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.
Turkish
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pat lamb shoulder dry. Cut slits across the meat and stuff with 8 sliced garlic cloves. Rub with oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and 20ml olive oil. Halve both lemons. Dice cucumber, grate 2 garlic cloves, slice red onion thinly. Mix yogurt with cucumber, garlic, mint, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Toss onion with sumac and parsley.
Sear
Heat remaining 20ml olive oil in a heavy lidded oven-safe pot over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Sear lamb 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned with a dark crust all over.
Build
Return lamb to pot with bay leaves, juice from both lemons, and 240ml hot water over medium heat 30 seconds until liquid simmers gently around the meat.
Braise
Cover tightly and slow-cook in a 160C oven 60–65 minutes until lamb pulls cleanly off the bone with a fork and braising liquid has reduced to deep gold.
Saute
While lamb cooks, melt butter over medium 30 seconds, add rice and toast 1 minute. Pour 360ml hot water with salt, cover, cook over low 12–13 minutes until tender and liquid is absorbed.
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. Divide rice between two warm plates, lay lamb across each portion, drizzle yogurt-cucumber sauce alongside, scatter sumac onion, and serve with a lemon half to squeeze.
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