Braised lamb shoulder chops with rice

TIME3-4 hours MAKES4-6 servings PORTION
0.5x 1x 2x 3x

This recipe is a riff on my one-pot chicken and rice blueprint, adapted to allow for a one-pot meat and rice dish where the protein, unlike chicken thighs, needs to be braised for a longer period of time to become tender.

Often times, when I am making a red-meat braised dish, I end up with too much leftover (but utterly delicious) braising liquid I don’t know what to do with, and I am sometimes too lazy to make rice. This recipe kills two birds with one stone: the same pot it used to cook the rice, and the rice absorbs all the flavours from the braising liquid.

Note that the braising liquid can get quite fatty depending on your cut of meat — I recommend skimming some of the fat before adding the rice, as well as garnishing with lemon to cut through the fattiness.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4-6 pieces lamb shoulder chops1

Marinade or dry brine

A simple chicken marinade is oil, salt, and pepper.

{{marinade_list}}

Aromatic base

This includes onion, celery, carrots, ginger, spices, etc.

{{aromatic_list}}

Braising liquid

Liquids such as water, stock, wine, etc.

{{braising_liquid_and_herbs_list}}

Rice and mixins

  • 300g basmati rice

{{mixins_list}}

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Garnishes

Fresh herbs and other garnishes to add after cooking the rice.

{{garnish_list}}

STEPS

  1. Season the lamb with {{marinade}}. Leave for at least 30 minutes. Sear the lamb chops either in a dutch oven for 2 minutes per side until golden, or under a grill for 5-10 minutes.

  2. Add oil to the pan, and saute the {{aromatics}}. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.

  3. Place the lamb chops back into the pot, and add the {{braising_liquid_and_herbs}} until the lamb chops are barely covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, and leave to cook until the lamb chops are tender, approximately 1-2 hours.

  4. When the lamb is tender, skim off any excess fat, and bring the pot back up to a boil. Add in {{rice_and_mixins}}. Reduce to the lowest simmer, return the lid, and cook the rice until all liquid has been absorbed, about 25-30 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, and eave the dish undisturbed for another 10 minutes.

  5. Finally, add the {{garnishes}} and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

NOTES

  1. Or any other protein suitable for long braising, such as short rib, chuck, goat, etc. ↩︎