Transcript for:
Persian Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe

Today at The Delicious Crescent, I am going to show you how to make Braised Lamb Shanks in Persian style, that are slow cooked in a fantastic sauce with spices, lemon juice, saffron and herbs. This spectacular feast of succulent lamb in a silky sauce is so easy to make. The ingredients are listed with the instructions. And now let’s make it. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet at medium high. When the oil is hot, place the lamb shanks on the skillet. And season it with salt and pepper. Then at high heat, brown the shanks just on the surface and set it aside. Make sure to season the meat on both the sides. In the same skillet, add sliced onion and sauté until light golden brown. Be sure to slice the onions very thin, so that they can cook into a silky sauce. Next, add the grated garlic and stir couple minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add turmeric, Persian spice mix and stir it all together. Transfer the lamb shanks to a cooking pot. If you have a cast-iron Dutch oven then you can do everything in that and you would not need a separate skillet. Then add the sautéed onion-spice mixture. Grind some saffron using a mortar and pestle. Add a pinch of salt and grind it to a fine powder. Then dissolve it in hot water. Add the saffron water, lemon juice, bay leaves, lemon zest and you can also use some thyme. Then add some water and bring it to a boil. Adjust the seasonings. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours until fork tender. The meat should be falling off the bone. The meat of lamb shanks is tougher with more connective tissue. Braising and slow cooking in a sauce, converts it into fabulously juicy meat that will just fall off the bone. Now transfer the lamb shanks to a serving dish. And be sure to cook down the sauce to the right consistency. Choose lamb shanks that are of similar size and about 1 pound in weight. Checkout the website for more tips. Serve this with Persian dill rice or flat breads. And now, If you enjoyed this video, please like, share and subscribe. Thanks for watching. See you next time.