Vietnamese lamb shoulder

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Ingredients

4 T sunflower oil
2 onions, halved and sliced
2 sticks celery (use the leaves too), sliced
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced diagonally
8 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1 x 8 cm piece fresh ginger, sliced
2.5 kg lamb shoulder on the bone roughly
salt, to taste
2 t white pepper
1 T ground coriander
1 star anise
1½ stalks lemongrass, crushed (optional)
5 long strips orange peel
¾ cup honey
¾ cup fish sauce
½ cup whisky or bourbon (optional)
6 T soya sauce
2 cups chicken stock
¼ cup lime juice (add more to taste to finish)

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a heavy-based ovenproof casserole with a lid, fry the onions and celery in the sunflower oil over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic and ginger and sauté for a further 10 minutes until golden brown. If the mixture feels a bit dry, drip in 1 or 2 T water to help it along. You want a fragrant and hearty base for your braise!

2. Season the lamb all over with salt and 1 t white pepper, then nestle it into the vegetables. Add all the remaining ingredients. Place a circle (or oval) of baking paper on top of the casserole. Cover the dish with the lid of the casserole dish. You could use a double layer of foil to cover the casserole tightly. Bake for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to 160°C and cook for a further 2 hours. The lamb should be meltingly tender. You could tear chunks from the bone, scoop out the vegetables and pour over extra sauce. At this point, once your casserole has cooled completely, you could refrigerate it and let it rest overnight. This, of course, has the best results. When you are ready to serve, spoon off any excess fat and reheat gently at 180°C for 30 minutes.

For more recipes by Karen Dudley, head to her website karendudley.co.za and follow her on Instagram @capetownk.

Find more roast recipes here.

Photographs: Jan Ras
Production: Abigail Donnelly
Food assistant: Bianca Strydom