Creamy Lamb Korma

In this easy Instant Pot recipe for Lamb Korma, lamb stew meat is cooked in a creamy coconut sauce, seasoned with toasted Indian spices and pressure cooked to a melt-in-the-mouth perfection. Pair this curry with homemade naan or saffron rice and enjoy a cozy Indian feast in the comfort of your home.

Korma is known for its creamy and luxurious texture. Traditionally, the meat is simmered for hours to reach the perfect tenderness and rich flavor. In this much easier version, I cook lamb stew meat with aromatics in a creamy coconut sauce. I season it with toasted Indian spices, and pressure cook it in the electric pressure cooker, until it tenderizes and soaks up all the flavors. 

My girls always ask for this curry for their birthday treat. I serve it alongside homemade garlic naan or cumin rice and cucumber raita to complete this Indian feast. Today I'm sharing this easy lamb korma recipe that's been made and loved by many readers!

What is Korma? What is Korma Sauce Made of?

Korma is a dish from Mughal cuisine that originated in the Indian subcontinent around the 16th century. The word ‘Korma’ comes from the Urdu word ‘Kormah’, which means ‘braising.’

What is Lamb Korma? Lamb Korma, also known as Mutton Korma, is very popular in most Indian and Pakistani restaurants. In this mild curry, meat or vegetables are braised in a yogurt, cream, or a nut-paste based sauce, and seasoned with mild aromatic Indian spices like cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander.

Building the Flavors in this Curry

The process of cooking Korma is all about building layers of flavor. A big part of that comes from using a high quality Garam Masala, an aromatic Indian Spice blend that includes cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, and a few other spices. Here's an easy homemade recipe, but you can also use any high-quality store-ready brand.

The creamy component of the sauce comes from using either yogurt, heavy whipping cream, cashew paste or coconut cream.  The spices and aromatics flavor the base curry and the meat is simmered in this sauce till it cooks through and gets infused with all the flavors.

Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions

Here is a list of lamb korma ingredients I use to make this simple yet satisfying curry:

• Lamb: For best results, I prefer to use 'grass-fed' lamb stew meat, which I get from Whole foods or any quality halal shop. If that's not available, then I get lamb leg steak and cut it in 1½ -2-inch pieces. Goat meat is another alternative, just increase the pressure cooking time to 30 minutes.
• Aromatics: Freshly chopped onions, ginger and garlic form the foundation of this curry. I prefer to use red or white onion in this recipe. If you can't find fresh ginger and garlic, look for frozen cube trays available in most stores like Trader Joes, Safeway and Whole Foods. You can also use this make-ahead ginger garlic paste instead.
• Tomato paste: This adds a perfect blend of acidity and a subtle sweetness, which compliments the coconut milk. If using fresh tomatoes, substitute with 2 medium Roma tomatoes and remove the seeds for best results.
• Coconut Milk: Korma curry base can be made with either coconut milk, yogurt, heavy whipping cream or a cashew paste. My family loves the taste of a coconut milk based sauce, so that's what I end up making most of the time.  Using coconut milk also makes this dish dairy-free.
  • Alternatively, use ½ cup of heavy whipping cream with an additional ½ cup water to make a Lamb Shahi Korma.
  • For a cashew cream sauce, refer to this recipe for Vegetable korma. See instructions for yogurt below.
• Spices: I season this curry with mild spices, including salt, turmeric and garam masala. Paprika adds a wonderful color and a touch of cayenne balances the sweetness from coconut milk. You can skip the cayenne to make it absolutely mild.

How to Make Korma with Yogurt Instead?

1. Follow the recipe and skip the coconut milk.  Add ½ cup water to cook the lamb. Pressure cook and wait 10 mins before releasing pressure.
2. In a small mixing bowl, add ½ cup plain full-fat yogurt, and whisk until smooth.  
3. Now take a ladle (2-3 tablespoons) of the hot curry sauce and mix it in to temper the yogurt.  
4. Add that yogurt-curry mix in the curry while stirring.  This prevents the yogurt from curdling and results in a smooth sauce.
5. Turn on Saute and simmer for 2-3 minutes till the yogurt gets incorporated in the curry and it thickens.

How to Make Lamb Korma

In this simple lamb korma recipe, I am able to mimic the slow-cooked taste of an authentic lamb korma curry recipe by pressure cooking it in the Instant Pot. Pressure cooking not only tenderizes the meat, but it also infuses it with the spices and aromatics.

