Lamb Shanks Braised in Yogurt Sauce

• 3 lamb shanks (~4 lbs)
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5-inch piece of fresh ginger
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup whole coriander seeds or ground coriander
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup olive or corn oil
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 4 sticks cinnamon
• 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 3 tsp chili powder or cayenne
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Place the shanks in a single layer and sprinkle all over with 1/2 tsp salt and lots of black pepper. Pat them in.

Peel and coarsely chop the ginger and garlic. Put in a blender with 1/4 cup of water and blend until smooth. If using whole coriander seeds, grind coarsely in a coffee grinder or smash with a mortar and pestle. Set aside. Lightly beat the plain yogurt. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Pour 8 tablespoons oil into a wide, non-stick, lidded pan and set over a high heat. When hot, add the lamb shanks and brown lightly on all sides. Remove. Quickly add the cumin, cloves, cinnamon, and peppercorns to the hot oil in the pan. Ten seconds later, add the ginger-garlic paste, stir, and fry for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Take the pan off the heat and add the beaten plain yogurt and 2 cups of water. Stir well. Return to the heat, add the coarsely ground coriander, chili powder, turmeric and 1 1/2 tsp salt, and stir to mix. Put the lamb shanks back into the pan, spoon some sauce over them, and bring to the boil. Cover well, first with foil, crimping the edges, then with the lid. Place in the oven and bake slowly for 3 hours, turning the shanks over every 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and uncover. Set over a high heat and reduce the liquid, basting the shanks as you do so, until you have a thick sauce, about 6-7 minutes.

Makes 6 servings, 20 WW PointsPlus each.