Lamb Shoulder Cooked in Yoghurt & Cumin Seeds

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of cumin seeds, toasted (see note)
• 1 tablespoon pul biber (see note)
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1.5kg lamb shoulder, boned and rolled, lightly trimmed of excess fat
• 250g plain yoghurt
• 80ml olive oil
• flat leaf parsley, to garnish

Note

Freshly toasted and ground cumin seeds add wonderful flavour to dishes. To toast cumin seeds, tip them into a small frying pan and lightly fry them over medium heat for a minute or two, until they smell fragrant, shaking the pan often to toss the seeds around so they don’t burn. Then just grind them to a powder using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.

Pul biber is a crushed red powder made from dried aleppo peppers. It is mild to medium in heat, and the Turkish love sprinkling it over just about anything. If you can’t find it in spice shops or Middle Eastern grocery stores, you can use chilli flakes instead.

Method