As Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, beef and goat are widely eaten. Lamb fits the halal profile too and, although not as common, is also consumed. Lamb shanks, with their fall-apart tenderness and sweet meaty savour, work perfectly with assertive curry flavours, even though lamb cooked in large pieces like this is not strictly traditional. Indonesian curries can be complex, using both plenty of dry spices (cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, cloves and the like) as well as ‘wet’ aromatics like lemongrass, fresh chillies, galangal and kaffir lime leaves.