If you’re mad for lamb shanks and Massaman Curry, this incredibly easy Thai recipe will stop you in your tracks – shanks slow cooked in the oven until the meat is falling off the bone, braised in a rich, coconut Massaman Curry sauce.
It’s a popular Chef’s Special at upscale Thai restaurants that will set you back $30 for just one shank. 5 minutes prep, then just pop it in the oven. Yes, really!
Lamb Shanks in Massman Curry
Aussies are extremely fond of lamb shanks and Massaman Curry. So we never pass it up when we see them together on the menu of a Thai restaurant. Meltingly tender lamb shanks smothered in a rich coconut, spice infused Massaman curry sauce is a heavenly combination – just the thought makes me weak in the knees, and you’ll happily pay upwards of $30 for ONE lamb shank.
So will you choke with disbelief when I tell you the dish you see in these photos is a 5 minute prep, dump-and-bake job??
Close your eyes and imagine fall-apart-at-a-touch lamb shanks smothered in rich Massaman curry sauce….. UGH!!! It’s incredible!!!
What you need for Massaman lamb shank curry
We’re using a store bought curry paste in this recipe – in fact, this recipe does not work as written using homemade. This was an irritating discovery because homemade Massaman Curry paste is an effort to make! 😒 (Reason: Homemade is just too fresh, this recipe needs the concentrated flavour of store bought paste)
Here are the ingredients you need:
Lamb Shanks – Lamb shanks are the lower part of lamb legs. Front legs = foreshanks which are smaller (use 4 to 5), hind legs = hind shanks which are large (use 2 to 3) – recipe calls for 1.5 kg/3lb in total;
Massaman Curry paste – Maesri is my preferred brand. Not all curry pastes are made equal! More on this below;
Cinnamon and star anise – flavour boost of two dominant spices in the curry paste;
Coconut milk – as used in traditional Massaman Curry sauce;
Chicken stock/broth – to create volume to make a braising liquid to mostly submerge the shanks, as well as adding depth of flavour into the sauce. Traditional Massaman Curry is made by braising beef cubes in liquid to make a homemade stock; and
Potato and onion – traditionally included in Massaman Curry.
Other lamb cuts
The only other lamb cut I’d recommend is lamb shoulder, whole. Essentially it will be like a lamb pot roast – Thai style! Directions in recipe notes. (And if I try it, I will pop a photo in here. Likely I will because I know it will be amazing).
Beef alternatives
I haven’t tried, but I think this recipe will work extremely well with beef cheeks, beef Osso bucco (not veal, cooks too fast), beef ribs (any type). These have similar long cook times, similar meat fibres, and good beef flavour. Do not use: brisket, chuck beef, silverside or other slow cooking beef cuts (not enough flavour in meat to work for this dump-and-bake method of cooking).
Chicken?
Won’t withstand the required cook times to develop enough flavour I’m afraid. Not with this simple cook method!
Best Massaman Curry Paste – Maesri
Here is the undisputed king of all store bought Thai curry pastes – Maesri. Restaurants use it, chefs use it, and food obsessed people like myself are mad for it.
And it happens to be a bargain at ~$1.50 a can.
I use it for all my Thai curries when I don’t have time / ingredients to make the curry paste from scratch – Red, Green and traditional Massaman beef curry.
Where to find Maesri curry paste – at your local grocery store!
It’s sold at most metropolitan Coles and Woolworths grocery stores in Australia (Asian section), at Harris Farms, practically all Asian stores (it would be un-Asian not to carry it!) and here it is online in Australia, US, Canada* and UK.
* Obscenely expensive, please try to get to an Asian store!
Can’t find it?
Use any Massaman Curry paste you can find. Order of preference (Aussie brands) – Ayam, Five Tastes and bringing up the rear is Volcom (it’s always too sweet).
How to make it
Two simple steps:
Put everything in a baking dish; and
Bake covered, then uncovered, until meat is fall-apart tender and liquid reduces down to a rich curry sauce.
(I haven’t listed the likely extra step of fending off your neighbours when they smell it cooking and come running over for a taste. It’s a real risk.)
I NEVER cook curries OR lamb shanks like this!
Anyone who knows anything about cooking curries knows that a really great Thai curry calls for either homemade curry paste, or “pimping up” store bought curry paste with fresh aromatics like garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass.
And you always cook off the curry paste to toast it and and intensify flavour. Mandatory for Thai Red, Green and Massaman Beef Curry.
We bypass all of that for this recipe. We don’t even brown the lamb shanks beforehand!
