SOMALI-STYLE LAMB SHANKS WITH SEASONED RICE

One of my boys went to school in Minneapolis where there is a large Somali population. He fell in love with a lamb dish they did at a restaurant there, and we’ve been replicating versions of it at home ever since. From our various renditions, we think this recipe is best. It’s made with lamb shanks slow roasted in a fabulous blend of spices and paired with seasoned rice.

Xawaash, a fragrant potpourri of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, clove, and turmeric, is a Yemeni spice mix used in most savory Somali dishes. Here, it’s included in the paste used to season the lamb, as well as the rice (called bariis.) I referenced chef Hawa Hasan’s recipe for the Xawaash, which is then combined with vegetable oil, garlic, onion, cilantro, Kashmiri chili, and smoked paprika to make the paste. You’ll coat the shanks with this, then slow roast them with vegetables for two and a half hours, making the rice during the last half hour of the meat’s cooking time.

Your reward? Falling-off-the-bone tender lamb over spiced, vegetable-flecked rice that perfectly complements the meat. And if you want to go full-on Somali- style, serve platefuls of the finished dish with a perfectly ripe, unpeeled banana next to each place setting. This may seem novel to uninitiated diners, but the banana is to be sliced and eaten between bites of the rice.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE XAWAASH SPICE BLEND

• 1, 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
• ½ cup cumin seeds
• ½ cup coriander seeds
• 2 Tbsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp unshelled cardamom seeds
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 2 Tbsp ground turmeric

FOR THE LAMB

• 4 lamb shanks
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• Small bunch cilantro (three or four sprigs)
• 6 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup Xawaash spice blend (ingredients above; method below)
• 1 to 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (More if you like hot and spicy; less if you don’t)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into generous chunks
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

FOR SEASONED RICE

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped into small dice, divided
• 1-1/2 cups chopped fresh tomato
• 3 sprigs cilantro
• 1 tsp chicken or beef bouillon paste (I used Better Than Bouillon) OR one bouillon cube
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 Tbsp Xawaash spice blend
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 small cinnamon sticks, broken into medium pieces
• 2 Tbsp raisins for garnish (optional)
• Minced cilantro, for garnish

METHOD

MAKE THE XAWAASH SPICE BLEND

Break the cinnamon stick into small pieces. (One firm roll-over with a heavy rolling pin works well.) Excluding the turmeric, place the rest of the spices and the broken cinnamon. pieces in a heavy skillet over medium heat and stir, toasting for a scant 2 minutes until very fragrant. Remove spices from pan and cool. Grind the spices into a fine powder (I use a coffee grinder.) Check for any remaining unground pieces and grind spices again. Pour into a bowl; add the turmeric. Stir together well and place in a tightly lidded glass jar. You will use about 1/3 cup of the spice mix in this recipe. The rest (a little under a cup) will keep for up to 6 months stored in a cool dark place.

MAKE THE SEASONING PASTE

In the bowl of a food processor, add onion, cilantro and garlic and 1-1/2 Tbsp oil. Pulse into puree. Place puree in a bowl. Stir in ¼ cup Zawaash spice blend, Kashmiri chili powder and smoked paprika.

PREPARE THE LAMB

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Pour remaining oil into an oven safe casserole dish. Pat lamb shanks dry (to help the paste stick) and rub with salt and pepper. Coat each shank with the seasoning paste, top and bottom, saving a bit of the paste for the vegetables. Nestle shanks in casserole dish. Toss potatoes and carrots with remaining paste and add to dish. Cover dish with foil. Roast in oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Remove foil and roast for another 15 minutes, or a little longer, until meat is falling-of-the-bone tender. During the last half hour of cooking time, make the seasoned rice.

PREPARE THE SEASONED RICE

Return heavy skillet to cooktop over medium low heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil and ½ cup of the diced onion. While onion begins to cook, pulse remaining onion with cilantro in food processor. Add this mixture to the onion in the pan along with tomato and bouillon. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes until onion and tomatoes are soft but still hold shape. Remove from heat. Place 2 cups rice with 3 cups water in rice cooker. Stir in tomato/onion/cilantro mixture. Stir in Xawaash spice blend, ground cardamom, turmeric, and cinnamon sticks. Cook rice (following rice cooker instructions.) Fluff rice and pick out the cinnamon pieces.

TO SERVE

Plate each serving with generous portion of rice. Sprinkle with a few raisins (if using). Spoon some vegetables over all. Top with lamb shank. Sprinkle with minced cilantro. Serve hot.