Asian Style Braised Lamb Shanks Recipes

LAMB SHANKS MASSAMAN CURRY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Mix curry paste, coconut milk and stock in a 22 x 33cm / 9 x 13" baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic (Note 5). Add onion, potato, star anise, cinnamon and lamb.
• Turn shanks to coat in sauce, then cover with foil.
• Bake in oven for 2 hours. Remove foil, bake for a further 1 hour (small shanks) or 1.5 hrs (medium to large shanks), turning lamb twice to brown evenly, until meat is so tender it can easily be teased apart with 2 forks.
• Remove lamb onto plate. Carefully skim off excess fat off the surface (tilt dish, it's easier) - I get about 1/3 cup. Mix sauce in baking dish - it should be reduced down to a syrupy thickness (Note 6).
• Serve lamb with sauce over jasmine rice, garnished with chilli and coriander. For a larger banquet, put the curry out on a platter to share!

JINX-PROOF BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place lamb shanks into a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil; season with salt, black pepper, dried rosemary, and thyme. Toss lamb shanks to coat with oil and seasonings.
• Roast in the preheated oven until lamb is browned, about 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion, celery, and carrot in the hot butter until onion is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir flour into vegetables until combined; mix in garlic. Cook and stir for 1 more minute.
• Pour red wine into vegetable mixture, stir to combine, and mix in chicken stock, water, balsamic vinegar, and cinnamon. Pour sauce over lamb shanks in the roasting pan. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil, sealing foil loosely so that the sauce can reduce slightly as it cooks.
• Bake lamb shanks for 1 hour; flip lamb shanks and place foil back on dish. Continue baking until a fork inserts easily into the meat, about 1 more hour. Transfer lamb shanks to a large bowl, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Pour braising liquid into a saucepan, place over high heat, and boil for 10 minutes, skimming fat as it reduces and thickens slightly. Stir chopped rosemary into sauce, check levels of salt and pepper, and serve lamb shanks with pan sauce.

BRAISED FIVE-SPICE LAMB SHANKS WITH SOY AND GINGER

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the bok choy, oil, rice and scallions in large pot that can later be covered; bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until the flavors have melded, about 15 minutes.
• Sauté the bok choy in the oil until tender; stir it into the stew at the last minute and serve over rice, garnished with the scallions.

ASIAN STYLE BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Dust the shanks in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Heat half the oil in a heavy based pan over high heat and brown the lamb on all sides-this might need to be done in a couple of batches. Remove and set aside.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the onion for a 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger and five spice and cook stirring for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and bring to the boil.
• Return the lamb to the pan, reduce the ehat to low and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours or the meat is almost falling off the bone and very tender.
• Check the seasonings and skim off any excess oil.
• Serve over mash (wasabi mash is good) or rice, with steamed green veg and lime wedges.

VIETNAMESE LAMB SHANKS WITH SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole, season the shanks, then brown them 2 at a time on all sides, adding the remaining oil for the second batch. Remove the lamb and add the onions. Fry them quite briskly, about 30 secs, add the ginger, garlic and chopped chilli, then turn the heat down and cook for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp sugar, stir, then add the star anise, lemongrass, stock, purée and seasoning. Bring to the boil.
• Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hrs, then add the sweet potatoes and cook for 1 hr more. The lamb should be completely tender and almost falling off the bones. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and 1 tsp sugar to just lift the flavour, then scatter with the mint, basil and the sliced chilli to serve.