Laban emo or shakriye which is in more simple words: lamb shanks or cubes cooked in a tangy yoghurt soup with mouthwatering middle eastern spices.
It is a tangy warm meal that’s perfect for winter.
This recipe has many versions; the most known ones are the syrian one that is called shakriye and the Lebanese one called Laban emo. The addings to the recipe varies from pinenuts to chickpeas to minty or coriander garlicky yoghurt sauce but the base is all the same lamb meat cooked in yoghurt stew.
It is a very simple recipe yet very delicate the first trick you need to learn is to get the yoghurt cooked smoothly and not to curdle on high heat. Some people use egg and some use cornflour and some both. Personally I use only cornflour and a very simple method that will cook your yoghurt perfectly each time for this recipe or for the other recipes with warm yoghurt sauce like kibbeh bl labban (meat and burghul balls cooked in warm yoghurt sauce) or shish Barak (meat stuffed dumplings cooked in warm yoghurt sauce) so follow along to know the method.
The second thing is your meat choice the juicier the meat cut the better. I personally use lamb shanks on bones so I can use some of their broth in the recipe and save the rest for other recipes.
Bone broth is the best honestly!
But you can totally cook it with some good quality meat cubes also.
This perfectly seasoned moist lamb shanks cooked in a mouthwatering tangy warm yoghurt is just what you need this winter! Once you try it you will be addicted! Serve it with some vermicelli rice and you are good to go!
If you like this recipe, make sure you check my take on some famous warm lebanese dish like the shish Barak with a twist ! And, my super delicious kibbeh stroganoff or lebanese chicken mouloukhiye for another Lebanese dish with a twist that is perfect for winter!
and don’t forget to snap a pictures and tag me #annacookingconcept when you try this delicious recipe or any of recipe , I am always happy to hear your feedback.
Laban Emo (lamb shanks with warm yogurt soup)
Equipment
- smart pot
Ingredients
- 500 g lamb shanks with bones
- 3 cups water
- 1 big onion roughly chopped
- Broth aromas 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 4 cardamon pods, 3 whole cloves, ½ tsp whole black pepper
- 2 tsp oil
- 3 onions sliced
- ½ tsp 7 spices
- 4 cups yoghurt laban
- 4 tbsp cornflour mixed with 4 tbsp water
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dry mint
- 4 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- First we start with the lamb shanks broth :
- In instant pot, set program to sautee and heat some oil . when the oil is hot enough add the roughly chopped onion and sautee until golden. Scrap aside the onion and start adding the lamb shanks and brown the meat on all sides, 3-4 minutes per side. Meat will not be cooked through. do not over crowd the pan cook them in batches. Once all the pieces are cooked through add them all back to the pan. Add
- The broth aromas and cover everything with water, you may need more than 3 cups depending on your lamb pieces. Close the pot. Cancel the saute program and set to manual-high pressure for 30 minutes.
- While the lamb are cooking time to prepare the other ingredients. In a deep pot add some oil and add the sliced onions with the 7 spices and cook through till carmelized. Remove from pan and set aside add some extra oil if needed and add the garlic with dry mint and coriander and cook through till you smeel the garlic just for a minute . remove form the pan and set aside.
- Turn off the heat on the pan. In a deep mixing bowl add the yoghurt with salt and mix together. Add the cornflour mixed with water and mix well until the mixture is smooth. After you mixed everything on cold. Set aside waiting for the broth and lamb to be done.
- Once the 30 minutes are done on instant pot , let it naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes than quick release the valve until all the pressure is released and you can open safely. Open the lid and remove the lamb shanks and set in a plate aside waiting for assembly. Strain the broth in the pot fro the aromas and onion and set aside because we are going to use in the assembly also.
- Now everything is ready let’s start assembling our dish. First we need to cook the yoghurt.
- Pour the yoghurt mixture in the deep pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. And from here you need to keep stirring continuously the yoghurt until it start to boil. It is crucial that you keep stirring so the yoghurt won’t curdle. it will take around 10 min until the yoghurt start to boil. When the yoghurt start to boil and it will be thicker . start adding the broth. Add first one cup and mix it through until the mixture is thin but not to soupy and watery. For me the good ratio was 2 cups not to thick and not to thin. Add the second cup and keep stirring till it start boiling again. Add the onion and stir for 2 minutes. Add the garlic mixture and ix it through . finally add the lamb shanks and mix it gently with the yoghurt.
- Lower the heat and let all the ingredients infuse together for 10 minutes, stirring gently once or twice.
- Turn of the heat and serve warm with vermicelli rice.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Lamb shanks: I used in this recipe some lamb shanks, but you can also use lamb cubes with no bones.
- The bone broth: the reason I like to use lamb shanks is that I will be having some extra hearty bone broth to use in other recipes. So, when you are done with this recipe don’t throw the remaining broth from cooking the lamb shanks in the pot. Strain and store in the freezer to use later. I usually let it to cool and store in Ziplock bags or in ice cubes to use in soups and stews later.
- Vermicelli rice: Lebanese vermicelli rice: this rice is a simple three ingredient staple Lebanese side dishes made with vermicelli pasta, basmati rice and some oil for cooking, if you want to know how to do it just check my Instagram story highlight under the name “vermicelli rice”.
- Meal prep: this meal is better served warm, but you can totally store any leftovers to enjoy any other day. This meal will be as good as freshly cooked for 4 days if stored well in the fridge.