Slow-cooked lamb, sweet potato and okra stew

Credit: Chris Chen

• serves

  6

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  3:40 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1.5 kg lamb shoulder, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 long red chilies, finely chopped, plus 2 extra, roughly chopped, to serve
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• pinch of cayenne pepper or chilli powder
• 1 L beef stock
• 1 (about 400 g) orange sweet potato (kumara), peeled, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 250 g okra, scrubbed, halved lengthwise
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• steamed rice, to serve

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper, then cook in batches, turning for 3 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan. Set aside.

Add onions, carrot and celery to pan and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and finely chopped chilli and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add tomato paste and cook for a further minute, then return lamb to pan, stirring to combine. Add cayenne pepper and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 3 hours or until lamb is very tender. Season to taste.

Add sweet potato, then cover and cook for a further 15 minutes. Stir in okra and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until okra is tender. Stir in baby spinach and season to taste. Serve stew with steamed rice and garnished with extra chopped chillies.

Photography Chris Chen

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.