Name: Braised Lamb Shanks With Fish Sauce
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 12 garlic cloves, 6 smashed, 6 finely chopped; 4 (16-ounce) lamb shanks, excess fat and silver skin trimmed; 1/2 cup fish sauce, divided; plus more for serving (optional); 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 5 medium shallots, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems; 6 dried bird chiles; 4 makrut lime leaves or 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest; 2 bay leaves; 4 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth; 2 large fennel bulbs, quartered; 8 ounces small carrots, scrubbed, or larger carrots, scrubbed, cut into 3-inch pieces; 1 cup cilantro, Thai or sweet basil, and/or celery leaves, divided

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Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott

A full ½ cup of fish sauce goes into this recipe: half into a garlicky marinade and half into a sauce with dried chiles, cilantro stems, and sautéed shallots, rendering tender lamb with big, bold flavor. Chunky pieces of carrot and fennel wedges round out the braise.

Recipe notes

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