Delhi-Style Yogurt-Marinated Lamb with Nut Crust
A luxurious Indian-inspired dish featuring tender lamb shoulder marinated in a rich yogurt-spice blend and topped with a sweet-savory crust of almonds and cashews. The meat is slowly roasted until perfectly tender, creating an impressive main course worthy of special occasions.
Ingredients
- •¼ cup vegetable oil
- •1¼ pounds white onions
- •4 cloves garlic
- •3 whole serrano chiles
- •1 piece fresh ginger
- •10 whole cloves
- •1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- •1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- •2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- •1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- •7½ cups plain whole-milk yogurt
- •6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- •1 whole lamb shoulder
- •4½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- •2 cups sliced almonds
- •1 cup raw cashews
- •½ cup golden brown sugar
- •1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, 14 minutes. Add garlic and next 7 ingredients; stir 2 minutes. Scrape mixture into processor. Add 4 cups yogurt. Blend until mixture is coarse puree; transfer to large bowl. Mix in 2 cups yogurt and lemon juice.
20 min
- 2.
Place 1 cup yogurt marinade in small bowl. Cover, chill, and reserve for topping. Place 3 cups marinade in medium bowl; mix in remaining 1 1/2 cups yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Cover, chill, and reserve for sauce.
5 min
- 3.
Place lamb in large roasting pan and shape into rectangle approximately 12x6 inches (some thin layers may overlap). Sprinkle with 2 1/4 teaspoons salt; spread with half of remaining marinade. Carefully turn lamb over. Sprinkle with remaining 2 1/4 teaspoons salt; spread with remaining marinade. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
720 min
- 4.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend almonds, cashews, sugar, salt, and 1 cup marinade reserved for topping in processor until nuts are coarsely chopped.
10 min
- 5.
Remove plastic and scrape most of marinade off top of lamb. Cover pan with foil and roast lamb 1 1/2 hours. Uncover; spread nut topping evenly over. Roast lamb uncovered until topping is golden and lamb is tender, about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes.
160 min
- 6.
Transfer lamb to platter. Serve, passing reserved sauce.
5 min
