Name: Shane Delia's Lamb Shoulder, Ginger and Carrot ‘Curry’ with Green Pea Basmati Rice Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 390 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 1/5 kg lamb shoulder trimmed; 10 g cumin seeds; 10 g sea salt; 3 garlic cloves; 30 ml olive oil; 1/2 cup macadamias *to garnish; 400 ml coconut milk; 5 tomatoes cut in half; 1 carrot cut in half; 10 garlic cloves; 2 onions cored cut in half; 60 g palm sugar; 1/4 bunch coriander fresh roots removed; 40 g ginger fresh peeled; 3 red chillies stalk removed; 2 kaffir lime leaves; 1 lemon juiced; 1 pinch sea salt *to season; 500 g basmati rice; 3 cups water; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tbs olive oil; 2 cups peas defrosted

by Shane Delia/Australian Lamb Last updated on 07/24/2019

This Middle Eastern spin on this Aussie classic makes it the ultimate comfort food. "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, Chef and Owner of Maha Restaurant and Biggie Smalls in Melbourne - Shane Delia/Australian Lamb

Ingredients

Lamb shoulder

1 1/5 kg lamb shoulder trimmed
10 g cumin seeds
10 g sea salt
3 garlic cloves
30 ml olive oil
1/2 cup macadamias *to garnish

'Curry'

400 ml coconut milk
5 tomatoes cut in half
1 carrot cut in half
10 garlic cloves
2 onions cored cut in half
60 g palm sugar

Finish sauce

1/4 bunch coriander fresh roots removed
40 g ginger fresh peeled
3 red chillies stalk removed
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 lemon juiced
1 pinch sea salt *to season

Green pea basmati rice

500 g basmati rice
3 cups water
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbs olive oil
2 cups peas defrosted

Method

Step 1

Lamb: In a blender or mortar and pestle grind up all the lamb ingredients to a coarse paste. Make 3–5, 2cm deep incisions in the lamb and rub the paste over the lamb and into the cuts. For the best flavour, leave to marinate for up to 5 hours.
Step 2

Place all ‘curry’ ingredients (excluding the finishing ingredients) in a deep roasting dish. Place the marinated lamb on top.
Step 3

Cover with foil or a lid and roast at 160C for 4 hours.
Step 4

Remove lid or foil and turn up heat to 180C and continue to roast for a further 15-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 5

Green pea basmati 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.
Step 6

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.
Step 7

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.
Step 8

To finish: Remove the lamb from the roasting tray and place all the cooked 'curry' ingredients', liquid and the remaining finish sauce ingredients in a food processor and puree into a smooth sauce.
Step 9

Grate enough macadamia nuts over the lamb until it covers it with a heavy snow-like layer.
Step 10

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.

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

For best results use red bullet chillis.

To make the green pea basmati rice side extra special, finish with a simple dressing of 5 spring onions, finely sliced, 1/4 bunch coriander leaves finely sliced, 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts, 1/2 cup olive and Sea salt to taste– simply mix together and dress the rice before serving.

Reduce cooking time to 1.5-2 hours if 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.

If you like the sound of this recipe, you might also like this Lamb and Butter Bean Curry.