Pulled lamb shoulder sliders

I love a good burger, juicy, meaty, and well-spiced. This is a complex recipe, but the effort is well worth the results.

This burger fits the looser definition of a burger. The bun is the same, but the meat is shredded and spiced. I have also defaulted to calling these burgers now.

I cannot find the soft pull-apart kubaneh bread here, so I opt for a very soft potato bun or brioche bun instead. These delicious slider buns are from Paris, My Love, in Delhi. I also like to serve these as sliders, smaller bites, so each slider can be customised differently. I serve these unassembled, part of the joy being loading the meat and accompaniments individually; the ritual creates a commitment to enjoying the dish.

This burger is work: slow-braised, a few accompaniments, and planning for marination and cooking. It is not something you can slap together at the last minute. But then on first bite you understand why: the flavours- tartness from the preserved lemon, the heat from the rose harissa, and more flood your palate. This burger is so worth the effort.

This is a wonderful cookbook that I don't cook from often enough. The flavours are spectacular, and not all recipes are as demanding as this one. It highlights the region's cuisine, featuring well-written recipes and stunning photographs. The Palomar restaurant in London is a go-to destination for modern Middle Eastern cuisine. It is on my bucket list.

For more recipes from this fantastic cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the cured lemon paste:

1 Moroccan preserved lemon, or Hyderabadi dhoop limboo, minced, seeds removed

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of ground cumin seeds

For the pulled lamb:

1 1/3 kg (3 lb) lamb shoulder, cut into three pieces

3 tablespoons ground cumin seeds

3 tablespoons harissa paste

1 portion cured lemon paste (see recipe)

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, sliced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, diced small

Salt, to taste

8 cups water

Note: For rose harissa, I use Belazu rose harissa. For lamb, I substituted mutton, a much more common and significantly cheaper ingredient in India.

For the Hawaij spice mix:

4 tablespoons black peppercorns

4 tablespoons cumin seeds

6 green cardamom pods

6 whole cloves

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons turmeric

For the sumac onions:

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sumac

1 teaspoon zata’ar mix

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

Juice of 1 lime

Salt, to taste

A drizzle of olive oil

For the green zhug:

3 garlic cloves

3-4 green chillies, or to taste

1 large bunch of cilantro, washed well

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon Hawaij spice mix

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, to taste

For the tzatziki sauce:

1 small cucumber

1 garlic clove, minced

4 tablespoons mint, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1/2 cup lebneh or Greek yoghurt

Salt, to taste

Olive oil, to drizzle

To serve:

The pulled lamb

Sumac Onions

Tzatziki sauce

Green zhug

Soft potato or brioche slider buns, cut in half

Method:

Day 1:

For the cured lemon paste:

Mix all the ingredients and set aside.

For the pulled lamb:

Mix all the ingredients. Make deep slits into the lamb meat and stuff with the marinade. Coat the meat well and marinate overnight.

For the Hawaij spice mix:

Dry roast all the ingredients individually in a frying pan over low heat until aromatic. Cool completely and grind to a fine powder. Store in a dry bottle.

For the sumac onions:

Mix all the ingredients and pickle overnight.

Day 2:

To cook the meat:

The next day, remove the meat and vegetables and lay them in a single layer in a roasting pan.

Preheat the oven to 400°C with the rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven.

Roast the meat for 30 minutes, turning the pieces after 15 minutes. The meat should be charred in spots, and the spices should be roasted.

Remove the meat, vegetables, and juices to a pot. Add the water and bring to a boil on a stove. Keep at a very low simmer for 4 hours. Alternatively, turn the oven down to 350°C and braise for 4 hours. Check the pot periodically to ensure that water has not dried out.

At this point, the meat is completely shredded into the stew. Remove all the bones, if any. Taste for salt, tartness, and spice. The meat should have lots of flavour, with a strong tartness. Adjust with more harissa, salt, or preserved limes as needed. If the base flavour is not deep, add a teaspoon of Hawaij spice mix. Cook the meat on a slow simmer on the stove until you have a thick, saucy dish. The flavours from the braising liquids need to be absorbed into the meat again. You want to leave the meat sloppy; after all, what is a burger if it does not drip all over the front of your shirt?

While the meat is slowly braising, make the rest fo the sauces.

For the green zhug:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz till smooth. Alternatively, I like a coarser zhug, so I pound the mix in a mortar until I have a rough paste. Taste for chilli, salt, and spice. The zhug should have a high spice profile. Set aside.

For the tzatziki sauce:

Grate the cucumber, with skin on if you like a bit of colour. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and drain in a colander over the sink for 20 minutes.

Mix with the rest of the ingredients. Taste for salt. Set aside in the fridge.

To serve:

Load the heated meat into a bowl and serve alongside all the accompaniments. I usually serve these as sliders, smaller bites so folks can customise each bite to their tastes. I like each diner to make their own slider to suit their palate.