Eid recipe…Spiced Shoulder of lamb by Yudhika Sujanani

Last year I was asked to host another series of Sugar ‘n Spice with Saffron Tv and the Home Channel on DSTV. I was excited and overwhelmed but mainly taken aback at being asked since I am not a Muslim. I grew up in Isipingo, a little suburb near the old Durban airport, Louis Botha. We moved homes quite often but I do recall that there was much to celebrate irrespective of religion….everyone came out to play at Diwali, Eid and Easter!

I think most of the kids that grew up in my generation feel the same. When I was around 7 years old, we lived in Isipingo Beach and most of my friends and neighbours were Muslim. I can still remember the aroma of breyani wafting down the street…and our gracious neighbours always sent over a steaming pot….it was just how things were! For the Parda Lamb breyani recipe, click here: https://yudhikayumyum.com/tag/parda-lamb-breyani/ and you can also watch the clip from the show for a step by step guide to the perfect breyani…click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXuhIfzGiR0

I miss that, and feel quite sad that my kids will never experience childhood pleasures of being taken care of by a few moms from your street. Eid makes me remember those times….the aromas, the laughter and life’s little pleasures….speaking of life’s pleasures….there is just one more day to enter the KitchenAid competition on the blog…click here, leave a comment and you could be the lucky winner…https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/kitchenaid-giveaway-2014/

And now for one of my Eid recipes….I prepared a spiced shoulder of lamb, slow roasted to perfection with potatoes and onion wedges! It’s also one of those recipes that takes a little time to assemble, some time to marinate and then it can be left to sort itself out in the oven. Vinegar is not something used much in curries and marinades and the combination of vinegar and yoghurt must seem even more strange but it works beautifully….and it does not end up in a curdled mess! The lamb is spicy with a slight tang from the vinegar…tender and very aromatic.

Spiced Shoulder of Lamb

Ingredients

1 shoulder of lamb around 2,5 – 2,7kg

2 onions, sliced and fried until golden
30ml red chilli powder
30ml Curry Me Home Magic Masala, optional
5ml finely ground cardamom
100ml finely crushed ginger and garlic
200ml white vinegar
400g double thick Greek Yoghurt…I used the Spar brand
10ml cumin seeds
15ml coarse salt

30ml sunflower oil
2 onions, cut into wedges
4 potatoes, halved
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
500ml water

50g melted butter
5ml garam masala
60ml fresh cream

Handful fresh coriander, to garnish

Here’s how:

Place the brown onions in a liquidiser with a little water and blitz until smooth. Place the onion into a mixing bowl, then add the red chilli, Magic Masala, cardamom, ginger/garlic paste, vinegar and yoghurt. Add the cumin seeds and coarse salt and stir well to combine.

Use a sharp knife to make little incisions in the lamb. Do not remove the fat…this adds flavour and also keeps the lamb tender by preventing the meat from drying out.

Smear the marinade over the meat and place in a zip seal bag. Refrigerate the lamb overnight. Then bring the lamb to room temperature before roasting.

Grease a roasting pan with sunflower oil, then layer over the onions and potatoes. Place the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves in pan.

Place the marinated shoulder on top of the onions and potatoes and pour in the water. Cover with foil and roast in a preheated oven at 160 degrees celsius for 3 hours – check the meat and the potatoes – the lamb should come off the bone easily and the potatoes should be tender.

Remove the foil and drizzle the melted butter over the lamb. Increase the oven temperature to 200 degrees and roast until the meat is golden brown with a few darker speckled bits…baste the lamb every five minutes.

Stir the garam masala and cream into the roasting pan – then roast for another 2 – 3 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve with fresh bread, naan or pilau rice.