Aromatic Lamb Shank Stew With Thicker Sauce

Our answer

Nigella's Aromatic Lamb Shank Stew (from NIGELLA BITES) has a sauce that is thickened with red lentils. However the sauce is not particularly thick as generally the stew is served with couscous or rice and these starches soak up a fair amount of the spiced liquid. If you would like to make the sauce thicker then you can either add extra red lentils or reduce the sauce by boiling. To reduce the sauce transfer as much of the sauce as possible to a deep, wide saucepan and bring it to the boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer briskly until the sauce has reduced to a thicker consistency. Stir occasionally to make sure that the sauce is not burning on the bottom of the saucepan.

If you are reheating the stew then make sure that you still have enough of the reduced sauce to cover the meat. You can make the stew up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge until you need it. The stew should be cooled and chilled within 2 hours of cooking and you may find it quicker to remove the shanks from the sauce to cool, then return them to the sauce before refrigerating. You should only reheat the dish once, when you are ready to eat it. Put the stew in a large saucepan and reheat over a gentle heat until the meat and sauce are both piping hot all of the way through.