This recipe is all the rage and you’ll see why when you try it.
Lockdown is giving us plenty of opportunities to try our hands at cooking cool and inventive dishes. We previously suggested you try the Kung Pao chicken recipe as recommended by Steve Wu, Group Head Chef at Lotus Dining Group. Last week, Chatkazz Restaurant shared its uber popular pav bhaji recipe to break up your routine. This week, we’ve switched things up thanks to Ricardo Lemus, head chef at Alma Restaurant with his Birria recipe.
Give those frozen meals a break and try your hands at this flavourful and comforting Mexican stew meal. Its guaranteed to help you beat any lockdown blues that might be settling in.
INGREDIENTS:
For the Birria
1.5 kg lamb shoulder
750 gr lamb shanks
400 gr brown onion
2 Garlic bulb
10 gr cumin seeds
5 gr whole black pepper
1 Cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
For the sauce
50 gr Guajillo chilli
50 gr Ancho chilli
100 gr Pasilla Chilli
Salt
Water
GARNISH:
500 gr Spanish onion
1 bunch coriander
Lime wedges
Corn tortillas
1 avocado
1 bunch of radish
Chickpeas (optional)
METHOD:
1. In a slow cooker place the lamb, salt, onion and garlic cut in halves. Add water until the lamb is covered. With the spices make a sachet (can be done with cheese cloth or a chux wipes). Leave it on slow flame overnight.
2. Meanwhile place the dry chillies in the oven at 100*c for 10 min until they get crispy (you’ll notice small blisters on the inside of the chillies which indicates that they are ready).
3. Place the chillies in a blender, add some of the water from the slow cooker and blend them until a uniform paste is formed.
4. Strain the chilli paste and add it to the lamb, let it cook overnight.
5. Take the lamb out of the slow cooker and shred the meat, remove the sachet, and strain the broth.
6. Before serving dice the onion, cut the radish in quarters, finely chop the coriander, heat up the tortillas and keep them warm on a dry tea towel.
SERVING:
In a bowl add the shredded lamb, add chickpeas (optional), add the broth covering two thirds of the lamb.
On a side plate put the dice onion, radish, coriander and lime wedges, so they can be added to the birria according to preference.
Provecho! Your hearty evening meal is ready to be served.
Most of the chillies can be found in Latin American grocery shops.