Slow Cooker Lamb Curry is a delicious tender and gently spiced dish that is very easy to make in your slow cooker. The yogurt marinade means that the lamb absorbs the aromatic spices and also creates a creamy sauce.
Why make Slow Cooker Lamb Curry?
Lamb curry is probably my favourite type of curry and this recipe is so easy to make. Curry is ideal to make in a slow cooker as the long slow cooking tenderises the chunks of lamb at the same time as creating a delicious sauce. You can leave the meat to marinate overnight for maximum flavour but if you don’t have time for that, you can leave it marinating while you prepare the next stage of the recipe.
How hot is this Lamb Curry?
Slow Cooker Lamb Curry is a mild curry. It contains aromatic spices and only a little chilli heat that is tempered by the yogurt marinade. If you would like to increase the heat you can add additional fresh or dried chillies. to the dish.
What ingredients do I need to make Slow Cooker Lamb Curry?
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, most of them are spices and you can build up a collection of spices quite cheaply. Go to an Asian supermarket or head for the World Foods aisle in your supermarket rather than buy small jars of expensive branded spices.
- Pieces of lamb
- Yogurt
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Mustard seeds
- Vegetable Oil
- Onion
- Green Chillies
- Garam Masala
- Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Fresh Coriander
A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.
What kind of lamb should I use in the Slow Cooker Lamb Curry?
I use diced shoulder of lamb because it is ideal for long slow cooking and becomes deliciously tender. You can use other cuts of lamb that are suitable for stewing such as scrag end, lamb shank and rib eye chops.
What kind of yogurt should I use?
Use natural yogurt with no sweetening or flavouring. I like Greek yogurt but any natural yogurt is suitable for this marinade.
What is fresh ginger root?
Ginger root is a rhizome, a thick underground stem that sprouts roots and shoots. Ginger originates from south-east Asia and is part of the same family as turmeric.
The ginger roots that we buy are harvested from the plants which then continue to grow. Fresh ginger root is available in most supermarkets as well as greengrocers and markets.
Can I use jars of easy ginger and garlic?
I prefer to use fresh crushed garlic cloves and grated fresh ginger. However, you certainly can use the jars of prepared ginger and garlic if that is what you have in your larder. At a push you can use garlic granules or powder but you won’t get the same flavour. I don’t recommend ginger powder as it gives a very different taste and isn’t suitable for this recipe.
What kind of chillies should I use?
There are many varieties of chilli and different types of chillies are available in different parts of the world. I use chilli flakes in the marinade and garnish the curry with red and green chilli slices.
You can use fresh chillies in the curry if you prefer but it is less easy to control the heat of the finished dish. If you want to find out about the different heat levels of different varieties of chilli then this guide will help you.
You can also freeze chillies whole or sliced. I grow chillies in my greenhouse and freeze the excess chilli peppers for use in recipes all year round.
What is Garam Masala?
Garam Masala is a blend of cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamon pods toasted in a pan and then ground to a powder. Add Garam Masala to your dish near the end of cooking to season the dish and add aroma.
I don’t like coriander (cilantro) leaves, can I leave them out?
You certainly can leave it out the coriander leaves if you don’t like them. Between 4 -14% of people dislike coriander many of them report that it tastes like soap. This is because coriander has some aldehydes that are found in soaps and detergents.
What can I substitute for coriander?
If you want to substitute something, then you can use flat parsley which looks similar but has a very different taste. I think for this recipe I would recommend chopped spring (green) onions sprinkled over the top.
Can I make Slow Cooker Lamb Curry in advance?
Do make this curry in advance if you possibly can. Like most curries, it is even better the day after it has been made. Remove the curry from the slow cooker and cool it quickly. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Heat through until piping hot before serving.
Can I freeze Slow Cooker Lamb Curry?
It is possible to freeze this curry, however, the yogurt may split and become granular when the curry is reheated. It will still taste good but may not look so good.
Vegetarian
The curry contains meat so is not suitable for vegetarians.
Gluten Free
There should be no issue with gluten in this recipe. However, please do check that the spices all ingredients to ensure that they are suitable for your requirements.
For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How should I serve Slow Cooker Lamb Curry?
Serve the curry sprinkled with chopped coriander leaves and sliced fresh red and green chillies. I like to serve Slow Cooker Lamb Curry with basmati rice and/or naan.
Make your curry into a special meal by serving it with fun sides like sag aloo, Easy Green Chutney, onion chutney mango chutney and raita.
More Curry Recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry is a mild fragrant Thai curry. It’s a rich stew of tender beef and chunks of potato slowly cooked in a coconut sauce flavoured with spice paste that includes cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Garnish with peanuts and serve with rice.
Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry is a rich and creamy curry, made easy with curry paste and coconut milk.
Vietnamese Chicken Curry (ca ri ga) is a fragrant, light, and mild curry recipe. It’s a bit like a spiced chicken stew and contains potatoes and carrots. Bring a taste of Vietnam to your kitchen with this easy recipe.
More Curry Recipes
- Chicken, Chickpea & Butternut Squash Korma – Feast Glorious Feast
- Vegetable & Coconut Curry – Lost in Food
- Mauritian Chicken Curry – Curly’s Cooking
PIN FOR LATER
Slow Cooker Lamb Curry
Ingredients
- 800 grams (1½ pounds) lamb
For the marinade
- 300 millilitres (1⅓ cups) Greek Yogurt
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) turmeric
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) fresh ginger grated
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) garlic crushed
- ½ tsp (½ tsp) salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground mustard seeds ideally grind them yourself in a spice grinder
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoon (3 tablespoon) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) cornflour/cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) cold water
- 200 ml (1 cups) lamb stock
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) garam masala
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish
- 1 (1-2) green chilli
- 1 red chilli
- 20 grams (1¼ tbsp) fresh coriander chopped
Instructions
- Cut the 800 g (1½ lb) lamb into large pieces (approximately 5cm (2in) pieces
- In a non-metallic dish mix300 ml (1⅓ cups) yogurt, ¾ tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp grated ginger and 1 tbsp garlic crushed to a paste with ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander, ¼ tsp of chilli flakes and 1 tsp of ground mustard seeds.
- Add the lamb and mix with the marinade. Leave the lamb to marinate for as long as possible preferably overnight. Or at least until you chop and cook the next batch of ingredients.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick saucepan or your metal slow cooker pot. Add the onion and fry gently until the onions are soft and brown, around 6-7 minutes.
- Add the meat, and its marinade and stir-fry over a low heat for 3 minutes.
- Add the lamb stock and place the metal pot in the slow cooker or spoon the lamb mixture into your ceramic slow cooker pot.
- Mix the 2 tsp of cornflour (cornstarch) with 1 tbsp of cold water. Add this to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Before serving stir in the garam masala and the black pepper; check and adjust the seasoning.
- Garnish with coriander and sliced chillies and serve with basmati rice, naan and raita.
MaryMoh says
Mmmm…delicious. I love curry. I can eat this anytime with rice 😀 I love that you add yoghurt. Thanks very much for sharing. Have a lovely weekend.
Chilli Loves Malli says
Great curry and I love that it is so easy to make…and it is not too hot. I would like to invite you to check out my own simple curries
Cat Sach says
I love how tender meat becomes when slow cooking it. This curry has so much flavour in it too!