And here’s why this recipe still delivers knock-your-socks-off flavour with such little effort:
Lamb – because it’s probably the strongest flavoured meat around, and the juices from the lamb add a stack of flavour into the curry sauce;
Slow cooking – because anything slow cooked leads to more flavour;
Roasting uncovered for a good hour at the end – required to reduce the braising liquid down to a thick curry sauce and to brown the shanks and toast the curry sauce; and
Using a great store bought curry paste.
What to serve with Massaman Curry Lamb Shanks
Rice is essential for soaking up that incredible sauce. Specifically, Jasmine rice – but really, any rice will do. Nobody will notice what rice you use once it’s smothered in the Massaman Curry!
To complete your meal, add a side of fresh greens. In Thailand, it’s common to just have a side of tomato wedges and cucumbers – no dressing. Welcome freshness for a rich dish like this!
Otherwise, try one of these side salads:
Side Salads suggestions
If you’re feeling inspired to do a full blown Thai feast at home, you can’t go wrong with an authentic Green Papaya Salad. Else try some of these on the side – or browse my full menu of Thai recipes (note to self: share some Asian desserts!!)
Thai Sides and Starters
And just one last quick thing – as with stews, this is the sort of dish that gets even better with time which lets the flavour develop even more. So if you really wanting to impress someone, make it the day before! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Note: video says covered bake time is 2.5 hrs, this is incorrect, it should be 2 hours. Typo!
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Lamb Shanks Massaman Curry
Ingredients
- 1.5kg/ 3 lb lamb shanks (5 small, 4 medium, 2 – 3 large) (Note 1)
- 114g/ 4oz Maesri Massaman curry paste (1 can) , or other brand (Note 2)
- 400ml/ 14oz coconut milk , full fat (Ayam brand is best, Note 3)
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (Note 4)
- 1 onion , halved then sliced 1cm / 1/3″ thick (brown, white, yellow)
- 400g/ 14oz small potatoes (2.5cm/1" wide, halve if bigger)
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
Garnishes:
- Red chilli , finely sliced (small = spicy, large = less spicy)
- Coriander/cilantro
- Steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Mix curry paste, coconut milk and stock in a 22 x 33cm / 9 x 13" baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic (Note 5). Add onion, potato, star anise, cinnamon and lamb.
- Turn shanks to coat in sauce, then cover with foil.
- Bake in oven for 2 hours. Remove foil, bake for a further 1 hour (small shanks) or 1.5 hrs (medium to large shanks), turning lamb twice to brown evenly, until meat is so tender it can easily be teased apart with 2 forks.
- Remove lamb onto plate. Carefully skim off excess fat off the surface (tilt dish, it's easier) – I get about 1/3 cup. Mix sauce in baking dish – it should be reduced down to a syrupy thickness (Note 6).
- Serve lamb with sauce over jasmine rice, garnished with chilli and coriander. For a larger banquet, put the curry out on a platter to share!
Recipe Notes:
- Small shanks 300g/10oz each x 5 = 2 hr covered, 1 hr uncovered
- Medium shanks 350 – 400g/12 – 14 oz each x 4 = 2 hrs covered, 1.5 hrs uncovered
- Large hind shanks 600 – 750g / 1.2 – 1.5 lb each x 2 = 2 hrs covered, 1.5 hrs uncovered, USE SMALLER BAKING DISH so liquid covers ~ 1/2 to 2/3 of meat
Nutrition Information:
Favourite Thai Restaurants in Sydney
And I think it would be remiss of me not to mention my favourite Thai restaurants here in Sydney! Our rich, cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and with that comes an abundance of great food from around the world. So really good Thai food is widely available all across Australia – here are the ones I regularly frequent:
Khao Pla (Chatswood) – Top notch modern Thai, I frequent this regularly because it’s my closest really good Thai restaurant (30 minutes away!!). I also like that while it stays 100% true to Thai flavours, it has some wonderfully unique dishes (try the Tamarind Ribs, they are my favourite!)
Spice I Am (Surry Hills) – Some of the most authentic Thai you will get in Sydney. Big flavours, very spicy, fresh, award winning high regarded restaurant;
Long Chim (Sydney CBD) – By lauded Australian chef and Thai food expert David Thompson. Top end prices, trendy, very authentic and unapologetically spicy!
Chat Thai – It’s grown to quite a large chain today, but don’t let that deter you. It is very, very good – slightly modern, but very authentic. In Chatswood, Manly, Randwick and multiple locations in Sydney city.
