Vietnamese lamb shanks with sweet potatoes

Meltingly tender and full of classic Asian flavours, these lamb shanks are perfect for freezing

PREP: 20 MINSCOOK: 3 HRSEASY

• Easily halved

• Freezable
• • 
    

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 4 lamb shank, about 350g each
• 2 onion
  
  , halved and cut into half moons
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
• 3 garlic clove, finely sliced
• 2 red chilli, both deseeded, one chopped and one thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar, plus 1 tsp
• 3 star anise
  
• 2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed, then bruised
• 1.2l lamb stock
• 1½ tbsp tomato purée
• 4 sweet potato
  
  , peeled and cut into big chunks
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
  
• juice 2 limes
  
• big handful mint
  
   leaves, torn
• handful basil leaves

Method

1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole, season the shanks, then brown them 2 at a time on all sides, adding the remaining oil for the second batch. Remove the lamb and add the onions. Fry them quite briskly, about 30 secs, add the ginger, garlic and chopped chilli, then turn the heat down and cook for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp sugar, stir, then add the star anise, lemongrass, stock, purée and seasoning. Bring to the boil.
2. Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hrs, then add the sweet potatoes and cook for 1 hr more. The lamb should be completely tender and almost falling off the bones. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and 1 tsp sugar to just lift the flavour, then scatter with the mint, basil and the sliced chilli to serve

Vietnamese prawn summer rolls

Fresh-tasting rice paper rolls packed with shellfish, light vermicelli noodles, carrots, cucumber and herbs, with a sweet ginger chilli dipping sauce

PREP: 30 MINSno cook
EASY

Nutrition: per roll

• kcal74
 
• fat0g
 
• saturates0g
 
• carbs12g
 
• sugars3g
 
• fibre1g
 
• protein5g
 
• salt1.1g

Ingredients

For the dipping sauce

• 2 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 small red chilli (deseeded if you don't like it too hot), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
  
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
  
• juice 1 lime
  

For the rolls

• 100g vermicelli rice noodle or bean thread noodles
• 12 x 20cm round rice paper wrappers (see tip, below)
• handful mint
  
   leaves
• 18 cooked prawn
  
  , cut in half lengthways
• 2-3 large iceberg lettuce leaves, torn into 12 pieces
• 1 carrot
  
  , cut into thin batons
• a handful coriander
• a handful Thai basil
  
• a handful long chives
• 50g beansprout

Method

1. Make the dipping sauce by pounding the garlic, chilli, ginger and sugar together using a pestle and mortar, then stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Alternatively, just blitz everything together in a mini blender.
2. Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of hot water for 15 mins, then drain well. Assemble all the prepared filling ingredients – once you start, you will need everything to hand.
3. When you are ready to make the rolls, dip one of the rice papers in a bowl of hot water, moving it around until the whole wrapper is soft – about 10-15 secs – then drain on a tea towel.
4. Place a rice paper wrapper on a board and at one edge of the wrapper, add a few mint leaves, then three prawn halves.
5. Place some lettuce on top of the prawns, followed by some noodles, a few strips of carrot and cucumber, some more herbs and finally some beansprouts. Don’t overfill the pancakes or they will be hard to roll.
6. Lift the edge of the rice paper wrapper nearest to you over the filling and, holding the filling in position with your fingers, start rolling up tightly.
7. When you’re about halfway, fold the ends of the rice paper in and over the filling so that it is completely enclosed.
8. Keep on rolling tightly until the whole rice paper wrapper is rolled up. To serve, cut the rolls in half on the diagonal.