Fancy lamb curry? Make this recipe on the stovetop or in the pressure cooker. Whatever you choose, slow cooking the lamb is the key to tender lamb in this dish. Make a pot of rice and dinner is served.
This lamb curry is made by slow cooking lamb shanks and lamb shoulders in a flavorful curry base with chopped apples, potatoes, onions, garlic, lemon and raisins until tenderly falling apart.
It is so good! The apples, onions and raisins add some sweetness to the lamb curry, while a few slices of lemon add some acidity and bitterness to balance the dish’s flavor.
The Secret to Great Lamb Curry
The key is slow cooking the tougher cuts of lamb. Both the thighs and shoulders of a young lamb get plenty of movement, making the meat much spicier than, say, a tender lamb chops. But this activity also makes the meat tough, so you need to cook it longer to soften the connective tissue and tenderize it.
Those hour-long lamb stews? Tough. They need at least 2 to 2 1/2 hours to tenderize the meat enough to fall off the bone. Do you want to speed up the process? You can cut the time in half by using a pressure cooker.
Lamb curry in the Instant Pot
You can easily make this lamb curry in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot on the stovetop. Sear the lamb and onions on the stovetop as directed or use the Instant Pot’s Sear feature. Cook the curry under high pressure for 50 minutes. Then release the pressure, add the potatoes and cook on high pressure for another 10 minutes.
- New to Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.
Lamb with or without bone?
I typically use bone-in lamb shanks, shoulders and stews for lamb curries because of the added flavor and marrow goodness you can get off the bone. At the end of cooking, the meat will just fall off the bones, making it really easy to pick out the bones before serving.
However, use boneless if you like this and don’t want to deal with bones. Just make sure you use meat from the tastier cuts like lamb shoulder or lamb shank.
How to store and freeze leftovers
This curry will keep in the fridge for at least five days, and like many stews, the flavors only get better with time.
This recipe also freezes quite well, although the potatoes may be a little soft after thawing. Freeze for up to three months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop over low heat to serve.
Looking for more Indian favorites?
- Indian Butter Chicken
- Pressure cooker Saag Tofu
- Indian Chicken Biryani
- Tandoori chicken
- Red lentil dal
Lambcurry
Do you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker? You can brown the lamb and cook the onions with the sear function. Add the meat and cook under pressure for 50 minutes. Then release the pressure, add the potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.
ingredients
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2 lb boneless (or 3 pounds boned), Lamb stew meatLamb shanks and/or lamb shoulder steaks
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2 onionschopped (about 3 to 4 cups)
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3 to 5 cloves from garliccrushed
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2 to 3 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with 1 tablespoon of butter
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2 to 3 tablespoon curry powder (taste)
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2 teaspoon Salt
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1 tablespoon black pepper
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1 tablespoon ground coriander
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1 tablespoon cumin
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1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
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1 teaspoon Thyme, dried
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2 slices from lemonwith zest (use 3 slices if using Meyer lemons)
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2 peeled and chopped applespreferably tart green Granny Smith apples (about 2 cups)
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1/4 cup (40G) from golden raisins
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1 1/2 cups (350ml) chicken broth
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1 1/2 pounds (680G) small potatoesquartered
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2 cups basmati rice
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Chutney and/or yoghurt for serving
method
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Fry the pieces of lamb on all sides:
Heat the ghee or butter and olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (with a lid) or Dutch oven over medium-high.
If necessary, prepare in portions, sear the meat well on all sides and remove from the pan.
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Prepare curry base:
Reduce the heat to medium and add the curry powder to the ghee or oil. Boil gently for a minute or two.
Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
Return the lamb to the pan and add the coriander, black pepper, cumin, rosemary, thyme, lemon wedges, apples, raisins, chicken broth and salt.
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Cook curry:
Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to minimum and cover the pot. (You can also put the pot in a 300°F oven).
Cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours, check if the meat falls off the bone. It should start with that.
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Add the potatoes and cook for another 45 minutes
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Cook rice:
While the curry is cooking, cook the rice. Place 2 cups of basmati rice in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 3 cups water (less or more depending on package directions), 1 tablespoon butter or ghee, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover pot and cook for 15 minutes (check your package instructions again).
Remove from heat, keep covered and let steam for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
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Surcharge:
To serve, you can remove the meat from the bones or leave it on. Taste for salt and add a little more curry powder or add cayenne pepper if you want it spicier.
Serve over rice with chutney and/or yogurt to drizzle over.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 711 | calories |
| 22g | Fat |
| 72g | carbohydrates |
| 60g | protein |
