Lamb Curry with Butternut

One gets the best curry flavour if you cook the meat until tender and then marry it to the sauce. The pre-cooking the meat can be done in an oven at 120°C, on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
MEAT
1 kg lamb shanks cut into 5 cm lengths, or bone in shoulder of lamb cut into 6 pieces - ask the butcher to do this for you
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1½ cup (375 ml) boiling water
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Beef Stock Powder
CURRY SAUCE
2 onions, finely chopped
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic & Herb Seasoning
2 T (30 ml) canola oil
1½ cups (375 ml) butternut cut into small blocks
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, halved and grated
2 t (10 ml) sugar
1 x 200 g Ina Paarman's Tikka Curry Coat & Cook Sauce
stock from cooked meat
1 T (15 ml) Ina Paarman's Brown Gravy Powder or cornflour mixed with 1 T (15 ml) water
juice of ½ lemon
3 T (45 ml) Ina Paarman's Coriander Pesto
fresh coriander to garnish
TO COOK THE LAMB
Adjust the oven rack to one slot below the middle. Preheat the oven to 120°C.
In a heavy based saucepan with a tight fitting lid place the meat, onion, water and Beef Stock Powder. Put the saucepan into the oven with the lid on. It will take about 3 hours to get the meat fork tender. The slow cooker will take longer ± 4hours. Skim off excess fat.
TO MAKE THE CURRY SAUCE
Season the onions with Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Sauté the seasoned onions slowly in the canola oil until soft and beginning to brown. Add the butternut and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add grated tomato pulp, sugar, Tikka Curry Sauce and the cooked meat with all it's gravy. Simmer very slowly for 15 minutes.
Thicken with the Brown Gravy Powder mixed in a little water.
Add lemon juice and Coriander Pesto. Leave to stand overnight (in the fridge) or for a few hours at room temperature. This allows the flavours to develop and gives the meat time to absorb the lovely curry flavours.
Reheat and serve with rice and sambals like chutney, banana in yoghurt, finely chopped tomato and onion etc.
SERVES 4