Fancy a curry night at home? Use lamb neck fillet or cubed lamb shoulder and store cupboard spices to make this super easy lamb curry in under an hour.
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Curry night – at home
Personally, I like a curry night at home to have a variety of dishes to choose from. I like to pair my lamb curries with one or two vegetable-based curries, like saag aloo, a spinach and potato curry or butternut squash and chickpea curry.
You might also like this lamb & spinach karahi gosht recipe, as shared with me by a local Indian takeaway. Rice is always served too. The little reddish dots in the photos are because I thought I’d try and add some dried barberries to the rice as it cooked, and it stained the rice red! It tasted good though!
I also like my sides – mango chutney, a bowl of cooling natural yoghurt (drizzled with lemon olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika to make it look more appealing). Poppadums and naan bread finish off the meal.
What you need for this lamb curry recipe
- 600 grams cubed lamb shoulder or lamb neck fillet
- 1 lime, juice only (juice from a bottle works fine too)
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds (optional)
- 10 curry leaves (optional)
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (or 2 tsp garlic puree)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
- 1 whole green chilli, finely chopped (seeds removed)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 400 grams tinned tomatoes
Jump to the full, printable recipe.
How to make this lamb curry recipe
- First, marinate the lamb. Place the cubed lamb shoulder in a bowl, squeeze over the lime juice and sprinkle over the paprika and chilli powder. Stir well to coat, and leave to marinate while you measure and chop the remaining ingredients.
- Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a saute pan. Sprinkle over the black mustard seeds and the curry leaves, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the black mustard seeds begin to pop and dance around the pan (they make a fabulous little sound!).
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli. Cook for five minutes or so, until the onion begins to soften.
- Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam masala. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute until fragrant.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high Add the marinated cubed lamb shoulder and cook until the meat has browned all over.
- Add the tinned tomatoes and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pop a lid on the pan and simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Serve with fresh coriander sprinkled over the top and your favourite sides.
What is the best cut of lamb for making curry?
Lamb neck or cubed lamb shoulder are the best lamb cuts for curries. When trimmed of fat, diced lamb shoulder provides a slightly sweeter flavour, and it pairs very well with the strong spices used in curries.
Where does diced lamb shoulder come from?
Diced lamb shoulder is cut from the forequarter of the lamb.
Tips for making this lamb curry
- Don’t be put off by the seemingly long ingredients list – most of them are spices which can be measured out in advance. The turmeric, cumin, coriander and garam masala all go in the pan at the same stage, so you can measure them out into a single bowl before you start cooking.
- Marinate the lamb for at least an hour, if you have time. No worries if not.
- Toast the cumin and coriander in a dry pan over medium-high heat until the seeds begin to pop, remove from the pan, cool and grind to a powder for maximum flavour.
- Make the curry hotter by adding more chilli.
- If the curry is too hot, cool it down by adding a spoonful or two of plain, natural yoghurt.
- To make a milder curry, halve the ginger and omit the chilli powder and green chilli.
- Make this recipe even easier by omitting all the spices and marinate the lamb in 3 tbsp of your favourite curry paste.
- Batch cook by doubling the recipe, freezing leftovers for later.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Easy Lamb Curry Recipe
Ingredients
for the marinade
- 600 grams lamb shoulder cubed
- 1 lime juice only
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder
for the sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds optional
- 10 whole curry leaves optional
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger root grated
- 1 green chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 400 grams tinned chopped tomatoes
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Instructions
- Place 600 grams lamb shoulder, diced, in a bowl, pour over the juice of 1 lime and sprinkle with 1 tbsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp chilli powder. Stir well and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp black mustard seeds and 10 whole curry leaves, and cook until the seeds start to pop.
- Add 1 onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp fresh ginger root, finely chopped and 1 green chilli, finely chopped, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.
- Add 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, and 1 tbsp garam masala and cook for a further minute.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the marinated lamb. Cook the meat until browned all over.
- Add 400 grams tinned chopped tomatoes, stir well and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, with the lid on, until the sauce is thick and reduced.
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This looks divine. Perfect for my current keto diet too. Beautiful photography.
My husband loves lamb dishes so putting this curry on my menu for next week. It looks so good!
This is exactly what I need to get us out of our normal dinner routine. Sounds delicious!
We love using lamb in curry. So much flavour and takes on the spices really well.
What a fabulous recipe! So easy and tasty! I will definitely be making this one again!
Reading through the ingredients list for this recipe I can imagine the beautiful aromas! I can’t wait to try it.