Whole Roast Lamb Raan: Preparation & Cooking
Ahead of this year’s Eid celebrations Zouk head chef, Mangal Rawat, shares his tips on how to best prepare and cook whole roast lamb raan.
Eid al-Adha – the Festival of Sacrifice
If you are planning to celebrate Eid al-Adha at home this month then one of the most obvious choices for your family meal is roast lamb raan. Eid al-Adha or the ‘festival of sacrifice’ is one of two Islamic holidays celebrated throughout the world. Lamb is very traditional for this celebration because it pays homage to the story of Ibrahim. Ibrahim was prepared to sacrifice his son at god’s command but instead sacrificed a whole lamb when god intervened. Traditionally a whole lamb or sheep would be prepared and cooked for the feast to commemorate this sacrifice. The sheep would then be divided into 3 parts. One part for the home, one for relatives and the third would be given to the poor and needy.
Often it is not practical to prepare and cook a whole lamb at home so a leg of lamb is chosen instead. At Zouk we offer special roasts all year round and families or groups of friends choose to celebrate special occasion in the restaurant with a whole roast saji lamb or roasted leg or lamb which we serve up with all the trimmings.
ilovemanchester came to the restaurant earlier this year to try out the famous Zouk Whole Stuffed Lamb Raan. Check out their review here
Tips from chef Mangal
‘Lamb is so popular in the restaurant and if you follow these simple steps it is easy to prepare a traditional family meal that is satisfying and full of flavour.’ Head Chef, Mangal Rawat.
Sourcing and Preparing the Meat
- Firstly, when buying your lamb be sure it is trimmed and prepared well. You want to see just a little of the fat remaining.
- For the best flavour always go for baby lamb rather than mutton
- The lamb needs two marinades to infuse the meat with traditional spices and flavour but before you do this it is important to make deep scores at regular intervals all over the surface of the lamb with a sharp knife.
1st Marinade
- For the first marinade you should cover the lamb in a mixture of ginger and garlic paste, salt, lemon juice (fresh is possible) and mustard oil. This mixture acts to tenderise the meat and layer it with a base flavour.
- Always leave the first marinade for a good hour before moving on to the next stage. This gives the ingredients time to properly soak into the meat.
2nd Marinade
- The second marinade is purely about flavour and I would recommend leaving this for 24 hours in the fridge if you have the time. This period of time will really help you get the best flavour from the whole roast lamb raan.
- Tikka Paste works well for the second marinade. At Zouk we use our own tikka paste and you can find the details on our recipe here.
- I like to use hands for this job to really work the marinade in.
Cooking
- The cooking time will depend on the size of the lamb and whether you are cooking a leg or a whole lamb. Check with your butcher and be sure you have the full cooking instructions.
- Make sure that before you place the lamb in the oven that your oven has been pre-heated to temperature. Always fully cover the lamb with foil to stop the meat drying out during the cooking process. A good covering of foil will keep the lamb super juicy and tender.
- Take the foil off the lamb just 10 to 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Be sure to baste the meat with the cooking juices and then place it back in the oven for the remaining time. This will give it a little crispy butter on the surface.
- The best accompaniment for lamb raan is a thick spicy gravy. Make this with the remaining juices and then serve with a generous helping of roasted veg, potatoes and vegetable pilau.
If you are not feeling quite ready to dive in to preparing roast raan lamb at home then you can still delight family and friends with our Zouk Saji roast lamb. As well as serving up this treat in the restaurant we can also cook it for you to take away and enjoy at home. Simply give the restaurant a call on 0161 233 1090 for details on how to place your order.
To make a booking for Eid al-Adha at Zouk click here
To enjoy Zouk Whole Roast Lamb Raan in the restaurant this dish must be pre-ordered 48 hours in advance. Please call the restaurant on 0161 233 1090 for more information or to discuss.
View our Zouk Tikka Paste recipe here