Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: approx. 3 hours
Ingredients:
- approx. 2kg lamb shoulder (bone in) or 1.7 kg butterflied lamb leg (see notes for more options) Note it’s possible to prepare 24 hours ahead of time, and allow the lamb to marinate in the paste.
The Paste;
- 3 garlic cloves , roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (or leave out if preferred)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp good quality sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup macadamia nut oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 – 2 cups water
Directions:
-
-
Preheat oven to 180C or 350F (160C or 320F for fan forced).
-
Add all the paste ingredients (except the water) into a small bowl and mix well. It will become a thick, wet paste.
-
Place the lamb into a large roasting pan and cover all over with the thick paste. Ideally, marinate for up to 24 hours beforehand (I rarely do).
-
Pour water into base of the pan, enough to be about 1 – 2 cm deep. Cover with a lid or with foil.
-
Roast for approximately 3 hours in the oven and baste ever hour or so.
- Then remove the lid or foil and meat should be tender or fall off the bone. Check with two forks. c
- Allow to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
Note;
- I’ve also made the paste and used 8 lamb chump chops. I added about 1/2 cup tomato passata with half a cup of water for a lovely rich flavour. Cooking time was approximately 2 hours.
- Leftovers are delicious in a cauliflower wrap or similar for breakfast or lunch.
Serving suggestions;
I like to keep the middle eastern theme going with a herby quinoa salad i.e. Cook the quinoa separately. Allow to cool and stir in a couple of Tbsps lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh parsley, fresh mint, olive oil, sea salt, chopped almonds or pistachios. Serve on a large platter with meat served on top, sprinkled with fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds (if in season).
Serve with hummus or a minted natural yoghurt.
