Recipe: Celebrate National Lamb Day with shawarma lamb salad

Shawarma lamb salad is a great way to celebrate National Lamb Day. Photo / recipes.co.nz / Beef + Lamb NZ

It’s National Lamb Day, which organisers say is all about celebrating New Zealand’s incredible kai while acknowledging everyone involved in its journey from farm to fork.

This date marks a milestone in New Zealand’s history commemorating the departure of the Dunedin from Port Chalmers in 1882, carrying the first shipment of frozen lamb to London.

This moment marked the beginning of what has become New Zealand’s food industry.

This National Lamb Day, Beef + Lamb New Zealand says it is encouraging Kiwis to fire up their barbecues and raise a chop in salute to our food champions.

Or even try something a little different - like this mouth-watering shawarma salad.

National Lamb Day was traditionally observed on May 24, when the Dunedin reached London, rather than February 15, when it left New Zealand.

The new date is also being relaunched today at the Southern Field Days at Waimumu, near Gore.

Shawarma lamb salad

Shawarma lamb salad. Photo / recipes.co.nz / Beef + Lamb NZ

This delicious Mediterranean dish is packed to the brim with nuanced flavours and hearty ingredients.

It is also high in iron and protein.

Serves - 6 -8

Prep time - 20 minutes

Cook time - 40 minutes

Ingredients

Lamb

1kg Quality Mark butterflied boneless lamb leg

Spice rub

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground coriander

1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salad

3 cups cooked bulgur wheat

• To prepare, rinse 1 cup of bulgur wheat and drain well. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in drained bulgur wheat, lower the heat and cover. Let it simmer until the water has evaporated and bulgur wheat is tender. Remove from heat, mix, and let it stand (covered) for 10 minutes.

4 large, ripe tomatoes

1 Lebanese cucumber

peeled and cut into ribbons

1/2 red onions

very thinly sliced

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup fresh mint

Salad dressing

1/2 preserved lemons - skin only - or use the juice of one lemon

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt and pepper

Method - lamb

Put all the spice rub ingredients in a bowl and mix together until well combined.

Place the lamb in a dish and rub it all over with the spice mix.

Refrigerate for two to three hours or ideally overnight. (Be sure to remove the lamb from the fridge an hour or so before cooking so that it can come up to room temperature.)

Preheat your BBQ to a medium heat and cook the lamb for 25-30 minutes until medium.

Remove and allow to rest before slicing.

Method - salad

Put all the dressing ingredients in a small food processor and blitz until well combined and an emulsion has formed. Season to taste and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the bulghur wheat, diced tomatoes, half the chopped parsley and mint, and the dressing (reserving 3 tablespoons) and toss together.

Spoon this mixture evenly over your serving platter, then scatter over the sliced red onion and cucumber ribbons.

Place the sliced lamb on top of the salad and garnish with the remaining herbs and reserved dressing.

• Recipe author: Beef + Lamb New Zealand, published with permission by recipes.co.nz