Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Lamb Shanks Massaman Curry Recipe
If you happen to’re mad for lamb shanks and Massaman Curry, this extremely straightforward Thai recipe will cease you in your tracks – shanks gradual cooked within the oven till the meat is falling off the bone, braised in a wealthy, coconut Massaman Curry sauce.
It’s a preferred Chef’s Particular at upscale Thai eating places that can set you again $30 for only one shank. 5 minutes prep, then simply pop it within the oven. Sure, actually!
Aussies are extraordinarily keen on lamb shanks and Massaman Curry. So we by no means go it up after we see them collectively on the menu of a Thai restaurant. Meltingly tender lamb shanks smothered in a wealthy coconut, spice infused Massaman curry sauce is a heavenly mixture – simply the thought makes me weak within the knees, and also you’ll fortunately pay upwards of $30 for ONE lamb shank.
So will you choke with disbelief after I inform you the dish you see in these pictures is a 5 minute prep, dump-and-bake job??
Shut your eyes and picture fall-apart-at-a-touch lamb shanks smothered in wealthy Massaman curry sauce….. UGH!!! It’s unbelievable!!!
We’re utilizing a retailer purchased curry paste on this recipe – in actual fact, this recipe doesn’t work as written utilizing home made. This was an irritating discovery as a result of home made Massaman Curry paste is an effort to make! 😒 (Motive: Do-it-yourself is simply too recent, this recipe wants the concentrated flavour of retailer purchased paste)
Listed below are the substances you want:
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Lamb Shanks – Lamb shanks are the decrease a part of lamb legs. Entrance legs = foreshanks that are smaller (use 4 to five), hind legs = hind shanks that are giant (use 2 to three) – recipe requires 1.5 kg/3lb in complete;
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Massaman Curry paste – Maesri is my most popular model. Not all curry pastes are made equal! Extra on this under;
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Cinnamon and star anise – flavour enhance of two dominant spices within the curry paste;
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Coconut milk – as utilized in conventional Massaman Curry sauce;
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Chicken inventory/broth – to create quantity to make a braising liquid to principally submerge the shanks, in addition to including depth of flavour into the sauce. Conventional Massaman Curry is made by braising beef cubes in liquid to make a home made inventory; and
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Potato and onion – historically included in Massaman Curry.
Different lamb cuts
The one different lamb lower I’d suggest is lamb shoulder, entire. Primarily will probably be like a lamb pot roast – Thai type! Instructions in recipe notes. (And if I strive it, I’ll pop a photograph in right here. Doubtless I’ll as a result of I do know will probably be superb).
Beef options
I haven’t tried, however I feel this recipe will work extraordinarily nicely with beef cheeks, beef Osso bucco (not veal, cooks too quick), beef ribs (any kind). These have related lengthy cook dinner instances, related meat fibres, and good beef flavour. Don’t use: brisket, chuck beef, silverside or different gradual cooking beef cuts (not sufficient flavour in meat to work for this dump-and-bake technique of cooking).
Chicken?
Received’t stand up to the required cook dinner instances to develop sufficient flavour I’m afraid. Not with this straightforward cook dinner technique!
Right here is the undisputed king of all retailer purchased Thai curry pastes – Maesri. Eating places use it, cooks use it, and meals obsessed individuals like myself are mad for it.
And it occurs to be a discount at ~$1.50 a can.
I exploit it for all my Thai curries after I don’t have time / substances to make the curry paste from scratch – Crimson, Inexperienced and conventional Massaman beef curry.
The place to seek out Maesri curry paste – at your native grocery retailer!
It’s bought at most metropolitan Coles and Woolworths grocery shops in Australia (Asian part), at Harris Farms, virtually all Asian shops (it could be un-Asian to not carry it!) and right here it’s on-line in Australia, US, Canada* and UK.
* Obscenely costly, please attempt to get to an Asian retailer!
Can’t discover it?
Use any Massaman Curry paste you will discover. Order of choice (Aussie manufacturers) – Ayam, 5 Tastes and mentioning the rear is Volcom (it’s all the time too candy).
Two easy steps:
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Put every part in a baking dish; and
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Bake coated, then uncovered, till meat is fall-apart tender and liquid reduces right down to a wealthy curry sauce.
(I haven’t listed the probably additional step of keeping off your neighbours once they scent it cooking and are available working over for a style. It’s an actual danger.)
Anybody who is aware of something about cooking curries is aware of {that a} actually nice Thai curry requires both home made curry paste, or “pimping up” retailer purchased curry paste with recent aromatics like garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass.
And also you all the time cook dinner off the curry paste to toast it and and intensify flavour. Obligatory for Thai Crimson, Inexperienced and Massaman Beef Curry.
We bypass all of that for this recipe. We don’t even brown the lamb shanks beforehand!
And right here’s why this recipe nonetheless delivers knock-your-socks-off flavour with such little effort:
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Lamb – as a result of it’s most likely the strongest flavoured meat round, and the juices from the lamb add a stack of flavour into the curry sauce;
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Gradual cooking – as a result of something gradual cooked results in extra flavour;
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Roasting uncovered for an excellent hour on the finish – required to scale back the braising liquid right down to a thick curry sauce and to brown the shanks and toast the curry sauce; and
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Utilizing an incredible retailer purchased curry paste.
Rice is crucial for absorbing that unbelievable sauce. Particularly, Jasmine rice – however actually, any rice will do. No person will discover what rice you utilize as soon as it’s smothered within the Massaman Curry!
To finish your meal, add a facet of recent greens. In Thailand, it’s widespread to simply have a facet of tomato wedges and cucumbers – no dressing. Welcome freshness for a wealthy dish like this!
