If you’re mad for lamb shanks and Massaman Curry, this incredibly easy Thai recipe will stop you in your tracks – shanks slow cooked in the oven until the meat is falling off the bone, braised in a rich, coconut Massaman Curry sauce.
It’s a popular Chef’s Special at upscale Thai restaurants that will set you back $30 for just one shank. 5 minutes prep, then just pop it in the oven. Yes, really!
Lamb Shanks in Massman Curry
Aussies are extremely fond of lamb shanks and Massaman Curry. So we never pass it up when we see them together on the menu of a Thai restaurant. Meltingly tender lamb shanks smothered in a rich coconut, spice infused Massaman curry sauce is a heavenly combination – just the thought makes me weak in the knees, and you’ll happily pay upwards of $30 for ONE lamb shank.
So will you choke with disbelief when I tell you the dish you see in these photos is a 5 minute prep, dump-and-bake job??
Close your eyes and imagine fall-apart-at-a-touch lamb shanks smothered in rich Massaman curry sauce….. UGH!!! It’s incredible!!!
What you need for Massaman lamb shank curry
We’re using a store bought curry paste in this recipe – in fact, this recipe does not work as written using homemade. This was an irritating discovery because homemade Massaman Curry paste is an effort to make! 😒 (Reason: Homemade is just too fresh, this recipe needs the concentrated flavour of store bought paste)
Here are the ingredients you need:
Lamb Shanks – Lamb shanks are the lower part of lamb legs. Front legs = foreshanks which are smaller (use 4 to 5), hind legs = hind shanks which are large (use 2 to 3) – recipe calls for 1.5 kg/3lb in total;
Massaman Curry paste – Maesri is my preferred brand. Not all curry pastes are made equal! More on this below;
Cinnamon and star anise – flavour boost of two dominant spices in the curry paste;
Coconut milk – as used in traditional Massaman Curry sauce;
Chicken stock/broth – to create volume to make a braising liquid to mostly submerge the shanks, as well as adding depth of flavour into the sauce. Traditional Massaman Curry is made by braising beef cubes in liquid to make a homemade stock; and
Potato and onion – traditionally included in Massaman Curry.
Other lamb cuts
The only other lamb cut I’d recommend is lamb shoulder, whole. Essentially it will be like a lamb pot roast – Thai style! Directions in recipe notes. (And if I try it, I will pop a photo in here. Likely I will because I know it will be amazing).
Beef alternatives
I haven’t tried, but I think this recipe will work extremely well with beef cheeks, beef Osso bucco (not veal, cooks too fast), beef ribs (any type). These have similar long cook times, similar meat fibres, and good beef flavour. Do not use: brisket, chuck beef, silverside or other slow cooking beef cuts (not enough flavour in meat to work for this dump-and-bake method of cooking).
Chicken?
Won’t withstand the required cook times to develop enough flavour I’m afraid. Not with this simple cook method!
Best Massaman Curry Paste – Maesri
Here is the undisputed king of all store bought Thai curry pastes – Maesri. Restaurants use it, chefs use it, and food obsessed people like myself are mad for it.
And it happens to be a bargain at ~$1.50 a can.
I use it for all my Thai curries when I don’t have time / ingredients to make the curry paste from scratch – Red, Green and traditional Massaman beef curry.
Where to find Maesri curry paste – at your local grocery store!
It’s sold at most metropolitan Coles and Woolworths grocery stores in Australia (Asian section), at Harris Farms, practically all Asian stores (it would be un-Asian not to carry it!) and here it is online in Australia, US, Canada* and UK.
* Obscenely expensive, please try to get to an Asian store!
Can’t find it?
Use any Massaman Curry paste you can find. Order of preference (Aussie brands) – Ayam, Five Tastes and bringing up the rear is Volcom (it’s always too sweet).
How to make it
Two simple steps:
Put everything in a baking dish; and
Bake covered, then uncovered, until meat is fall-apart tender and liquid reduces down to a rich curry sauce.
(I haven’t listed the likely extra step of fending off your neighbours when they smell it cooking and come running over for a taste. It’s a real risk.)
I NEVER cook curries OR lamb shanks like this!
Anyone who knows anything about cooking curries knows that a really great Thai curry calls for either homemade curry paste, or “pimping up” store bought curry paste with fresh aromatics like garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass.
And you always cook off the curry paste to toast it and and intensify flavour. Mandatory for Thai Red, Green and Massaman Beef Curry.
We bypass all of that for this recipe. We don’t even brown the lamb shanks beforehand!
