Sticky lamb buns with pickled cucumber relish

A combination of succulent shredded lamb with a tangy cucumber relish, creating a delightful contrast of flavours and textures. The dish is relatively easy to prepare, taking about 45 minutes if using pre-cooked lamb. The sticky, spiced lamb pairs beautifully with the fresh, crunchy relish, offering a perfect balance of sweet, savoury, and tangy notes.

By Sabrina Ghayour
From Saturday Kitchen

This recipe has a Nutri-score of C, indicating it is moderately healthy. While it contains nutritious ingredients like cucumber and pomegranate, the high sugar content from honey and the fat from lamb impact its score. More about Nutri-score

Ingredients

For the pickled cucumber relish:

• Cucumber: ½ large
• Red onion: ½, finely chopped
• Rice vinegar: 2 tbsp
• Caster sugar: 2 heaped tsp
• Sesame oil: 1 tsp
• Nigella seeds: 1 tsp
• Dill: 1 handful, fronds finely chopped
• Pomegranate seeds: 100g/3½oz

For the sticky lamb buns:

• Roasted lamb shoulder meat: 600g/1lb 5oz, shredded
• Rose harissa: 2 tsp
• Clear honey: 6 tbsp
• Ground cumin: 1 heaped tsp
• Ground cinnamon: 2 heaped tsp
• Sea salt flakes: a pinch
• Bread rolls: 4, toasted if desired

Method

Prepare the pickled cucumber relish:

• Quarter the cucumber lengthways, then thinly slice.
• Place cucumber and chopped onion in a bowl, season with salt, mix well, and rest for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
• Drain excess moisture and dry the mixture in a clean tea towel or kitchen paper.
• In a bowl, combine the cucumber mixture with vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix until sugar dissolves.
• Add nigella seeds, dill, and pomegranate seeds. Set aside.

Prepare the sticky lamb:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine shredded lamb, harissa, honey, cumin, and cinnamon.
• Coat the meat evenly with the mixture.
• If desired, adjust consistency with oil, water, or apple juice, adding a tablespoon at a time.
• Season with salt to taste.
• Heat until the mixture is moist and juicy, then remove from heat.

Assemble and serve:

• If desired, lightly toast the bread rolls.
• Fill each roll with a generous portion of the sticky lamb.
• Top with a generous amount of the pickled cucumber relish.
• Serve immediately.

Nutri-score Health Check

This recipe receives a Nutri-score of C, indicating it is moderately healthy. Here’s a breakdown of the factors influencing this score:

• Positive components: The dish includes vegetables (cucumber, onion) and fruits (pomegranate), which provide fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
• Negative components: The recipe contains a significant amount of added sugars from honey and caster sugar. The lamb, while protein-rich, is also high in saturated fats.
• The bread rolls, depending on their type, may contribute refined carbohydrates.
• The use of spices like cumin and cinnamon may offer some health benefits, but their impact on the overall score is minimal.

To improve the nutritional profile, consider reducing the amount of honey, using whole grain rolls, and increasing the portion of vegetables. Adding more herbs or spices could enhance flavour without significantly impacting the calorie content.