Serving Size:
6
Time:
5 hrs 30 mins plus marinating time
Difficulty:
Easy
Ingredients
- 200ml olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- Juice 1 lemon
- 1 lamb shoulder or lamb leg (about 2 kg)
For the Shawarma Spice Mix:
- 1 ½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon cardamom pods
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tbsp sweet paprika
- ½ tbsp sumac
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- ½ cup peanut or other neutral oil
directions
- For the spice mix, toast the cumin, coriander, fennel seeds and cardamom pods in a small frying pan on a low flame for a minute or two until they start to pop and become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Cool and then grind them using a spice grinder.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and add the allspice, cinnamon ground ginger, paprika, sumac. Mix to combine.
- Add in salt, pepper, fresh ginger, garlic, oil and lemon juice. Combine to form a paste.
- Place the lamb in a large roasting tray. Score the meat and rub the paste all over.
- Cover with foil and leave to marinade in the refrigerator for at least a few hours, or preferably overnight.
- Heat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3.
- Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and place one cup of boiling water in the bottom of the roasting tray. Place in the oven to cook for 4 – 5 hours, basting the lamb with liquid every hour or so. Top up with liquid as necessary, ensuring there is always a little liquid at the bottom.
- Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time.
- The lamb is ready when the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone.
- Once removed from the oven, leave the lamb to rest 10 minutes before serving.