Lamb Korma is an Indian Mughlai dish, in which lamb stew meat is braised in a cream based sauce and toasted Indian spices. This lamb curry is simmered for hours to reach the perfect tenderness and rich flavor.
The word Korma or Kurma draws it’s origin from the Persian word Kormah, which literally means “braise”.
In this easy Indian food recipe for Lamb Korma, I braise the lamb meat with aromatics in a creamy coconut sauce. I season the sauce with toasted garam masala, and pressure cook it to a melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Note that this dish is sometimes called Mutton Korma.
Building the Flavors in this Lamb Curry
You develop the flavors of the korma curry by using the popular spice blend called Garam Masala
. Garam masala is an Indian spice mix that includes, Cardamom, Cumin, Coriander, Cloves, Bay leaves etc. The garam masala spice mix is used in many Indian food dishes.
You infuse these flavors in a yogurt, cream or coconut cream sauce. Traditionally, you simmer the meat in this sauce for hours over slow heat, till it becomes tender and gets infused with all the flavors.
Cooking Lamb Korma in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
In this lamb stew recipe, I am able to mimic the slow-cooking setup by cooking this easy lamb korma in my electrical pressure cooker, Instant Pot
.
Pressure cooking the lamb helps infuse the spices with the meat, and the flavor is to die for. Also, I am able to cut down the cooking time from hours to less than 30 minutes.
To learn more about the instant pot and many more easy instant pot recipes, check out my Instant Pot FAQ and Accessories blog.
Customize your Lamb Korma Recipe
You can make the korma curry using three different cream bases- heavy cream, yogurt or coconut milk.
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 is dairy-free, so people with dairy restrictions can also enjoy this amazing curry.
Pairing Suggestion for Lamb Korma
Lamb korma and butter naan are a terrific Indian food combination. This lamb recipe also goes really well with a homemade flatbread called, Parantha, naan, cumin rice or nutty brown rice. If you’re eating low-carb, you can have this with cauli-rice.
I serve this with a side of garden salad with a simple lemon vinaigrette. The salad adds a beautiful contrast to the creamy korma, and adds some greens to your meal too!
How to Make Chicken Korma with this Recipe
You can also make Chicken Korma with this recipe. To make chicken korma, use boneless skinless chicken and reduce the cooking time to 5-6 minutes of high-pressure cooking.
Stovetop Recipe for Indian Lamb Korma
I mostly cook this lamb recipe in my electrical pressure cooker, Instant Pot, but you can make this on the stove-top too.
For a stovetop recipe, simply follow the instructions to make the sauce and simmer on medium heat for about 40-45 minutes, or till the meat is tender.
Keep stirring every 10 minutes to prevent the sauce from sticking at the bottom.
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Lamb Korma in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lamb leg steak cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic grated (1 inch ginger + 6 cloves garlic)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup coconut milk or plain yogurt
- 3/4 cup water added in two steps
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 3 teaspoons garam masala adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoons cilantro fresh chopped for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice before serving
Instructions
- Prep: Chop onions. Fine chop, grate or grind peeled ginger and garlic. You can do everything together in a mini food processor. Start by pulsing ginger and garlic 5-6 times and then add onions. Cube the lamb leg meat and keep aside.
- Turn on Instant Pot DUO in SAUTE mode. Wait 30 seconds. Add oil, chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 minute. Smart Tip: You can add a pinch of salt at this stage to speed up the sweating of the onions. Add tomato paste with 1/4 cup of water. This deglazes the pot as well as helps blend the tomato paste. Add all spices and stir well.
- Add coconut milk, rest of water and lamb cubes. Stir. Close the Instant Pot. Set valve to Sealing mode. Set Manual or Pressure Cook for 15 minutes. This time is perfect for the texture that my family likes, you can set it anywhere between 12-15 minutes, depending on how you like it.
- Open the lid after 15 minutes of natural pressure release (NPR). Add chopped cilantro. You can add a few drops of fresh lime juice before serving, but this is totally an optional step. Serve it with Naan, Flatbread, Cumin basmati rice, Brown rice, or even Cauli-rice
Stovetop Recipe
- For a stovetop recipe, simply follow the instructions to make the sauce and simmer on medium heat for about 40-45 minutes, or till the meat is tender.
- Keep stirring every 10 minutes to prevent the sauce from sticking at the bottom.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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