I adore Thai curries
Proof:
Life of Dozer
Dozer in usual form – begging for the very food I just gave Geoff, our friendly local who lives at the dog park and looks after it like its his own backyard! That day, it was this broccoli pasta (with extra cheese – Geoff loves his gooey cheese 😂)
Do you do two trays of this in the oven? What is the most shanks you could do at one time?
I just made this in my pressure cooker, going against your advice. First time I made it exactly to your recipe, so I could compare – and it’s the pressure cooker for the win. I seared the shanks thoroughly, then added everything except the stock and the potatoes (only because I only had already cooked potatoes). One hour in the pressure cooker, then I pulled the meat off the bone and mixed it though the sauce with the cooked potatoes. Seriously good! So quick!
Why no chicken stock?
Because you need much less liquid in a pressure cooker, and there is very little evaporation. In the pan in the oven you need lots of liquid to make sure the meat doesn’t dry out.
Thanks and of course that makes sense
Also, why use a cinnamon stick? Can ground cinnamon work?
Can you cook this in a pot on the stovetop?
Hi Nagi – great blog. Love this recipe – my picky teenage son ate 3 shanks !!
One question – would this recipe work well with red curry paste instead of massaman curry paste?
Cheers
TJ
Hi TJ, that’s great to hear!!! You can definitely make red curry lamb shanks – use the same process as this recipe, but use the ingredients from my red curry recipe. N x
Could I double the sauce ingredients so I have more sauce at the end?
Literally the best lamb shanks I’ve ever cooked in my life! My elderly mum wanted me to make a big batch for her breakfast lunch and dinner lmao
Dear husband’s 50th today. All he wanted was Nagi’s Massaman curry lamb shanks for birthday dinner. 2 hours to go until delicious, tender goodness. Thank you Nagi!
Oh that’s so sweet! Happy Birthday Hubby!!! 🎂 N x
Hi Nagi..
Love your blog and your recipes are simple and delicious.. I didn’t find any massaman curry paste in singapore and substituted with red curry and green curry paste for this recipe. Works well.. Hubbie loved it.. Thanks again for this great lamb shank recipe..
This recipe was super easy and absolutely delicious, used the recommended curry paste which was perfect.
I can’t believe how good this was, and for so little effort! Amazing flavour without even having to browning the meat or onions. We loved it. Thanks again Nagi
You’re so welcome Donna, I’m so glad you loved it! N x
I have made this recipe twice, both times with a different curry and they are both absolutely fantastic! I will be making this over and over. Today I served it with some fresh mango on the side and it was such a perfect marriage that I stirred some mango into the curry on my plate. I’m in heaven!
Nagi was right in saying this was a super easy dish to cook. So flavoursome. Will definitely become a family favourite
I cooked this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! So simple but so tasty, even better than what we get from our local Thai restaurant.
Nagi & Dozer 🤗 cooked another delicious recipe last night your lamb shank massaman curry yum it was mouth watering, I’m making it for my parents tomorrow. Thank you for taking your time to make my meals taste scrumptious & explaining every detail so hopeless cooks like me can finally have confidence. Love to you, your Mum , Dozer & to your special friend the gardener at the park ❤️
This looks amazing. Do you think I can use oxtail with this? If so, how much?
Hi Alma, I imagine so! Just use the same weight. N x
I made this tonight using oxtail and it was fall-off-the-bone tender! I was lucky enough to find the Maesri brand here in NY! Nagi, the smell while it was baking was heavenly!!! The sauce redUced to the right consistency, it was savory, sweet with a lil kick to it! I can’t believe it only took 5 mins to prep that. Thank you for this keeper😘
Hi Nagi,
I have made this with lamb shanks and it was AMAZING! I’ve got Beef Cheek here and am going to try with that tonight, question, would you chop the beef cheek up so it’s easier to serve?
Hi Nicky, I would leave it whole if it were me! N x
Love the combination, thank you for the recipe 🙂
I tried making this with medium lamb shanks but the meat was tough after the recommended cooking times. Do you think I should have left it in longer?
Hi Rosie – if the meat was tough it means it needs to cook longer to get to the stage where it breaks down. N x
Thank you for your reply and thank you so much for your amazingly written and delicious recipes x
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! I’ve been working my way through so many of your recipes and have been impressed every single time; this one is a standout!
I am at the 2-hour mark of cooking this recipe and when I removed the foil I can see that the coconut milk has split…. is this normal?
Hi Nagi, OMG what a flavour bomb – an absolute winner. My favourite shank recipe.