Lamb Karahi Curry
Garlic and Ginger Infused Lamb
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Heat
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Serves
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Dietary Info
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Prep 10 mins
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Cook 1 hr
Beautifully tender lamb in a wonderful thick sauce, full of flavour and entwined with chunky onions.
Hari says
I absolutely love lamb, whether it's a slow roasted shoulder, a grilled chop or simply stewed in a curry. This lamb dish is one of my most popular as it's so simple to cook but has a really rich and intense flavour. And it's a dish that can be left to pretty much cook itself and doesn't need much doing to it.
It's also slightly different to most curry dishes and the style is fairly close to a balti in that it's given a blast in a caste iron karahi once the meat is soft. It's a bit like cooking backwards because the steps are in the wrong order. The meat is tenderised and infused with ginger and garlic first, the fresh masala sauce is cooked simply from fresh tomatoes and lemony coriander seeds and then the onions are added at the end to give a chunky texture. I also add butter which increases the intensity even further. Lovely stuff.
- Ingredients
- Method
- 600g leg of lamb or lamb neck fillet, trimmed and cubed
- 5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tsp salt
Masala
- 2 tbsp butter/ghee
- 3 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 chillies, chopped finely
- 3 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 3 tsp of cumin seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 2 whole chillies, sliced lengthways
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Handful coriander, chopped
Method
- Place the diced lamb in a pan with garlic, ginger and salt and put the lid on the pan. Leave to cook on the lowest heat setting for 30-50 minutes until tender. Please don't worry, I promise it will not burn, it will just cook gently in its own juices until it is beautifully soft and has drawn in all the garlic and ginger flavours. Stir occasionally.
- In a karahi/wok heat the butter, add tomatoes and turmeric then fry to create a thick masala paste.
- Add the chopped chilli, crushed cumin and coriander seeds, red chilli powder and then fry for a few minutes.
- Stir in the cooked lamb with all the juice from the meat into the karahi/wok and begin to stir-fry with the tomato masala. After a few minutes add the sliced onions and halved chillies.
- Stir fry the meat until the sauce thickens and you are left with it clinging to the meat entwined with delicious chunky slices of onion.
- Sprinkle in the garam masala and a handful of coriander to serve.
Served with
This wonderful lamb dish deserves to be eaten with light fluffy rotis so you can scoop up the tender pieces of meat and scrape up the thick luscious rich sauce.
Nutritional information
| Typical values* | per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 347 |
| Fat (g) | 23 |
| of which saturates (g) | 10 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 18 |
| of which sugars (g) | 3 |
| Fibre (g) | 2 |
| Protein (g) | 26 |
| Salt (mg) | 626 |
This goes well with
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Comments
Comments (39)
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Hari Ghotra
Hi Ayesha Yes that's fine just miss it out the recipe if you don't like ginger. It's flavour does just blend in so its not overpowering. Thanks and let me know how you get on. Hari
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Jay Chacko
Tried the Lamb Karahi with boneless leg that I happened to find at a great price. Worked out well. Substituted canned fire roasted tomatoes for fresh. Great method!-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Jay I really like to cook this dish because the meat gets so tender and infuses with all the garliky ginger flavours. Thanks for giving it a go and sharing your thoughts - pictures would be good too! Thanks Hari
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Daniel
Yeah it works great. I browned the rump first. It actually took a good hour to get the rump tender enough before adding to the sauce. I increased the number of tomatoes to 6 for a little more sauce but other than that it's turned out great.-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Daniel Thats great!! so glad it worked out and was delicious Hari
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Daniel
Great recipe. Could I use beef ( diced rump ) for this as well ?-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Daniel yes you sure can - it may not need as much cooking as the lamb so keep an eye on it. Let me know how it comes out. Hari
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Linda
Made this last night using neck chops, forequarter or shoulder chops and some spare loin chops. I cooked the meat a lot longer as those cuts are tough ( except the loin ). I also had to leave out the chilli dJe to an allergy in my family. In spite of this, the flavour was amazing! Deep and punchy. This is a really good recipe! I will make it again. Thank you :)-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Linda good call on cooking those meat cuts for longer and I can image the flavour was just fantastic. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts I really appreciate it and thank you for using the website. Next time I want to see pictures. Many thanks Hari
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Mel
Hi hari made this curry the other night and all I can say is wow. Thoroughly enjoyed I used tinned tomatoes tho drained of juices thankyou looking forward to trying more of your recipes-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Mel - it's a good one glad you feel the same. Thanks so much for leaving a comment too. Thanks Hari
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Aisha
Sorry I meant i cook in normal stainless steel pot, not cast iron (I read previous comment mentioning cast iron and this got stuck in my head lol).-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Aisha A few things here I think - Are you sure you are using lamb? If it's mutton it will take longer so just clarify with your butcher first I know some Indian butchers may say lamb when it's actually mutton. I love mutton but it will need much longer slower cooking. For the lamb I use a heavy cast iron pan (like a Le Creuset) or even a karahi with a lid and cook the lamb low and slow between 30-50 mins. Some times it can take up to hour but really in this time the meat will be tender and soft. It will absorb the garlic and ginger flavours. All the juices will come from the meat so you don't need to add any liquid at all. The masala can then be cooked in any other pan and mixed into the meat. I have cooked this dish 100's of time and taught it in my classes and it has always come out perfectly. Try it and let me know how you get on. Make sure the lamb is tender before combining it with the masala. I look forward to hearing back from you thanks so much Hari
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Aisha
Hi Hari,
I usually cook 1kg leg of lamb (cubed) in pressure cooker for around 30minutes on high and sometimes I still find it a bit hard and chewy in result, or cook in normal cast iron pot but then it takes almost two hours to get this meat soft, so I'm wondering how do you get your meat soft in 20minutes? What is that heavy pot called you use to cook meat in? And the other one in which you make the sauce? I probably should buy the same. Thanks a lot! -
Conor
Hi Hari,
I made this the other night, and the flavours where excellent. I messed up and diced the onions rather than slicing them. Still tasted great though.
