CHEF AMMAARAH’S SLOW COOKED SAFFRON INFUSED LAMB
The longer you cook the meat, the softer it gets. You want a melt-in-your-mouth
texture and beautiful flavours of ginger and saffron.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Serves 4 – 6
INGREDIENTS
- 1.6 kg leg of lamb, deboned and cubed
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- Thumb size ginger, crushed
- 1 red chilli, chopped finely
- 45 ml (3 Tbsp) olive oil
- 20 g butter
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 allspice berries
- 2 onions, diced
- Pinch of saffron +/- 10 strands
- 15 ml (1 Tbsp) corn flour
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
METHOD
In a bowl, rub the meat with the garlic, ginger and chilli and marinate overnight.
On high heat in a large pot, add the oil and butter with the bay leaves, cloves and allspice. Once you start smelling the spices, add the onions and brown them nicely. Add your marinated lamb – what you want to do is seal the lamb till it is nice and golden brown. Add saffron to a cup of boiling water and add to the pot.
Cover the meat with water, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with the lid and cook for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until soft – add more water if necessary.
Add the corn flour to a small bowl and add some cold water. Whisk into a smooth paste and add to your pot, stirring until well combined. Cook on medium heat for about 7 to 10 minutes. This will thicken into a beautiful gravy.
Serve with your favourite side dishes.
Thank you to Chef Ammaarah Petersen, founder of Hot Chefs for this recipe
Follow her on @ammaarah.petersen