Nutrition is approximate.
Equipment
- 6-7 L / 6-7 qt heavy pot with tight lid
- knife
- serving spoon
Before you begin
Use the listed metric weight for flour, grains and meat for consistent results. Ingredient weights are raw or dry unless stated otherwise. US measures and metric quantities are both listed; rounded equivalents are approximate.
Prep 30 min · Cook 135 min · Waiting 5 min
Allow about 170 minutes: 30 minutes preparation, 135 minutes cooking and 5 minutes resting, rising, chilling, cooling or marinating. The recipe lists Prep 30 min; Cook 110-135 min. Where a range is given, this total uses its upper end; ingredients, equipment and dough temperature can change the time. It also includes the 5-minute final rest specified in the last step.
Ingredients
- Boneless lamb shoulder, raw, 4 cm cubes — 700 g / 24.69 oz
- Sunflower oil — 30 ml / 1.01 US fl oz
- Onions, thick slices — 300 g / 10.58 oz
- Carrots, 2 cm chunks — 300 g / 10.58 oz
- Potatoes, peeled, 4 cm pieces — 700 g / 24.69 oz
- Tomatoes, thick slices — 400 g / 14.11 oz
- Red bell pepper, large pieces — 250 g / 8.82 oz
- Cabbage, large pieces, a few whole leaves reserved — 500 g / 17.64 oz
- Garlic cloves, peeled — 20 g / 0.71 oz
- Cumin seeds — 3 g / 0.11 oz
- Ground coriander — 2 g / 0.07 oz
- Fine salt, divided between layers — 10 g / 0.35 oz
- Black pepper — 1 g / 0.04 oz
- Water — 100 ml / 3.38 US fl oz
- Cilantro, chopped — 12 g / 0.42 oz
Step-by-step method
- Prepare substantial pieces
Pat lamb dry. Cut potatoes about 4 cm / 1.5 in across; keep carrots, peppers and cabbage in large pieces. Reserve enough outer cabbage leaves to cover the upper layer. Mix salt with cumin, coriander and pepper for even seasoning. - Brown meat and onion
Heat oil in a 6-7 L / 6-7 qt heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown lamb in two batches, about 8 minutes each. Return all lamb, add onion and cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat and sprinkle a quarter of the seasoning over the base. - Build the vegetable layers
Add carrots and potatoes, then another quarter of seasoning. Add peppers, garlic and tomatoes with the next quarter. Place chopped cabbage above, season with the remainder, and cap with reserved whole leaves. Do not press the stack tightly or fill above the safe lid space. - Cover and develop steam
Pour 100 ml / 3.4 US fl oz water down the side. Cover tightly. Heat on medium-low for 10-15 minutes until steam is audible, then reduce to the lowest steady heat. The vegetables will release more liquid; this is not an open-pot boil. - Cook until genuinely tender
Cook covered 80-100 minutes. At 80 minutes check quickly: potatoes should yield to a knife and lamb should pull apart easily. If the bottom is dry, add 30-60 ml / 2-4 tbsp boiling water down the side. Replace the lid and cook longer if needed. - Lift out in portions
Turn off heat and wait 5 minutes. Lift vegetables and meat onto a large platter, retaining the cabbage leaves, and spoon the pot juices over them. Divide equally among six plates and finish with the measured cilantro.
Cook’s notes
Frequent lid lifting loses steam. A thin pot can scorch before the meat softens. Beef shoulder may replace lamb, but allow more time; a vegetable-only version requires a separate cooking schedule and nutrition.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers at 4 C / 40 F or colder; use within 3 days. Reheat cooked leftovers to 74 C / 165 F. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32 C / 90 F.
Allergens
Contains: none of the major allergens as written. Check packaged ingredients.
Approximate nutrition
Per serving: 482 kcal · Protein 27 g · Carbohydrates 41 g · Fat 24 g.
Approximate nutrition per serving, divided into 6 portions, for the measured recipe as written. Ingredient brands, edible yields, cooking losses and retained oil vary. Optional accompaniments and substitutions are excluded.