I cooked the lamb in a cast-iron pot with lid on, on a low heat for 45mins. The lamb was a little bit tough. I'm not sure if that's because I under cooked, or over cooked it. If it's still chewy, does cooking it for longer in the sauce help?
Thanks for a brilliant website. I'm working my way through the recipes day by day!
Cheers,
Conor-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Conor thanks for sharing your thoughts and trying the recipe. If the meat is tough I would leave it to cook for a while longer - did you use leg meat? The cut can vary the cooking time. You can cook it for longer in the sauce if you wish. With this dish I tend to cook it through before adding it to the sauce. I can then fry sauce until it's thick but either way should work.
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Damian
Hari, I made this tonight and it was awesome. Lamb was tender and very tasty, the dry texture was better than expected as I do love a more wet curry. Will definitely do this again. 2 questions tho- it it 1 table spoon of ginger once you've grated it or a block about a tablespoons amount then grated. And relating to the question above about doubling the amount of lamb above, you advise not to double the spices- why is everything else not doubled!? I quite often 1/2 or double recipes and logically 1/2 or double the ingredients. Thank you for a really fresh and delicious Lamb Karahi-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Damian Sorry for my slow response but I have had major technical issues this week. A tablespoon of ginger is once it's grated but you can be generous with ginger so a little more is fine. Spiced go along way so you don't need to double the quantities I usually increase the spice level by half when you double the amount you are cooking. Remember to taste and adjust as you go if you are not convinced. I really love this lamb dish too and I'm glad it worked for you and your familiy too. Please do keep in touch as I would love to hear what else you try. Thank you so much for using the website. Hari
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Jonathan
1st time I have made any of your recipes. This went down a storm. Everyone really enjiyed it. Cant wait to try another one of your recipes.-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Jonathan I have had a few computer issues this week so sorry for my late reply. Thank you so much for giving one of my dishes a go, I am hugely privileged that you tried it and took the time to comment too. Thank you and I would love to hear what else you try. Drop me a note if you need any advice I would be happy to make recommendations. Do keep in touch and let me know what you decide on. Thank again and do check out the youtube channel too. Cheers Hari
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Victoria
Made this dish with Chicken as one of our guests doesn't like Lamb! Went down a treat, cannot wait to make it with Lamb! So good!!!-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Nice to hear that you tweaked it to suit your dinner party! Thanks for trying it out and thanks for your comments too. Make you tell me what you try next time Hari
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Chandni
Hi Hari
I have coriander powder and cumin powder. Is that the same as it being crushed? Or shall I use full seeds and crush it in a brick and motar-
Hari Ghotra
Hi Chandni If you have ground spices then by all mean yes use them. I like to crush my own as they give a much better flavour but use up what you have first and next time buy the whole spices and crush them yourself to taste the difference. Thanks for your comment, I hope this helps. Hari
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Hari Ghotra
Hi Nigel - this is one of my favourites too. Glad the chilli heat was enough for you! Thanks for trying the recipe and your feedback is always welcome. Thanks Hari -
Nigel
Hello Hari,
I cooked this last night using the full quota of chilli. It was excellent, nice and hot and the onions gave a nice crunchy texture. A really good recipe offering a new dimension for lamb curries. Thank you -
Hari
Hi Sheonagh
Glad you approve - one of my favs too. Please do let me know what you try next. Thanks for your comments Hari -
Sheonagh
Hi Hari I love this recipe its so tasty....and perfect for the slow cooker -
Ian
Thank you hari. Will give it a go -
Hari
Hi Ian
You don't need to double up on the spices - I would at most add another tsp of each. Use about 8 cloves of garlic and 2 tsp of ginger. Does that help? -
Ian
am making this tonight with double the amount of lamb. Do I double up on the rest of the ingredients and spices? Thanks -
Hari
That should be fine - you could do from step 5 on the day you are eating it while re-heating the dish. Let me know how it goes. -
Derek
i intend to cook this meal and serve it to my friends the day after,what do you think? -
Hari
Brilliant so pleased you enjoyed it! -
Chris
Hi Hari
Followed your advice, used 3 cloves of garlic. But I used two onions as I love onions!
Was so tasty. -
Hari
Oh and reduce the time it is cooking for to about 15-20 minutes. -
Hari
Hi Chris how many people are you cooking for? If you are using a similar quantity of meat then I would reduce the garlic to 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and reduce the coriander and cumin seeds to about 2 tsp each. Do let me know how it comes out. -
Chris
If i wanted to use chicken thigh fillets, instead of lamb, would I need to reduce any of the ingredients?
Ayesha
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