Indian-Style Keto Lamb Shanks

These Indian-Style Keto Lamb Shanks won my heart. They are delightfully spicy and simple to make. With garam masala and red pepper flakes, they had just the right amount of heat. The sauce they braise in is tomato-infused without being tomato-heavy. And the overall taste of the dish is delicious. Perfect comfort food for a chilly evening. 

Although at first I could not imagine how daikon radish and eggplant would taste in the sauce, it turns out they are a delicious addition. In fact, next time I’ll double the amounts of vegetables. Each serving of lamb shank deserves a more generous helping of the vegetables. 

The recipe is from Carolyn Ketchum’s book, Easy Keto Dinners. Like many others in the book, Indian-Style Keto Lamb Shanks will satisfy both keto-dieters and those who do not follow the keto regime. To keep this dinner keto, I even used cauliflower rice instead of “regular” rice or potatoes. While I do not follow the keto diet, I’ll definitely make this recipe again – and hopefully more than once – during the coming cold months.  

I received a copy of  the cookbook from the publisher. This post, including all the views expressed, are entirely my own. I made no promises to Carolyn or the publisher regarding the post.  

Like her earlier book, Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen, this one is well laid-out, with easy recipes that appeal to a wide variety of tastebuds. Several of the recipes in the book use an Instant Pot or a slow cooker. And Carolyn sprinkles the recipes with time-saving suggestions. Whether she freezes a dish ahead of time or minimizing clean-up by using foil packets, Carolyn is all about cutting your time in the kitchen. As the book title promises, these recipes are easy. No intimidating list of ingredients or fancy techniques here. 

The layout and features of the book make it more useful than the average cookbook. The visual recipe guide at the back of the book is much more helpful than a “plain” index. The quick reference guide is great, too. Using icons, it shows which recipes are family friendly, freezer-friendly, make-ahead, 30 minutes or less, single pan recipes, or slow cooked in a crock pot or in the oven. The guide even shows which are dairy, egg, and/or nut-free. 

Which recipes appeal to you, of course, depends on your taste and needs. The next two I’m checking out are the Smoked Salmon Chowder and the Instant Pot Meatloaf. All the recipes provide inspiration, whether you make them or not. Besides, a cookbook that puts “5 easy ideas for rotisserie chicken” at the front definitely has my attention. 

Back to the Indian-Style Keto Lamb Shanks.

The ingredients are inexpensive and easy to pull together. As Carolyn points out, shanks are about the cheapest cut of lamb. There are fewer than ten ingredients in the dish, not counting salt and pepper. If you can find daikon radish (the long white vegetable in the photo below), the rest is easy. Hint – daikon is plentiful in markets that cater to Asian cooks. If you can’t find it, leave it out; the flavor of the dish won’t be greatly diminished by that omission. 

Although the dish takes slightly over two hours to cook, the lamb shanks braise in a covered pot in the oven. Once you put the browned shanks and the other ingredients in the Dutch oven, you just set the timer and leave it cook. 

My only quibble with the recipe is the serving size. While Carolyn says four pounds of lamb shanks serve eight people, if we’re counting bone in the shanks, then it serves only four. But that’s not really something she got wrong in the recipe. Instead it is a comment on the fact that I couldn’t possibly share my lamb shank with someone else 🙂 .

5 from 1 vote

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Indian-Style Keto Lamb Shanks

Perfect comfort food for a chilly evening. Slightly spicy lamb shanks, slow braised with vegetables.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword braise, daikon radish, eggplant, garam masala, lamb

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 pounds lamb shanks Depending on size, 3-4 shanks. Preferably 4 at about 1 pound each.
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
• kosher or sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons avocado oil, coconut oil, or ghee, divided
• 2-4 cups Daikon radish, cubed Carolyn suggests 2 cups. I would double it.
• 2-4 cups eggplant, peeled and cubed Again, Carolyn suggests 2 cups and I would double it.
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish - optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels and rub all over with garam masala. Season generously with salt and pepper. 

3. Heat a large Dutch oven on the stovetop, then add 2 tablespoons of oil/ghee on medium heat and heat until shimmering. Add the lamb shanks and brown them on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. 

4. Transfer the lamb to a plate and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add the cubed daikon and eggplant, and the chopped onions. Sauté until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes and bring the sauce to a boil. 

5. Nestle the lamb shanks in the sauce and vegetables. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, turning the shanks over once, halfway through cooking. When done, the lamb shanks should be tender and the meat should easily come away from the bone. 

   

6. Serve garnished with cilantro if desired. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

   

Recipe Notes

Garam masala is not a single spice - it is a blend. Homemade would be lovely. If you use store-bought, use a fresh, high quality blend. 

When browning the lamb shanks, if your Dutch oven isn't large enough to accommodate all of them with a bit of room between them, do them in 2 batches. 

I found that you can freeze the lamb shanks in the sauce.