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Slow-cooked lamb curry with a rich and delicately spiced coconut curry sauce. Minimal effort with loads of flavour.
The perfect belly-warming slow-cooked curry for when the cold weather starts drawing in.
“I made this lamb curry for the first time today. Cooked on low setting for 8 hours. The kitchen smelt delicious all afternoon!
The whole family gave this ten out of ten, the lamb was so soft and the sauce fragrant but not too spicy. Will definitely make this again!”
Nicky’s Notes
Now this is a special curry. It’s made using a shoulder of lamb that’s cooked slowly until the meat falls off the bone. The depth of flavour is amazing!
It easily makes enough to feed eight people. If that’s too many, then it freezes really well (future you will thank you). Alternatively you can halve the ingredients (use a half shoulder) and make it for four people.
Here’s why I think you should make it:
- A little bit of searing, a long slow cook and you’ve got the most delicious tasting lamb.
- It’s make-ahead (and/or leftovers) friendly. Tastes great reheated!
- It makes a nice change from the usual chicken or beef curry.
How to Make this Lamb Curry
We start by searing the lamb with a little oil. If you have a slow cooker with a searing function like this slow cooker (<– affiliate link), you can do it right in the slow cooker insert. If not, you can do this bit in a large frying pan (skillet) over a high heat. Once it’s seared on all sides, add a diced onion around the sides of the lamb and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
Add in garlic, ginger, salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika and cinnamon and stir together. Then add in chicken stock or lamb stock and a tin of chopped tomatoes.
Next in goes tomato puree and a little sugar, then a tin of coconut milk and the cardamom pods. Stir it all up and cook on high for about 5 hours, or low for about 8 hours.
After that time, remove the lamb and pull all the meat of the bone. Shred it with two forks. Remove the cardamom pods too.
I like to remove some of the fat from the slow cooker, and then stir in a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce slightly. Add the lamb back in and stir it all together.
Recipe Tips
- Sew the cardamom pods together using a needle with natural cotton – this makes them easy to fish it out later.
- The lamb releases quite a lot of fat, which rises to the top. You can spoon some or all of it out if you prefer. I like to leave a little bit in, as it enriches the sauce.
🍽️ What to serve it with
You can serve simply over boiled rice, or serve up with some of these options instead:
- PIlau rice or Onion fried rice
- Chapati or Naan Bread
- Tomato and onion salad and a drizzle of Sweet chilli sauce
What is the best cut of lamb for a curry?
I recommend using Lamb that is on the bone. Using Lamb on the bone gives the curry such a wonderful flavour and, after slow cooking, you get that amazing tender fall apart meat.
Cooking the curry slowly with the meat on the bone, means you get SO MUCH flavour in the sauce.
I’m using a lamb shoulder for this recipe but you could also use a half shoulder of lamb (for a small curry), a leg of lamb or lamb shanks.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItThe Slow Cooker I Use
I get asked this question quite often and this is my current workhorse. I love it because:
- Sear first, then slow cook (all in one pot)
- Great for big batches and meal prep
- Easy to clean up with minimal fuss
Note: I use a Crockpot slow cooker in many of my older videos, but unfortunately they don’t make it anymore.
Disclosure: These are affiliate links, if you decide to purchase then I get a small commision at no extra cost to you.
📺 Watch how to make it
Slow Cooked Lamb Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lamb shoulder weighing approx 1.5kg (3 1/3 pounds)
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock water plus a stock cube or bouillon for gluten-free is fine
- 400 ml tin (14 oz) of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree paste for US
- 2 tsp sugar
- 400 ml (14 oz) coconut milk
- 6 cardamom pods sew them together with a piece of string so you can easily fish them out later
- 3 tbsp cornflour(cornstarch) mixed with 6 tbsp cold water
To Serve:
- handful of chopped coriander (cilantro)
- boiled rice
Instructions
- Preheat your slow cooker to high.
- Heat the oil in a large pan (or your slow cooker pot if it can be used on the hob), add in the lamb and sear until lightly browned on all sides (about 6-8 minutes).1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 lamb shoulder
- Add in the onion and cook for a further 5 minutes until the onions have softened.1 large onion
- Add in the garlic, ginger, salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, and cinnamon. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp minced ginger, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp garam masala, 2 tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cinnamon
- Add in the stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, coconut milk, and cardamom pods.250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock, 400 ml tin (14 oz) of chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tsp sugar, 400 ml (14 oz) coconut milk, 6 cardamom pods
- Stir then pour into your slow cooker and cook for 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
- At the end of the cooking time, remove the lamb and place it on a chopping board.
- Spoon off some of the excess fat that has risen to the top (it's a good idea to leave a bit, as it enhances the flavour of the curry). Remove the cardamon and discard.
- If want to thicken the sauce a little, slowly pour in the cornstarch and water mixture whilst stirring – until the sauce is thick enough.3 tbsp cornflour(cornstarch)
- Shred the lamb with two forks and place the meat back in the slow cooker. Give it a stir to cover in the sauce.
- Serve over boiled rice sprinkled with some coriander (cilantro).handful of chopped coriander (cilantro), boiled rice
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in August 2015. Updated in 2019 with new photos, video, tips and a couple of recipe improvements. Updated in later with info and for housekeeping reasons.
More Delicious Curry Recipes
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I made this lamb curry for the first time today. Cooked on low setting for 8 hours. The kitchen smelt delicious all afternoon!
The whole family gave this ten out of ten, the lamb was so soft and the sauce fragrant but not too spicy. Will definitely make this again!
I’ve made this recipe, perhaps, four times now. It is an absolute winner. It’s so easy to make, and the taste is perfect (not too spicy and not too mild). I always omit the sugar as we don’t have any in the house, and I don’t scoop any fat of the top. Perfection 💖
Greetings from South Australia! I came looking for a lamb recipe because I bought boneless lamb shanks marked down at the shops. I was not disappointed! I dusted the meat with flour before browning, and I think this meant the sauce was just the right consistency at the end (no cornflour slurry needed). Also, the lamb shanks were remarkably lean, so there was no need to skim any fat off the top of the sauce. I added potatoes, carrots (and peas right at the end) to bulk it out and include veggies in this amazing sauce. Thank you Nicky for a fantastic recipe!!!
Ok so i followed the recipe to the letter other than i used leg of lamb instead of shoulder cause its all i could get and the smell was amazing , but the taste was underwhelming , i added some balti paste and it was better but i don’t know where i went wrong , i was so gutted
Highly recommend putting a scoop of greek yoghurt on top 🙌
Can this recipe be scaled down? If I use a half leg of lamb do I use the same amount of ingredients for the sauce? Thanks