Curried lamb shanks with Mauritian mango kutcha
Serves: 4
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Andrew Burton
Curried lamb shanks with Mauritian mango kutcha
A Mauritian feast from MasterChef winner Shelina Permalloo
Serves: 4
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
600Kcal
Fat
36gr
Saturates
13gr
Carbs
24gr
Sugars
21gr
Fibre
8gr
Protein
42gr
Salt
1.3gr
Shelina Permalloo
A former MasterChef winner in 2012, Shelina, a Mauritian Muslim born in the UK, is now a successful food writer and presenter. She runs Lakaz Maman in Southampton, where she serves up Mauritian street-food style dishes
See more of Shelina Permalloo’s recipes
Shelina Permalloo
A former MasterChef winner in 2012, Shelina, a Mauritian Muslim born in the UK, is now a successful food writer and presenter. She runs Lakaz Maman in Southampton, where she serves up Mauritian street-food style dishes
See more of Shelina Permalloo’s recipes
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 11⁄2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 lamb shanks, 350g-450g each
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 whole cloves
- 10 fresh curry leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- a thumb-size piece of root ginger, finely chopped
- 4 large vine tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp mild curry powder
- 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika (or use 1 tsp smoked paprika, plus a pinch of cayenne pepper)
- 600ml lamb or chicken stock* (use fresh, or 1 stockpot or cube)
- 300g Greek-style natural yogurt
To serve
- fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 x 80g pack pomegranate seeds
- rice and/or roti
For the Mauritian mango kutcha (pickle)
- 1 underripe mango or a green mango from an ethnic shop
- 1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 red chillies, roughly chopped, deseeded if you wish
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1⁄4 tsp brown mustard seeds, crushed
- 1⁄4 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Step by step
Get ahead
The pickled mango can be made up to a day ahead; cover and chill until ready to serve.
- In a large saucepan or casserole, heat the oil over a high heat and fry the lamb shanks until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and then add the onion, cloves, curry leaves and cinnamon stick. Cook for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften and take on some colour.
- Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring, before adding the tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes lose their shape and start to release their juices, then continue to cook until any excess liquid has evaporated.
- Stir in the curry powder, turmeric and paprika with a splash of the stock to make sure the spices don’t burn. Fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant then pull off the heat and stir in the yogurt, followed by the rest of the stock. Return the lamb shanks to the casserole, bring up to a simmer, then cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 21⁄2-3 hours or until the lamb is very tender – the timing will depend on the size of the shanks. Remove the lamb shanks onto a plate, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest. Increase the heat under the pan and bubble, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
- While the lamb cooks, make the pickle. Peel and grate the mango, toss with the salt and place in a sieve over a bowl. Press with a spoon and leave for at least 15 minutes to draw out excess liquid. Pulverise the red chilli, garlic, mustard seeds, fenugreek and turmeric to a fine paste in a pestle and mortar or a small food processor. Mix in the vinegar.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a small pan. As soon as the oil is hot, remove from the heat and add the chilli paste. Add the drained mango and stir well. Cool then cover and chill until ready to serve (see Get Ahead tip at the top of the recipe).
- Garnish the lamb shanks with the coriander and pomegranate seeds. Serve with the mango pickle and some rice and roti for the ultimate festive feast.
