Turkish · Dinner
Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Rice
Kuzu Tandir
Central Anatolian slow-roasted lamb shoulder with garlic, oregano, and bay until the meat collapses with a fork, served over butter-toasted rice pilaf with a yogurt-cucumber sauce and sumac onion.
$$
20 minsPrep
65 minsCook
85 minsTotal
HardLevel
Nutrition per serving
780Calories
48gProtein
32gFat
68gCarbs
4gSugar
3gFiber
1240mgSodium
140mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Pat both lamb shoulder pieces dry. Cut slits across each piece of meat and stuff with 8 sliced garlic cloves total (4 per piece). Rub each with 1 tsp oregano, 0.5 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp pepper, and 10ml olive oil each. Halve both lemons. Dice cucumber, grate 2 garlic cloves, slice red onion thinly. Mix yogurt with cucumber, grated garlic, mint, and salt to taste until smooth. Toss onion with sumac and parsley.
2
Sear
Heat remaining 20ml olive oil in a large heavy lidded oven-safe pot over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Working in one batch if needed, sear both lamb pieces 3 minutes per side until deeply browned with a dark crust all over.
3
Build
Return both lamb pieces to pot with bay leaves, juice from both lemons, and 1 cup hot water over medium heat 30 seconds until liquid simmers gently around the meat.
4
Braise
Cover tightly and slow-cook in a 160C oven 70 minutes until lamb pulls cleanly off the bone with a fork and braising liquid has reduced to deep gold.
5
Saute
While lamb cooks, melt butter over medium 30 seconds, add rice and toast 1 minute. Pour 1.5 cups hot water with salt to taste, cover, cook over low 12 minutes until tender and liquid is absorbed.
6
Rest and plate
Lift lamb onto a board and rest 5 minutes off heat. Spoon braising liquid over rice and stir gently until grains absorb the jus. Pile rice onto a warm platter, lay both lamb pieces across, drizzle yogurt-cucumber sauce alongside, scatter sumac onion, and serve with lemon halves to squeeze.
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Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 640g (22.6 oz) lamb shoulder
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 40ml (2.7 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 lemons
- 240ml (1 cup) hot water
- 200g (7.1 oz) basmati rice
- 20g (0.7 oz) unsalted butter
- 360ml (1.5 cups) hot water
- 240g (8.5 oz) plain whole-milk yogurt
- 200g (7.1 oz) Persian cucumber
- 120g (4.2 oz) red onion
- 2 tsp sumac
- 20g (small handful) flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp dried mint