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Being from Morocco, lamb is one of my favorite ingredients and my authentic Indian Lamb Curry recipe is amazing. I make this often and freeze batches to eat throughout the week with whole wheat couscous. It makes a great quick lunch and is better than you’ll find in any restaurant. This incredibly flavorful dish is full of traditional Indian spices that I always recommend to keep on hand if you love creating Indian and ethnic cuisine.
I highly recommend making this authentic Indian lamb curry recipe in the Instant Pot, but I’ve also included stove-top and slow-cooker instructions. If you don’t already own an Instant Pot, I cannot recommend this enough. I personally own this Instant Pot 6qt Duo and it has really been life-changing. I cook so much more than I ever have before and the dishes turn out incredible.
I used to primarily use a slow-cooker, but the ability to saute in the same pot and then use the pressure cooking feature is really a game-changer as is the speed in which it cooks. Instead of waiting 8 hours, I can cook this tender Indian lamb curry in only 20 minutes!
I also recommend getting the Ceramic Instant Pot Nonstick Insert. I just got this and it works incredibly well. I found that often the meat sticks in the stainless steel pot and I had trouble browning my meat. I now use this over the stainless steel pot that it comes with.
The Spices of Indian Cuisine
Almost all Indian dishes use a variety of the spices found in this authentic lamb curry recipe. Below are the spices you’ll need. These same spices are used in my Saag Paneer Recipe and Chicken Tikka Malasa Recipe.
- whole green cardamon pods
- whole cloves
- Coriander powder (coriander has a strong flavor and are too small to remove so I prefer to use the powder over the seeds)
- Bay leaves
- Turmeric
- Graham Marsala
- Paprika
- Cayenne Pepper
Authentic Indian Lamb Curry Recipe Ingredients
- 2lbs Lamb Shoulder for Stewing
- beef broth
- whole tomatoes
- tomato paste
- sweet yellow onions, garlic, & ginger
- greek yogurt
- fresh lemon juice
- olive oil
- ghee (or butter)
- green cardamom pods, whole cloves, and bay leaf
- turmeric, paprika, graham marsala, cayenne pepper, salt, & pepper
How to Make Indian Lamb Curry
I’ve made this recipe at least 5 different times before I perfected it. The tricky part was creating just the right amount of sauce and balance of spices. When you first create this recipe it won’t seem like you’re adding a lot of liquid, however, the tomatoes and lamb will cook down to create an incredibly flavorful sauce. This sauce will actually thicken the next day if you save a portion for leftovers, which I always do.
First, you will want to marinade your lamb in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, and spices listed below. Then you can set this bowl aside while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe. A nice feature of this recipe is you do not need to brown your lamb.
Next, you’ll peel and seed your tomatoes, reserving the juice in a large bowl or measuring cup, and dicing the tomatoes. Here is our guide on “how to peel and seed tomatoes” if you’re unsure. It’s actually super easy to do and using fresh tomatoes will make such a huge difference in your recipes. With the reserved juice from your tomatoes, you’ll whisk in the beef broth, tomato paste, and spices.
Then, set your Instant Pot to the saute setting on normal. Once heated add your ghee, onions, garlic, ginger, cardamom pods, cloves, and bay leaf. Saute for about 2-3 minutes and stir in your diced tomatoes. Saute for about 1 minute and add in your lamb. Stir all the ingredients together and add in your reserved tomato juice mixed with the beef broth, tomato paste, and spices.
Turn your instant pot off and then set to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. Once finished you can quick-release. Turn off the warm feature so your lamb curry cools down just slightly and add in the greek yogurt. I personally use fat-free Greek yogurt. You want to be sure not to add the greek yogurt when the dish is very hot because it can cause the yogurt to separate and curdle. Let it cool down just slightly.
When my curry has about 7 minutes left I begin making my whole wheat couscous which only takes 5 minutes to cook. You can also serve this with basmati rice, but whole wheat couscous is of course much healthier and full of fiber.
Authentic Indian Lamb Curry Recipe
Ingredients
Lamb Marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tsp garam marsala
- ½ tsp coriander
- 1 tsp salt pink himalayan
- ½ tsp pepper
Lamb Curry Ingredients
- 2 lbs Lamb lean shoulder stew meat
- 2 whole tomatoes on the vine
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup greek yogurt fat free
- 1 tbsp ghee or butter
- ½ cup sweet onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger fresh grated
- 2 whole green cardamom pods
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp garam marsala
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp coriander
- â…› tsp cayenne pepper add more if you like it spicey
- 1 tsp salt pink himalayan
Instructions
Instant Pot
- First, marinate your lamb with the marinade ingredients and set to the side.
- Then seed, peel, and dice your tomatoes reserving the juice in a bowl. Whisk in the beef broth, tomato paste, and all spices (except the cardamom pods, cloves, and bay leaf). Set to the side.
- Put your Instant Pot onto the saute mode "normal". Once the pot is heated, add your ghee, onions, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and bay leaf. Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add your diced tomatoes and saute for another minute. Add your lamb and stir together all ingredients, then add your reserved sauce with the tomato juice, beef, broth, tomato paste, and spices.
- Turn off your Instant Pot and turn it onto the pressure cook setting on high for 20 minutes. Quick-release and turn off your instant pot. Let cool for a minute and then add in the Greek yogurt.
Stove Top
- If you are cooking this on the stove, you will follow all instructions exactly the same and simmer on very low heat for 60 minutes. Then let cool and add in your yogurt.
Slow Cooker
- If you are using a slow-cooker, add your lamb at the very bottom and top with the tomatoes, then onions, garlic, and ginger. Pour the sauce (reserved tomato juice, beef broth, tomato paste, and spices) over the top and add the cardamom, cloves, and bay leaf. Slow cook for 8 hours. Once finished let cool slightly and then add the yogurt. In the slow-cooker you can omit the ghee.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out some of my other Indian Recipes.
- https://www.cuisineandtravel.com/chicken-tikka-masala-recipe-2/
- https://www.cuisineandtravel.com/saag-paneer-recipe/
- https://www.cuisineandtravel.com/lamb-korma-recipe/
Sondra Barker
