Massaman Curry Lamb Shanks ingredients
Lamb Shanks – Lamb shanks are the lower part of lamb legs. Front legs = foreshanks which are smaller (use 4 to 5), hind legs = hind shanks which are large (use 2 to 3) – recipe calls for 1.5 kg/3lb in total;
Massaman Curry paste – Maesri is my preferred brand. Not all curry pastes are made equal! More on this below;
Cinnamon and star anise – flavour boost of two dominant spices in the curry paste;
Coconut milk – as used in traditional Massaman Curry sauce;
Chicken stock/broth – to create volume to make a braising liquid to mostly submerge the shanks, as well as adding depth of flavour into the sauce. Traditional Massaman Curry is made by braising beef cubes in liquid to make a homemade stock; and
Potato and onion – traditionally included in Massaman Curry.
Other lamb cuts
The only other lamb cut I’d recommend is lamb shoulder, whole. Essentially it will be like a lamb pot roast – Thai style! Directions in recipe notes. (And if I try it, I will pop a photo in here. Likely I will because I know it will be amazing).
Beef alternatives
I haven’t tried, but I think this recipe will work extremely well with beef cheeks, beef Osso bucco (not veal, cooks too fast), beef ribs (any type). These have similar long cook times, similar meat fibres, and good beef flavour. Do not use: brisket, chuck beef, silverside or other slow cooking beef cuts (not enough flavour in meat to work for this dump-and-bake method of cooking).
Chicken?
Won’t withstand the required cook times to develop enough flavour I’m afraid. Not with this simple cook method!
Best Massaman Curry Paste – Maesri
Here is the undisputed king of all store bought Thai curry pastes – Maesri. Restaurants use it, chefs use it, and food obsessed people like myself are mad for it.
And it happens to be a bargain at ~$1.50 a can.
Massaman Curry Lamb Shanks
I use it for all my Thai curries when I don’t have time / ingredients to make the curry paste from scratch – Red, Green and traditional Massaman beef curry.
