 cup of polished long grain rice (Tastic)
  • Mrs Balls Original Chutney

Method

  1. Start by putting the lamb shanks in a bowl and adding the masala, Kashmiri chilli powder, garlic coves crushed, chopped curry leaves and grated ginger.  Mix thoroughly and set aside.
  2. Chop the onion finely and put in pot with the oil on a low heat on stove hob in overproof cast iron pot.
  3. Take star anise and keep 2 whole.  Break the rest open and discard shell.  Keep the seeds.
  4. Crush seeds, whole cumin, mustard seeds and cardamom in the pestle and mortar and add to the onion and oil along with a cinnamon roll and 2 bay leaves.
  5. Fry slowly until onion is translucent.
  6. Add the mutton/masala/garlic/giner/curry leaves to the pot and increase the heat and fry until browned.
  7. Put the can of skinned whole tomatoes in the blender with the stock block and 25ml vinegar and blend until smooth.
  8. Once the meat is browned and masala is starting to stick add the tomato blend with water and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
  9. Move the pot into a preheated oven to 180 degrees Celsius and leave until meat is soft (approx 1.5 hours)
  10. Peel the potatoes and quarter.  Put into a pot of boiling water and boil until soft.  Addd to the pot of curry just 15 minutes before finally removing from the oven.  This prevents the tomato making the glassy.