Favourite recipes from our sister magazine, O, inspired by dishes from around the world
Lamb shank nihari
In Pakistan, this dish is traditionally cooked all night and eaten for breakfast with hot, freshly made naans. It’s often made with extra bones so the marrow enriches the curry, while a homemade nihari masala spice mix takes it to the next level of flavour.
SERVES 4 | PREP 30 MINS COOK 4 HRS 30 MINS | EASY | GF
2 tbsp ghee or sunflower oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
4 small lamb shanks
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp cornflour SPICE MIX (NIHARI MASALA)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
10 pods cardamom
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
10 cloves
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder GARNISH thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and shredded handful of coriander leaves
1 green chilli, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges naans, to serve
1 To make the nihari masala, tip all of the whole spices into a dry frying pan and toast for 1-2 mins until fragrant. Tip into a spice grinder with the nutmeg, ginger and chilli powder, and whizz to a powder.
2 Heat the ghee in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat and fry the onions with a pinch of salt for 10-15 mins, or until softened and beginning to caramelise. Tip in the garlic and ginger pastes, lamb shanks, nihari masala, ground turmeric and a large pinch of salt. Fry for a few minutes, tossing to coat, then pour in 1.5 litres of water.
3 Bring to a simmer, reduce to a bubble, then cover and simmer gently for 2 hrs. Remove the lid and cook for 2 hrs more until the lamb is meltingly tender.
4 Combine the cornflour with a little cold water, then tip into the pan. Simmer for 5 mins until thickened slightly.
5 Spoon the lamb shanks into four shallow bowls and ladle over plenty of the gravy. Sprinkle over some of the shredded ginger, coriander and green chilli. Serve with lime wedges and naans.
PER SERVING 491 kcals | fat 28.7G saturates 11.6G | carbs 9.8G | sugars 4.3G fibre 3.8G | protein 46.7G | salt 0.5G
Tarragon and vermouth mussels
Make the most of mussels in this quick and easy one-pot. Use crusty bread to soak up the creamy tarragon sauce for a simple yet impressive starter.
SERVES 2 | PREP 20 MINS | COOK 15 MINS EA