And here’s why this recipe still delivers knock-your-socks-off flavour with such little effort:
Lamb – because it’s probably the strongest flavoured meat around, and the juices from the lamb add a stack of flavour into the curry sauce;
Slow cooking – because anything slow cooked leads to more flavour;
Roasting uncovered for a good hour at the end – required to reduce the braising liquid down to a thick curry sauce and to brown the shanks and toast the curry sauce; and
Using a great store bought curry paste.
What to serve with Massaman Curry Lamb Shanks
Rice is essential for soaking up that incredible sauce. Specifically, Jasmine rice – but really, any rice will do. Nobody will notice what rice you use once it’s smothered in the Massaman Curry!
To complete your meal, add a side of fresh greens. In Thailand, it’s common to just have a side of tomato wedges and cucumbers – no dressing. Welcome freshness for a rich dish like this!
Otherwise, try one of these side salads:
Side Salads suggestions
If you’re feeling inspired to do a full blown Thai feast at home, you can’t go wrong with an authentic Green Papaya Salad. Else try some of these on the side – or browse my full menu of Thai recipes (note to self: share some Asian desserts!!)
Thai Sides and Starters
And just one last quick thing – as with stews, this is the sort of dish that gets even better with time which lets the flavour develop even more. So if you really wanting to impress someone, make it the day before! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Note: video says covered bake time is 2.5 hrs, this is incorrect, it should be 2 hours. Typo!
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Lamb Shanks Massaman Curry
Ingredients
- 1.5kg/ 3 lb lamb shanks (5 small, 4 medium, 2 – 3 large) (Note 1)
- 114g/ 4oz Maesri Massaman curry paste (1 can) , or other brand (Note 2)
- 400ml/ 14oz coconut milk , full fat (Ayam brand is best, Note 3)
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (Note 4)
- 1 onion , halved then sliced 1cm / 1/3″ thick (brown, white, yellow)
- 400g/ 14oz small potatoes (2.5cm/1" wide, halve if bigger)
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
Garnishes:
- Red chilli , finely sliced (small = spicy, large = less spicy)
- Coriander/cilantro
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Mix curry paste, coconut milk and stock in a 22 x 33cm / 9 x 13" baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic (Note 5). Add onion, potato, star anise, cinnamon and lamb.
- Turn shanks to coat in sauce, then cover with foil.
- Bake in oven for 2 hours. Remove foil, bake for a further 1 hour (small shanks) or 1.5 hrs (medium to large shanks), turning lamb twice to brown evenly, until meat is so tender it can easily be teased apart with 2 forks.
- Remove lamb onto plate. Carefully skim off excess fat off the surface (tilt dish, it's easier) – I get about 1/3 cup. Mix sauce in baking dish – it should be reduced down to a syrupy thickness (Note 6).
- Serve lamb with sauce over jasmine rice, garnished with chilli and coriander. For a larger banquet, put the curry out on a platter to share!
Recipe Notes:
- Small shanks 300g/10oz each x 5 = 2 hr covered, 1 hr uncovered
- Medium shanks 350 – 400g/12 – 14 oz each x 4 = 2 hrs covered, 1.5 hrs uncovered
- Large hind shanks 600 – 750g / 1.2 – 1.5 lb each x 2 = 2 hrs covered, 1.5 hrs uncovered, USE SMALLER BAKING DISH so liquid covers ~ 1/2 to 2/3 of meat
Nutrition Information:
Favourite Thai Restaurants in Sydney
And I think it would be remiss of me not to mention my favourite Thai restaurants here in Sydney! Our rich, cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and with that comes an abundance of great food from around the world. So really good Thai food is widely available all across Australia – here are the ones I regularly frequent:
Khao Pla (Chatswood) – Top notch modern Thai, I frequent this regularly because it’s my closest really good Thai restaurant (30 minutes away!!). I also like that while it stays 100% true to Thai flavours, it has some wonderfully unique dishes (try the Tamarind Ribs, they are my favourite!)
Spice I Am (Surry Hills) – Some of the most authentic Thai you will get in Sydney. Big flavours, very spicy, fresh, award winning high regarded restaurant;
Long Chim (Sydney CBD) – By lauded Australian chef and Thai food expert David Thompson. Top end prices, trendy, very authentic and unapologetically spicy!
Chat Thai – It’s grown to quite a large chain today, but don’t let that deter you. It is very, very good – slightly modern, but very authentic. In Chatswood, Manly, Randwick and multiple locations in Sydney city.
