In Oman, shuwa is perhaps the king of comfort food. It’s the kind you prepare for special occasions or even a simple family gathering. To not learn how to make your own version is a disservice to the flexibility of this amazing dish. Just because you don’t have your underground oven at home doesn’t mean that shuwa is no longer feasible to make. The traditional sense of making shuwa is a meticulous one but over the years, recipes had been simplified so that it can also be done at home.
In today’s Cook Like a Chef, we’re breaking down some of the shuwa processes and simplifying them for you so that you can do it home just by using your electrical oven.
Ingredients
300 gram to 350 gram lamb shank
10 ml white vinegar
5 gram chili flakes
5 gram cumin powder
5 gram coriander powder
2 gram black pepper powder
3 gram cardamom powder
30 ml olive oil
2 gram salt
Preparation
Combine all the dry spices, add oil to the dry spice mix and vinegar. The texture of the spice mix should be wet rub consistency.
Trim off the excess fat from the lamb shank, apply the spice mix cover the meat completely with the spice, cover the lamb shank with the butter paper and then with the aluminium foil ( keep in the chiller for about 3 hours more time the better )
Set oven on steam at 68°C place lamb shank in the oven and cook for about 5 hours.
Once the lamb is cooked, remove it from the oven and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Be careful when opening the aluminium foil, as the steam trapped inside is very hot. Gently lift the shank without touching the bone as it’s so soft and tender. If you try to hold the bone the meat will fall apart, place it on top of rice garnish with some fried onion and nuts.C
ABOUT THE CHEF
Sultan was born in Oman and was always passionate about cooking. After graduating from the National Hospitality Institute, he started his career with the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa in Muscat, in 2005. In 2009, Sultan was offered the opportunity to join the Culinary Art and Cuisine Academy at Shangri-La, in China, to continue his culinary studies and enhance his skills and techniques in the kitchen. After completing his training and certification, Sultan returned to his roots and joined Michelin Star Chef Alfredo Rosso in his Italian restaurant Capri Court. After honing his skills under Chef Rosso, Sultan joined the Radisson Collection at Hormuz Grand, in Muscat, as a sous-chef in the all-day-dining restaurant. Under his guidance, the restaurant went on to gain much acclaim. In 2018, he joined the prestigious Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, as a sous-chef supervising banquet operations, crowning 14 years of experience in culinary and kitchen management within a luxury hotel.
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