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Omani · Gulf Arab

Omani shuwa-style slow-roast lamb

Non-vegetarian

شواء · shuwa

Lamb rubbed with a fiery paste of garlic, vinegar and warm spices, wrapped tightly and slow-roasted until it falls apart. An oven take on Oman's Eid shuwa, traditionally buried for a day or more in an underground sand oven.

Omani shuwa-style slow-roast lamb is an Omani main course, ready in about 17 hours 40 minutes and made with leg of lamb and cayenne / chilli powder. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
5 h
Rest
20 min
Total
17 h 40 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
520

Includes overnight marinating (about 12 hours).

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the garlic (opens in a new tab), vinegar, lemon juice (opens in a new tab), oil, all the spices and the salt into a thick red paste.

  2. Step 2

    Rub the paste deep into the slashes and all over the lamb. Wrap tightly in foil (or banana leaves, then foil) and refrigerate overnight.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw meat in the fridge, never at room temperature.

  3. Step 3

    Put the parcel in a roasting dish and slow-roast until the meat pulls easily from the bone.

  4. Step 4

    Rest the lamb in its wrapping for 20 minutes, then unwrap, pull into pieces and spoon over the juices.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
Oman · Well documentedShuwa is a celebrated Omani Eid dish cooked communally in an underground pit (tannur).More food from Oman
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Slow-cooked, Roasted, Marinated / cured
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced, garlicky, savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Leg of lamb · Cayenne / chilli powder · Garlic · Wine vinegar · Lemon juice · Cumin
Techniques
Roasting · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

520 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 253 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 33%
  • Carbohydrate 3%
  • Fat 63%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy520 kcal206 kcal
Protein42.7 g16.9 g
Carbohydrate4.4 g1.7 g
Net carbohydrate3 g1.2 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.4 g0.5 g
Fat36 g14.3 g
Saturated fat13.5 g5.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol151 mg60 mg
Sodium1007 mg398 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
684 mg
Calcium
50 mg
Iron
5.2 mg
Magnesium
66 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
31 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
5.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
47 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • For a smokier finish, open the foil for the last 20 minutes and raise the oven to 220 °C.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the deep slashes — the paste only flavours the surface of a large joint.

Serve with

  • Serve on spiced rice or with Omani rukhal bread, onions and chilli sauce.

Storage

  • Refrigerate within 2 hours; keeps 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered with a little water in a 160 °C oven.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

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