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Delhi-Style Yogurt-Marinated Lamb with Nut Crust

4.3

(7)

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Delhi-Style Yogurt-Marinated Lamb with Nut CrustPornchai Mittongtare

The lamb needs to marinate overnight.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

Marinade and Lamb:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 pounds white onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 serrano chiles, sliced into rounds
1 2-inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
10 whole cloves
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
7 1/2 cups (60 ounces) plain whole-milk yogurt, divided
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 whole lamb shoulder (about 10 pounds), boned, trimmed of all fat (about 4 1/3 pounds)
4 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided

Topping:

2 cups sliced almonds (about 7 ounces)
1 cup raw cashews (about 5 ounces)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

Preparation

  1. For marinade and lamb:

    Step 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.

    Step 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.

    Step 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.

  2. For topping:

    Step 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.

  3. Step 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.

    Step 6

    Transfer lamb to platter. Serve, passing reserved sauce.

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