I adore Thai curries
Proof:
Life of Dozer
Dozer in usual form – begging for the very food I just gave Geoff, our friendly local who lives at the dog park and looks after it like its his own backyard! That day, it was this broccoli pasta (with extra cheese – Geoff loves his gooey cheese 😂)
Julie says
LOVED this recipe. We had a small amount of meat left and lots of sauce, so the next day I cooked it for another 40 mins with extra potatoes and threw in peas at the end. Was even better the next day.
Amanda says
So easy and good! I added carrots for the last hour and green beans for the last 30 mins to up the veggies. Whole family loved it!!
Dita says
Nagi,
This recipe was all that I expected it to be and much more! I live in a city of 100k in Canada and I swear I had to contact a half dozen stores before I found massaman curry paste at an Asian store (we have 2). My husband always cooks our lamb shanks so he was in charge of this recipe. I follow it to the letter on the first go around, him not so much. Not only did he “season” the shanks beforehand, he also seared them. Well holy moly, was it salty in the end. The rice did help and I made the smashed cucumber salad as the side. It was so delicious…..all of it! Even our 3 teen girls loved it. Thank you for another great recipe ❤️
Stuart B says
Gonna make this tonight. Think I’ll replace the potatoes with a few sweet potatoes and add some small chunks of carrots and pumpkin. Let’s see!
Renee says
Another unbelievable recipe! Made it last night for a dinner party and it was perfection. So simple to make thanks to your amazing and detailed recipes. Thank you 😊
Jenny says
Restaurant quality
Leslie says
The vegan version with pulled jackfruit was delicious! Thanks a lot for all ur perfect recipes 🙂
Sandra Wright says
Hi Nagi, I’m making this at the weekend. Does it not need any sugar and / or fish sauce, like your massaman curry recipe?
Gordon says
Hi Nagi, we made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was brilliant, so thank you.
It inspired us to use this recipe as inspiration to make Rendang lamb shoulder. Munik Rendang paste is by far the best out there, a visit to the Asian Grocer will be needed to find it.
We just used a packet of this with 400ml coconut and 400ml water.
Once the lamb was cooked I shredded it and put it back into the oven for another 20 minutes to really reduce the sauce (Rendang should be dry, not saucy).
It’s now my favourite way to make Rendang, so thank you for the inspiration.
Meg says
Just made this for dinner – yum, yum, yum! Used Ayam paste as the store I bought from didn’t have the tinned one. Great flavours! So easy to make and hassle free once cooking. I missed putting a second timer on so just kept going til it was falling off the bone, perfect!
Emma says
This is amazingly tasty for such a simple recipe. I have made it 4 times in the last 6 weeks – lamb shanks and beef short ribs – both delicious! 160ºC works for my oven which runs a bit hot.
Linda Shore says
The first two times i cooked this was in the slow cooker as i didnt read all the notes and it was delicious and got rave reviews. Last night i cooked it in the oven doing everything i was supposed to do and it was even better. My son said they were the best potatoes he has ever had. I might try it with a differnet cut next time. just for fun.
Christine Tansey says
Hi,
Can I marinate the shanks in the sauce the day before???
Robert NEWMAN says
About to make with Kanokwan massaman paste. Have tried so many but this is by far the best. When you add the chicken stock is it hot or cold ?
Amelia says
Hi Nagi! I LOVE this recipe! I’m making it for family tomorrow – if I double it and do 6-8 lamb shanks how long would you suggest to cook it for?
Rhonda says
Made this curry twice in the last few weeks. Once, followed the recipe exactly and the second time had a monstrous lamb shoulder (doubled all the sauce ingredients, cooked 3 hrs covered and 2 hours uncovered). Absolutely perfect both times. Nagi your recipes never disappoint. Have preordered your cookbook and can’t wait for it to arrive.
Dani says
Made this tonight
It was absolutely divine
Bloody delicious
🙏🙏🙏
Thank you Nagi
Dani says
Made masaman lamb shanks tonight
Oh…My…God
Nagi. They were sublime.
Thank you
🙏🙏🙏
Seema says
Have made this a few times with lamb shanks and always turns out beautiful. I would like to use the same ingredients but replace the shanks with diced lamb and cook in the slow cooker as I’m cooking for 12. Do I just increase quantity of everything and perhaps brown the lamb a bit?
Spence says
Soooo good!! Made this with new baby potatoes from the garden and it was next level! And thank you for the tip on Maesri curry pastes. Because of your recipes, I convinced our local Asian grocery store to bring them in. First they started out with just the red and green pastes, but now they carry all of them!