Braised soy, ginger and cumin leg of lamb
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- over 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 4–6
Traditionally, these types of braised dishes are eaten with steaming white rice but it can be served with anything you like. I like to eat mine with crusty bread rolls, breaking off a piece and adding some fork tender meat before dipping it in the sauce.
By Justin Tsang
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2kg/4lb 8oz leg of lamb
- 3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
- 4 dried whole chillies or 1–2 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- large thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 10 small shallots, peeled and left whole
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and cut into thirds
- 1.5 litres/2½ pints salt-free beef or chicken stock
- 150ml/5fl oz light soy sauce
- 150ml/5fl oz dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 4 tbsp chu hou sauce
- 50g/1¾oz rock sugar or 3 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
To serve
- large bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- crusty bread rolls (about 2 rolls per person)
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
Heat the vegetable oil over a high heat in a large heavy-based casserole that will fit the leg of lamb. Add the lamb and sear for 2–3 minutes on all sides until golden brown all over.
Remove the lamb and add the star anise, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and chillies. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the garlic, ginger, shallots and spring onions. Put the leg of lamb on top of the vegetables.
Pour in the stock and add the soy sauces, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, chu hou sauce and sugar. Stir to make sure everything has dissolved into the stock, then cover and bring to the boil.
Transfer to the oven and cook for 1½ hours.
Add the potatoes and carrots to the casserole, making sure they are submerged. Cover and return to the oven for a further 45 minutes.
Leave the casserole to rest for 20 minutes without removing the lid. Use two forks to shred the meat into large chunks and remove the bone. Using a spoon, remove the layer of fat on top of the sauce and discard.
To serve, garnish the braised lamb (in the casserole) with the coriander, spring onions, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Serve in the middle of the table with the crusty rolls on the side, or divide between bowls.
Recipe tips
A 6.3 litre/10½ pint casserole is suitable for this recipe.