This recipe will also work with any comparable electric pressure cooker. Here's how I make this lamb curry:

1. Turn on Instant Pot in SAUTE mode. Wait 30 seconds. Add oil, chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 minutes, until the onions become tender.  Add a pinch of salt at this stage to speed up the sweating of the onions.  (Pic 1)
2. Add tomato paste with ¼ cup of water. This deglazes the pot as well as helps blend the tomato paste. (Pic 2)
3. Add all spices and stir well. (Pic 3)
4. Add coconut milk, remaining water and lamb cubes. Stir. (Pic 4)
5. Lock the lid in place and set Manual or Pressure Cook for 20 minutes on sealing mode.(Pic 5)
6. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then follow the quick release instructions. If not in a rush, let it release naturally. Add chopped cilantro and ground cardamom. (Pic 6) You can add a few drops of fresh lime juice before serving, but this is totally an optional step.

Stovetop Recipe

• Heat a heavy bottom sauce pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Follow the instructions above to prepare the sauce. Add lamb, coconut milk and water (with an additional 1 cup).
• Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 40-45 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
• Note: Keep stirring every 10 minutes to prevent the sauce from sticking at the bottom.

Serving Suggestions

Here's what to eat with lamb korma. Enjoy a comforting Indian meal by pairing this lamb korma with:

• Naan: Try my homemade garlic naan recipe or a no-yeast Butter Naan.
• Rice: It goes really well with Saffron rice, cumin rice, or plain basmati rice. Use brown rice for a healthier alternative.
• Popular Sides: Aloo Gobi, Bhindi masala or Cucumber Raita.
• Low Carb pairing: Pair it with Indian Cauliflower Rice.

Recipe Tips

• Lamb- For best results, use lamb leg meat, cut in 1½ -2-inch pieces. Fresh meat gives better results than frozen.
• Cook time Varies: Pressure cooking time varies depending on the size of the meat stew. For 2-inch pieces, set 20 minutes. For 1-inch pieces, reduce pressure cook time to 15 minutes.
• Add salt while sautéing aromatics: Adding a pinch of salt to chopped onions helps them caramelize faster, which enhances the end flavor.
• Coconut Milk substitute: You can add ½ cup heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk if you like. add an additional ½ cup water in that case. For using yogurt instead, follow the recipe above.

FAQs

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📖 Recipe

Creamy Lamb Korma

Aneesha Gupta

Easy Instant Pot recipe for Creamy Lamb Korma. Lamb stew meat is cooked in a creamy coconut sauce, seasoned with warm spices and pressure cooked to a melt-in-the-mouth perfection.

4.63 from 107 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

NPR 10 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Calories 271 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Instant Pot

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb. lamb leg steak cut into 2-inch pieces
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger minced or grated (1 inch ginger )
• ▢ 1½ tablespoon garlic minced (5-6 cloves garlic)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ ½ cup coconut milk or plain yogurt
• ▢ ¾ cup water added in two steps

Spices

• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garam masala adjust to taste (add 2 teaspoon for mild taste)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (skip for mild)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika

For Finishing

• ▢ ½ teaspoon cardamom powder fresh is ideal (2-3 green pods)
• ▢ 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped for garnish
• ▢ ½ teaspoon lime juice before serving (optional)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Turn on Instant Pot in SAUTE mode. Wait 30 seconds. Add oil, chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 minutes, until the onions become tender.  Add a pinch of salt at this stage to speed up the sweating of the onions. 
  
• Add tomato paste with ¼ cup of water. This deglazes the pot as well as helps blend the tomato paste. Add all spices and stir well.
  
• Add coconut milk, remaining water and lamb cubes. Stir well.
  
• Lock the lid in place and set Manual or Pressure Cook for 20 minutes on sealing mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes at least, and then follow the quick release instructions. If not in a rush, let it release naturally. 
  
• Add chopped cilantro and ground cardamom. You can add a few drops of fresh lime juice before serving, but this is totally an optional step.
  

Video

Notes

• Lamb– Use the best quality of stew meat you can find. I typically get mine from Whole Foods.
• Cook time Varies: Pressure cooking time varies depending on the size of the meat stew. For 1-inch pieces, set 15 minutes. If the lamb is cut in 2-inch pieces, increase pressure cook time to 20 minutes.
• Add salt while sautéing aromatics: Adding a pinch of salt to chopped onions helps them caramelize faster, which enhances the end flavor.
• Coconut Milk substitute: You can add ½ cup heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk if you like. add an additional ½ cup water in that case. For using yogurt instead, follow the recipe above. 

 

Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates.  If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 728mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 435IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 3.4mg

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This recipe was updated in 2020 with updated images, recipe tips and process shots.