Denningvleis — Cape Malay Tamarind Lamb Shoulder

Ingredients

• 1½ lb Lamb Shoulder, in 1½-inch cubes
• 3 onions, sliced thin
• 3 tbsp tamarind paste, loosened in ½ cup hot water
• 8 whole allspice berries
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp oil or ghee
• 1½ cups stock
• Salt and black pepper
• Yellow rice and blatjang, for serving

Method

1. Toss the Lamb Shoulder with the tamarind water, garlic, allspice, cloves, bay, salt, and pepper and marinate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. Tamarind does slow work on tough cuts.
2. Lift the meat out, scraping off the marinade, and pat it dry. Brown it hard in the oil in batches — wet meat will never take color, and color is the whole spine of this dish.
3. Cook the onions in the same pot over medium-low until deeply soft and browning at the edges, 20 minutes. Rushing them leaves the braise sharp instead of sweet.
4. Return the meat with the marinade, sugar, and stock. Cover and simmer very gently 60–75 minutes until the Lamb Shoulder is spoon-tender.
5. Uncover and reduce until the sauce is dark and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Balance it at the end: another squeeze of tamarind if it's flat, a pinch of sugar if it's puckering. Serve over yellow rice.