Ingredients
- 2kg shoulder of lamb, bone-in
- 4 heaped tablespoons tikka paste (use Patak's or see recipe below)
- 2 long red chillies, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2-3 mint sprigs, leaves picked
- 3 onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- A thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (pimenton)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 cup (60ml) sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 red chillies
- Small bunch coriander
- 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons almond meal
Method
1. For the paste, fry the cumin and coriander seeds in a frypan over medium-high heat for a few minutes until toasted and aromatic. Remove from the heat and whiz to a fine powder in a food processor. Add the rest of the paste ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then whiz until smooth.
2. Lightly score the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife then stab it a few times and use your fingers to make little holes. Spread the tikka paste over the lamb and into the holes, then stuff the holes with slices of chilli and garlic and mint leaves. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
3. When ready to cook, take your lamb out of the fridge to come up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Arrange the onion slices in the base of a deep roasting pan and drizzle with sunflower oil. Place the lamb on top and cover with a piece of wet greaseproof paper. Cook, basting occasionally, for 3 1/2 hours or until the coating is dark and gnarly and the meat beautifully tender. Remove the lamb from the pan and leave to rest, then pull apart the lamb with 2 forks, to serve.
