Another Dishoom recipe! Let me tell you, this was the tastiest dish I have had in a long time. My family even ventured to suggest it was the tastiest thing I’d ever cooked! Coming from people who are quite obsessed with food, that is a high compliment. Dishoom recently shared this recipe on their Instagram, and when I saw it, I knew I had to try it.
I have definitely been reaching out of my comfort zone with regards to cooking different meats during this lockdown period. Up until not that long ago, my meat history pretty much consisted of cooking chicken breasts, chicken thighs, and mince in a lasagne. I was determined to broaden my meat cooking horizons now I have time to experiment.
However, I thought I might have taken it a little far when my mum presented me with a 1.5kg hunk of lamb leg fresh from the butchers. I stared at it, a little bewildered for a while before realising it was my job to turn it into something edible. Not just edible, but a meal that was supposed to be delicious, to rival all the meals out we haven’t been able to go to recently. After all, I had convinced my mum that buying a kilo and a half of meat was an essential purchase, and that it was going to result in the tastiest meal ever.
However, I needn’t have worried! The recipe requires a lot of marinating time, but the actual cooking part is pretty much shove it in a dish and leave it to cook all afternoon. The lamb was SO juicy and tender and absolutely FULL of all the flavours it had been soaking up, first in the 24-hour marinade, and then the 4 hour cooking time. I couldn’t comprehend how one meat could contain so many different flavours. The wait was 100% worth it.
Until I started cooking Indian food a lot more frequently, I had never heard of black cardamom. But since I started using it in my recipes, we now have a permanent stock. It has a really unique smokey flavour that’s nothing like it’s green and more common counterpart. Just smelling pods in the bag reassures you your meal is going to be full of flavour. There’s nothing like it. While this recipe would probably be quite delicious without them, I highly recommend purchasing some, as it just kicks the flavour up a notch.
The other ingredient you might not have full access to is the Kebab Masala. This is a spice blend from Dishoom and is used frequently in their recipes. It contains dried fenugreek leaves, which you can easily get from Amazon and often can really add to a dish. If you want to make your own Kebab Masala you can find the recipe here. If you can’t find these ingredients, just season well with salt and pepper, the lamb will still have heaps of flavour. But the spice mix really takes it to the next level!
The suggested partner to this from the Dishoom chefs themselves is their Gunpowder Potatoes. I made these as a side to this lamb and I can definitely vouch that they are the perfect match. If you have time to kill, and patience to wait 24 hours before eating the fruits of your labour, give this recipe a go. It truly is absolutely delicious, and I can’t wait to see what Dishoom shares next!
Dishoom's Lamb Raan
Ingredients
To cook the lamb
- ½ leg of lamb (1.2 - 1.4kg)
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1½ tsp chilli powder
- 35 g garlic (6-7 cloves)
- 30 g ginger (about 3")
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves
- 16 black peppercorns
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 3 black cardamom pods
- 75 ml malt vinegar
To assemble
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 2 tsp kebab masala
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Place the leg of lamb into a dish. Mix together the salt and chilli powder and rub over the surface of the lamb. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Grate the ginger and garlic and mix to form a paste. Rub the mixture all over the surface of the lamb. Place in the fridge to marinate for 12-24 hours.
- Once marinated, take the lamb out of the fridge and leave to rest for 30 minutes so it reaches room temperature. Heat your oven to 180°C or fan 160°C.
- Place the lamb into a deep casserole dish that has a lid. Add the bay leaf, all the spices and enough water so that it fills at least halfway up the lamb (approx 300ml). Put the lid on the dish and place in the oven to cook for 4 hours. Each hour, turn the joint over and baste with water. Should the water dip below the bottom third of the lamb leg, top it up with some more.
- After the 4 hours, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes. Heat your grill to high.
- Once rested, remove the lamb leg from the pot, and pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a jug for later. In a dish, shred the lamb using two forks.
- Add the butter, kebab masala and 120 ml of the cooking liquid to the lamb. Place under the grill for 5 minutes until some of the lamb goes crispy.
- Sprinkle on extra kebab masala and squeeze on the juice of a lime. Serve with Dishoom's Gunpowder Potatoes.
Method in Pictures
Gather your ingredients (including the leg of lamb)
Mix the salt and chilli powder and rub over the lamb
Grate the ginger and garlic into a bowl
And mix to form a paste
Rub all over the lamb leg, then leave to marinate for 24 hours
Leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours or as long as possible
after marinating place in an oven-safe dish that has a lid
Add the bay leaf, spices, vinegar, and 300ml water
Cook at 160C for 4 hours
Turn and baste the joint every hour. Top up the water if it goes below the bottom third of the lamb
Once cooked, leave in the pot to rest for 30 minutes
Place the lamb in another dish and pull apart with two forks
Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a jug and pour 120ml over the lamb, along with the butter and kebab masala
Grill the shredded lamb under a high heat for 5 minutes until crispy
Add extra kebab masala and lots of lime juice
This looks delicious and I love your blog! I’m going to give this a go as an alternative to a Sunday roast.
Thank you so much! I think it would make a great change up to a classic roast.