If you have a hankering for a South African blast-from-the-past meal while living and working abroad; lamb shanks with mieliepap should be on the very top of your list. This firm favourite is comfort food, celebratory food, just plain delicious food! Of course no one country can really lay claim to lamb shanks as their dish, but what Saffas can do is lay claim to this meal’s uniquely South African twist: mieliepap! Chances are, not many of your new colleagues and friends have had a lamb shank meal quite like this one; so now is your chance to wow them with just the right South African lamb shank recipe!
What to Serve with Lamb Shanks
Side Dishes for Lamb Shanks with Mieliepap
Before we leap into the recipe, let’s first consider what to serve with lamb shanks. Your side dishes are every bit as important as the main dish. In fact, they can make or break the meal, so choose them wisely. A quick squizz at Google’s search results will tell you that the most popular things to serve with lamb shanks is an understated starter of roast broccoli, tomatoes, leeks and minced garlic with a drizzle of olive oil. You could serve this first and then follow it up with your delectable lamb shanks, or make a mushroom based sauce to put over the mieliepap (recipe for the sauce below).
How to Make South African Pap and Vleis
South African Lamb Shank Recipe
The moment has arrived! In just a few seconds you will be learning how to make the type of lamb shank with a Saffa twist that has your guests coming back for more…and more, and more! Yup, we’re not just making lamb shanks…we are making beer braised lamb shanks. Don’t just make enough – make a little extra! This recipe serves 4.
What You Need:
- 1/4 cup of sunflower oil
- 4 trimmed lamb shanks
- 1 chopped carrot
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped celery stalk
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon of plain flour
- 330ml beer (ale works best)
- 1 cup of beef stock
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 100g of butter chopped (unsalted)
- 250g of brown mushrooms chopped into halves
- 2 cups of dry maize meal
- 4 cups of water
What To Do:
- First, preheat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius.
- Season the lamb shanks and set them aside.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a roasting pan and allow it to heat up on the stove top before adding the lamb shanks.
- Cook the lamb shanks on medium heat for around 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Remove the lamb shanks from the pan and set them to one side.
- Add the carrot, celery, and onion pieces to the roasting pan juices.
- Cook the veggies for about 4 minutes while stirring. When the veggies are soft, you can add the thyme, rosemary and garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add flour to the pan and cook for 1 minute before adding the beer and scraping the bottom of the pan clean with a wooden spoon in a stirring motion.
- Add the cup of beef stock and stir in. Allow to simmer for a minute before returning the lamb shanks to the pan.
- Cover the pan with tin foil and place inside the oven for around 2 hours or until the lamb shanks have become tender and simply fall apart.
- While the lamb shanks are becoming delectably tender, it’s time to make the mieliepap. Bring 4 cups of water to boil in pot over medium heat. Slowly add the maize meal to the bubbling water while stirring constantly at the same time. Keep stirring for about 1 minute to ensure that the mieliepap cooks smooth.
- Cover the pot with a lid and let it cook on low heat for around 20 to 30 minutes. If it appears too dry, add some water.
- Stir in the milk and 75g of butter and then remove the pot from the stove.
To Make the Sauce:
- In a frying pan, place the last tablespoon of oil and 25g of butter and melt on medium heat.
- Add the brown mushrooms and cook for around 5 minutes until the mushrooms are golden and then remove the pan from the heat.
- Place the lamb shanks on a plate and cover them with tin foil.
- Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan and heat on medium heat. Cook for around 5 minutes until it reduces by at least half. Remove from the heat and stir the mushrooms in from the other pan.
Serve the lamb shanks with the mushroom sauce and mieliepap – prepare for silence as everyone gobbles down their share!
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