Patrick Grant’s slow-cooked fenugreek lamb with pickled chillies

Prep time: 30 minutes plus 1 hour to overnight marinating
Cooking time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 12 cardamom pods, left whole
• 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 5 cloves
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tsp soft light brown sugar
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 carrot, washed and roughly chopped into 2cm cubes
• 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 30g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 20g coriander, roughly chopped
• 50g tomato purée
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.8kg bone-in lamb shoulder 
• 250g plum tomatoes, blitzed to a purée
• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 dried limes (black or regular), pierced a couple of times with a sharp knife
• 2 green chillies, left whole
• fine sea salt

For the pickled chilli topping:

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 mild red chillies, finely sliced at a slight angle, seeds and all
• 10g coriander leaves and soft stems, picked

To serve:

• Cooked bulgur wheat tossed with chopped parsley, coriander and mint
• A simple green salad with lemon and olive oil

Method:

1. Toast the cardamom, fenugreek, cumin, coriander, cloves and peppercorns in a dry frying pan for 3–4 minutes until fragrant. Blitz in a spice grinder or grind in a pestle and mortar with the turmeric, chilli flakes, sugar and 1 tsp salt.*This is what Patrick did on set
2. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, ginger and coriander to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomato purée, oil and spice mix, then pulse to a coarse paste.
3. Pat the lamb dry. Make 12 incisions all over with a sharp knife. Rub with 1 tsp salt, then coat with the onion-spice paste. Marinate for 1 hour or overnight (bring back to room temperature before cooking).
4. Preheat oven to 150°C fan / 170°C.
5. Mix the blitzed tomatoes, vinegar, 600ml water and ½ tsp salt in a jug. Pour into a large lidded casserole (about 28cm). Add cinnamon sticks, dried limes and green chillies. Lower in the lamb, skin side up. Roast uncovered for 45 minutes. Baste, cover and cook for 3½ hours, basting twice more, until the meat pulls easily from the bone.
6. Remove lid, baste, and increase oven to 170°C fan / 190°C. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes until golden on top.
7. While lamb cooks, pickle the chillies: mix vinegar, sugar and ⅛ tsp salt. Add chillies, leave to pickle.
8. Transfer lamb and sauce to a platter, discarding bones. Top with pickled chillies, their liquid, and fresh coriander.