From our very own Steve Dauncey.
I have made a variation of this soup nearly every week since the end of May when the weather started to get colder. It’s nourishing, full of flavour and has a luscious silkiness all while being gut friendly.
Even taking a shortcut and using a premade stock this recipe takes 90 minutes to 2 hours to cook but trust me – good things come to to those who wait! I like to use the Massel brand stock as it is made without garlic or onion and is Monash University Low FODMAP Certified.
This recipe is perfect for the “cheap” or less desirable cuts of meat like lamb shanks, chuck steak or gravy beef. The vegetarian version substitutes the meat for chickpeas and/or lentils for protein (just be aware that these ingredients are higher FODMAP depending on the how much is included).
From the perspective of Chinese Medicine food energetics, this recipe is warming, helps to build Qi, Yin and Yang and keep the Qi gently flowing. The 2nd variant is a bit more warming and good at driving out cold as the winter weather settles in.
Let me know if you try the recipe I’d love to hear what you think.
Main Ingredients
- 2 Lamb Shanks (or 500g of Chuck Steak/Gravy Beef)
- 1 medium capsicum
- 2 potatoes
- 1 large parsnip
- 3 medium carrots (I like the “baby” carrots as they tend to be sweeter and don’t need to be peeled)
- A handful of green beans (which I forgot to include in this batch)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 liter of vegetable or beef stock
- ½ cup of brown rice
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ¼ cup / “a good dash” of Apera/Sherry or Red wine (Optional)
Vegetarian Alternative
- 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas
- 1 can of drained and rinsed lentils
Herbs & Spices
Variation 1
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
Variation 2
- 1 teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon of chilli powder
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
Method
Add the olive oil to your pan, season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper then brown them in the pan on a medium high heat for a couple of minutes on each side, then add your herbs or spices. Deglaze the pan with the Apera/Wine if using.
Add the can of tomatoes, stock, rice and a couple of cups of water. Bring it to a boil then turn the heat down to a simmer. Chop your veggies and add them to the pot as you – I like to go with 1cm small dice as they’re easy to scoop with a spoon. Leave the beans out for now.
Cover and leave the pot to simmer with the lid slightly ajar, stirring occasionally.
After about 90 minutes take the shanks out of the pot, take the meat off the bones and cut into bite sized chunks. Add the meat back to the pot along with the chopped up beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Serve a generous bowlful with some crusty sourdough bread (or gluten free alternative).
by Dr Steve Dauncey
Acupuncturist & Herbalist
Click here to read more about Steve
