Lamb shoulder and chickpeas cooked slowly with pepper paste until the meat shreds and the broth turns rust red. A cheap cut doing all the work.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
2h 10m
Servings
6
Per serving
£1.83
Difficulty
easy
This is Turkish home cooking at its plainest, the sort of pot that sits on the stove all afternoon. Biber salcasi, the sweet red pepper paste, gives it the colour and a low fruity depth that tomato alone cannot manage. Chickpeas cooked in the same pot as the lamb take on the fat and stop being an afterthought.
Pat the lamb dry and season it with 1 tsp of the salt. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy casserole over a high heat and brown the meat in three batches, giving each batch a full 4 minutes without moving it.
Crowding the pan steams the lamb grey. Three unhurried batches is worth the extra ten minutes.
Lower the heat to medium, add the last tablespoon of oil and the onions, and cook for 8 minutes until softened and lightly coloured. Add the garlic for a final minute.
Stir in the red pepper paste and tomato puree and fry for 2 minutes until the mixture darkens and smells sweet rather than sharp.
Cooking the pepper paste properly here is what separates a rich stew from a thin one.
Add the paprika, cumin and half the pul biber, stir for 30 seconds, then return the lamb with any resting juices. Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, the remaining salt, the black pepper and 800 ml water.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook very gently for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lamb gives way completely under a spoon.
Add the drained chickpeas and cook uncovered for a further 25 to 30 minutes so they take on the broth and the liquid reduces to a loose, glossy sauce.
If it is still watery, lift the lid and raise the heat for the last ten minutes rather than adding any thickener.
Fish out the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the salt, then rest for 10 minutes. Serve scattered with parsley and the rest of the pul biber, with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
The lemon at the table is not a garnish. It cuts through the lamb fat and lifts the whole bowl.