Lamb Shank Nihari

The first time I had this was in north east India under the innocuous name of Mutton with Garam Masala, little did I know the spice mix would be very different to those used further south . Fragrant with cinnamon and mace, this earthy curry is thick and satisfying and as with all curries, there are a million permutations for spice mix dependent if you are using Bangladesh, Indian or Pakistani recipes. I'm using lamb shanks as it looks pretty in pictures and are great slow cooked, little did I know. the only shanks I could get were from lambs that recently took part in the world sheep athletics trials and are massive! You can obviously adjust the cooking time dependent on whether you are using cubed lambs or smaller shanks. They just have to be meltingly tender. Here's my staple go to recipe. For the Nihari Garam Masala: 1 tbsp black peppercorns 1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 2 black cardamon 6 green cardamon 2 curry leaves (or bay leaves) 1 tsp cloves (or 1 clove) 1 tsp nutmeg (or 1 nutmeg For The Lamb: 4 small or 2 large lamb shanks (about 1 kg) 1 large onion, chopped 2 tbsp ginger paste 2 tbsp garlic paste Water 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp turmeric 1 tbsp chili powder ½ cup neutral oil For the Thickening Slurry 4 tbsp cornflour / plain flour water