Lamb barbacoa

Arturo Morales, owner of Los Amates Mexican Kitchen in Melbourne, shows us how to make a traditional Sunday brunch, as eaten all over Mexico at most markets in big cities, or at home at family gatherings. It’s both a lamb dish and a broth. You can use goat instead of lamb, if you wish.

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• serves

  4–6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 x 2.5 kg leg of lamb, cut into 8–10 cm cubes (keep bones for broth)
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp dried or fresh oregano
• 2 tsp hot paprika (or mild, according to taste)
• ½ cup oil
• 4–5 banana leaves (sold at many Asian grocers)

To serve

• cooked rice
• chopped fresh coriander
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 x 400 g can chickpeas
• flour tortillas
• chilli sauce

Instructions

Place the lamb in a bowl. Add the garlic, oregano, hot paprika and oil, and mix thoroughly to combine.

Lay the banana leaves in the steamer of a double bottom pot, so as to "wrap" the lamb in the leaves. Add water, place the lamb bones in the bottom, then steam for about 1½ hours.

Once cooked, reserve the water as this makes the broth. Strain the lamb, then serve with cooked rice, coriander, onion and chickpeas.

Serve the lamb with flour tortillas and broth. Add chilli sauce to taste.

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.