Lamb Shoulder with Curry

Lamb Shoulder, Ginger and Carrot 'Curry' with Green Pea Basmati Rice

A Middle Eastern spin on the Aussie classic, this easy lamb roast is the ultimate thank you.

"When I was opening up my restaurant Biggie Smalls, the builders went above and beyond to get everything done on time. To thank them for the brilliant job they did, I created this special dish. For this recipe, the oven does the hard work and the lamb flavours the sauce when cooking, easy and delicious!" - Shane Delia

Serves: 4-6
Cooking time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes + marinating

Ingredients

Lamb shoulder:
1.2kg trimmed lamb shoulder
10g cumin seeds
10g sea salt
3 cloves garlic
30 ml olive oil
1/2 cup macadamia nuts to garnish

'Curry':
400ml tin coconut milk
5 tomatoes, cut in half
1 large carrot, cut in half
10 cloves of garlic
2 onions, cut in half and cored
60g palm sugar
To finish sauce

1/4 bunch flat leaf coriander, roots removed
40g fresh ginger pealed
3 red bullet chilli, stalks removed
2 kaffir lime leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt to season (approx. 2 tbls)

Green pea basmati rice:
500g basmati rice
3 cups water
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups frozen green peas (defrosted)

Method

For the lamb:
In a blender or mortar and pestle grind up all the lamb ingredients to a coarse paste. Make 3–5, 2 cm deep incisions in the lamb and
rub the paste over the lamb and in the cuts. For the best flavour, leave to marinate for up to 5 hours.
Place all 'curry' ingredients (excluding the finishing ingredients) in a deep roasting dish. Place the marinated lamb on top.
Cover with foil or a lid and roast at 160oC for 4 hours.
Remove lid or foil and turn up heat to 180oC and continue to roast for a further 15-30 minutes or until golden brown.

For the rice:
Meanwhile warm the oil in a pan and gently toast off the spice. Add the rice and toast it for a few minutes until it has absorbed all the oil
and spices.Add the water and put on the lid. Bring to the boil with the lid on, keep the lid on and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Cook until all the water has been absorbed, add the peas. Turn the heat off. Place the lid back on and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

To finish:
Remove the lamb from the roasting tray and place all the vegetables, liquid and the remaining finishing ingredients in a food processor and puree into a smooth sauce.
Grate enough macadamia nuts over the lamb until it covers it with a heavy snow like layer.
Flood the bottom of the serving dish with a thick layer of the curry sauce. Place the macadamia-covered lamb on top of the sauce and
garnish it with a few sprigs of fried curry leaves. Serve with green pea basmati rice.

Tips

To make the green pea basmati rice side extra special, finish with a simple dressing of spring onions, coriander, macadamia nuts and
olive oil – simply mix together and dress the rice before serving.

Ingredients

5 spring onions, finely sliced
1/4 bunch coriander leaves finely sliced
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup olive

Method

Reduce cooking time to 1.5-2 hours by using a boneless lamb shoulder for a quicker dinner.
Add extra green vegetables, like asparagus or spinach to your rice for an even healthier meal.

Nothing Says Thanks Like Lamb

With the favour economy taking Australia by storm, Shane Delia is making it too easy to repay your mates with a lamb meal.

Australian Lamb has uncovered just how much Australia's 'favour economy' is worth – a whopping $19 billion. But with 59% of Aussies happy to lend a hand, how do we pay these brilliant mates back?

This spring, Australian Lamb and chef Shane Delia are calling on Aussies to 'lamb back' their mates with a delicious home-cooked meal – the perfect way to say thanks to friends and family.

Shane Delia has created two 'too easy' lamb recipes inspired by the favours he's received from friends and colleagues at his Melbourne restaurants Maha and Biggie Smalls.

"I created these recipes to say thanks to all those that have helped me get to where I am today. Creating a tasty lamb meal to thank mates is actually 'too easy' and I'm here to show Aussies how."

Demonstrating his renowned Middle Eastern flair, Shane's lamb recipes offer something special, whilst keeping things simple. Try his lamb kefta with smoked eggplant and almonds or the lamb shoulder with ginger and carrot 'curry' to lamb back your mates in style.

Visit Australian Lamb for more recipe inspiration.