Incik is a popular Turkish dish found on many menus. Lamb shanks provide a hearty and delicious meal but they do require long cooking times to tenderise the tough meat.
Lamb: Kuzu
Shank: İncik
In this recipe we used a “Dutch Oven” – a cast iron pot which can be hung over an open fire. The Dutch Oven is not only perfect for stews, it also means you can cook outside, as we did!
Turkish Lamb Shank Recipe – Kuzu İncik
Calculate one shank per guest.
For the marinade
Milk
Garlic cloves
Salt
Rosemary
Tablespoon of soy sauce or amino sauce
For the pot
Onion
Green pepper
Black peppercorns
Potatoes
Tamato paste
Bay leaves
Stock / buillion (if necessary)
Rosamary
Thyme
Paprika
Preparation
- It’s always a good idea to wash the lamb shanks thoroughly.
Marinate
- Marinate the lamb shanks in milk mixed with the seasonings, preferably overnight.
Cooking
- Rinse shanks.
- Melt butter in a frying pan, then fry the shanks for about 3 minutes each side until they generate a brownish crispy layer.
- In a separate pot, fry oil and butter add the onions, eventually adding green peppers and potatoes.
- Add the shanks and their juices into the mix.
- Fill the pot up to half with water then add bay leaves, paprika, tablespoon of stock, peppercorns and herbs.
- Place into oven or over open fire.
- Allow to simmer on a low heat for 4 to 5 hours.
Serve with rice, seasonal vegetables and with a sprig of parsley.
Enjoy!
The world is a pot and man is its ladel
– Turkish proverb
When cooking such a dish, one is reminded that cooking as a social event. Even though the cooking took four hours over a two period, everyone was involved and we were able to gather around the fire during the cooking and after. It was a joy to hear the stew bubbling away on the open fire.
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