Lamb Korma in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Lamb Korma is an Indian Mughlai dish where Lamb stew meat is braised in a cream based sauce and bold Indian spices and simmered for hours to reach the perfect tenderness and flavor.  The word Korma or Kurma draws it’s origin from the Persian word Kormah, which literally means “braise”.

The flavors of Korma are developed by using the popular spice blend called Garam Masala, which includes, Cardamom, Cumin, Coriander, Cloves, Bay leaves etc.  These flavors are infused in a yogurt, cream or coconut cream sauce.  The meat is then simmered in this sauce for hours over slow heat, till it becomes tender.  I am able to mimic that slow-cooking set-up by cooking this Korma in my electrical pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO.  The end flavors are to die for and I and am able to cut down the cooking time significantly. You’ll never guess how easy this is!    To learn more about the instant pot, check out my Instant Pot FAQ and Accessories blog.

Customize your Lamb Korma

You can make the korma sauce 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.

It goes really well with a homemade flatbread called, Parantha, or nutty brown rice, and if you’re eating low-carb, you can have this with cauli-rice.  My family loves to eat this korma with butter naan, paratha- flat bread, cumin rice or brown 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!

Make the Korma with Chicken or Beef

You can make this Korma with chicken or beef too.  For boneless skinless chicken, reduce the cooking time to 5-6 minutes of high-pressure cooking.  For beef stew meat, increase the cooking time to 25-30 minutes of high pressure cooking, depending on the size of pieces.

I cooked this recipe in my electrical pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO, but you can make this in a stove-top pressure cooker as well on the stove-top.  For a stove-top 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.

Pairs well with Cumin or Brown rice

Cumin Rice

Brown Jasmin Rice

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Lamb Korma in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Resting time

15 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Lamb Korma is an Indian Mughlai dish, wherein lamb stew meat is braised in a cream-based sauce & bold Indian spices and simmered for hours to reach perfection.  In this recipe, I shorten the cooking time using the instant pot.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Curry

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 271 kcal

Author: Spice Cravings

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

If you are new to the Instant Pot, please read my FAQ on Instant Pot Terminology and Accessories to learn more.

 

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 Facts

Lamb Korma in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Amount Per Serving

Calories 271 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 8g 40%

Cholesterol 73mg 24%

Sodium 728mg 30%

Potassium 516mg 15%

Total Carbohydrates 6g 2%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 2g

Protein 24g 48%

Vitamin A 8.7%

Vitamin C 4.9%

Calcium 2.4%

Iron 19.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.