In any other case, strive one among these facet salads:
Aspect Salads solutions
If you happen to’re feeling impressed to do a full blown Thai feast at dwelling, you may’t go improper with an genuine Inexperienced Papaya Salad. Else strive a few of these on the facet – or browse my full menu of Thai recipes (notice to self: share some Asian desserts!!)
Thai Sides and Starters
And only one final fast factor – as with stews, that is the type of dish that will get even higher with time which lets the flavour develop much more. So when you actually desirous to impress somebody, make it the day earlier than! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 1.5kg/ 3 lb lamb shanks (5 small, 4 medium, 2 – 3 large) (Note 1)
- 114g/ 4oz Maesri Massaman curry paste (1 can) , or other brand (Note 2)
- 400ml/ 14oz coconut milk , full fat (Ayam brand is best, Note 3)
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (Note 4)
- 1 onion , halved then sliced 1cm / 1/3″ thick (brown, white, yellow)
- 400g/ 14oz small potatoes (2.5cm/1" wide, halve if bigger)
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Red chilli , finely sliced (small = spicy, large = less spicy)
- Coriander/cilantro
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Mix curry paste, coconut milk and stock in a 22 x 33cm / 9 x 13" baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic (Note 5). Add onion, potato, star anise, cinnamon and lamb.
- Turn shanks to coat in sauce, then cover with foil.
- Bake in oven for 2 hours. Remove foil, bake for a further 1 hour (small shanks) or 1.5 hrs (medium to large shanks), turning lamb twice to brown evenly, until meat is so tender it can easily be teased apart with 2 forks.
- Remove lamb onto plate. Carefully skim off excess fat off the surface (tilt dish, it's easier) – I get about 1/3 cup. Mix sauce in baking dish – it should be reduced down to a syrupy thickness (Note 6).
- Serve lamb with sauce over jasmine rice, garnished with chilli and coriander. For a larger banquet, put the curry out on a platter to share!
Notes
Note on cooking method: This recipe is not suited to slow cooker, pressure cooker or stove. Achieving the intended flavour with such little effort requires the oven to caramelise the surface of the lamb and sauce (as well as reducing the sauce).
1. Lamb Shanks cook times for different sizes:
Small shanks 300g/10oz each x 5 = 2 hr covered, 1 hr uncovered
Medium shanks 350 – 400g/12 – 14 oz each x 4 = 2 hrs covered, 1.5 hrs uncovered
Large hind shanks 600 – 750g / 1.2 – 1.5 lb each x 2 = 2 hrs covered, 1.5 hrs uncovered, USE SMALLER BAKING DISH so liquid covers ~ 1/2 to 2/3 of meat
Small and medium shanks are foreshanks (front legs of lamb). Large are from the rear, called hind shanks.
Even though large hind shanks are twice the weight of medium shanks, they will cook to fall apart tender in the same time if they are mostly submerged in liquid as heat transference is efficient (as opposed to roasting exposed without liquid – larger size takes proportionally longer to cook).
Other lamb cuts – the only other one I’d recommend is shoulder, very forgiving, similar flavour and meat fibres. Slow cook whole, upside down (so most of meat is submerged), cook times per recipe (it should be around 3.5 hrs total cook time). You’ll need to scoop off more fat because shoulder is fattier. It will be sensational – essentially a Thai pot roast!!
Other meat – recipe should work as written with beef cheeks, beef ribs (short ribs or long ribs) or beef osso bucco as they have similar fibres, good beef flavour and similar cook times. Use about 1.2kg/2.4lb cheeks, or 1.5kg/3lb ribs or osso bucco, cook times will be around the same (in anycase, all these cuts are very forgiving).
Don’t use chuck beef – I tried, and found the sauce lacking. The meat itself doesn’t have enough beef flavour to work using this method, use the traditional stovetop Beef Massaman recipe.
Chicken won’t hold up to the required cook time for sufficient flavour to develop in the sauce, and while slow cooking pork cuts should work, I’m not convinced about how it will suit the curry sauce!
2. Massaman curry paste – best is Maesri brand, sold at most Woolworths & Coles in Australia, as well as Harris Farms and Asian stores. Also happens to be the cheapest at ~$1.50 a can. Online – Australia, US, UK, Canada.
Keeps 5 days in the fridge in a super airtight container, or freeze for 3 months (but note that this recipe calls for a whole can).
Otherwise, use whatever brand you can find (my preferences: Ayam, Five Tastes and lastly Volcom).
3. Coconut milk – the quality/flavour comes down to the % of the liquid that is actually coconut milk. Ayam is the highest at 89%, cheap ones can be as low as 45%.
4. Low sodium chicken stock – important to get low sodium because it cooks right down and concentrates the saltiness. If you don’t have low sodium reduce by 3/4 cup and add 3/4 cup water instead.
5. Pan – clean up easiest with glass or ceramic because it will require a bit of scrubbing with a brush (it comes off easily after a brief soak). Metal would need to be soaked longer and scrubbed gently.
6. Sauce – if it’s still a bit thin once meat is fall apart tender, just pop it back into oven without the lamb. Will reduce quickly. Keep lamb covered to keep it warm – lasts like that for ages.
If it’s reduced down too much (eg if your dish was large and there’s lots of sauce surface area exposed), just add boiling water to thin it out. Should have close to 3 cups (750ml) sauce (give or take – there’s so much flavour in it, it won’t matter if it’s slightly thinner or thicker).
7. Storage / make ahead – as with all stews, this just gets better with time! Keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge, freezes for 3 months (thaw then reheat). Best way to reheat lamb shanks is to cover and reheat in oven at 180C/350F for 30 minutes or so, or microwave on low (high heat will cause large pieces of meat have a tendency to pop – don’t do it!). Loosen sauce with more water if needed.
8. Nutrition per lamb shank, assuming 1/3 cup fat is scooped off and all curry sauce is used.
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