Lamb Korma

By: Susan Joy

It’s all about the sauce in this very popular Indian dish. Don’t be put off by the number of ingredients in this recipe, it just takes three easy steps to create this flavour packed meal.

Marinate, make the gravy, then simmer together. You can use chicken, beef or seafood in place of the lamb if you prefer. My family and all the grandkids absolutely loves this recipe, even my 1 year old granddaughter gobbles it up. It’s the perfect family meal as it’s packed with so much flavour but mild enough for children. I like to serve Lamb Korma with cauliflower rice, sliced cucumber and paleo Naan Bread (you can find the naan recipe in my Paleo Bread Cookbook and The JOYful Table Cookbook).

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 00:25 | Cooking Time: 00:45 | * Plus marinating time

Ingredients

  • 1kg of trimmed lamb, steaks or lamb rump (cut into bite size pieces) 
  • 3 bay leaves 

MARINADE: 

  • 400ml canned coconut cream 
  • 1 Tbsp garam masala 
  • 2 1/2 tsp ground coriander 
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin 
  • 2 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric 
  • 3/4 tsp ground cardamom 
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves 

ONION GRAVY: 

  • 1 Tbsp each of olive oil and ghee, for cooking 
  • 2 Lge onion(s), thinly sliced 
  • 35g garlic, roughly sliced 
  • 35g ginger, roughly sliced 
  • 50g (1/3 cup) cashews 
  • 100g tomato paste 
  • 250ml beef broth/stock, (chicken or vegetable broth can be used) 
  • 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground 
  • Garnish with roasted cashews, and coriander leaves 

Directions

Marinate the meat: Pour the coconut cream into a large glass bowl then add in all the marinade spices and mix well to combine. Place the diced trimmed lamb into the marinade and stir to coat all the lamb well. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for an hour or as long as you like (you can leave it overnight to save time the next day if preferred).

Make the onion gravy: Heat a large frying pan (32cm) with high sides and lid or use a large saucepan with a heavy base on medium-high. Add the ghee and olive oil to the pan, once hot add in the sliced onion. Fry the onion until it is golden brown, flipping often (depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook in two batches). Move the onion to the side and add in the garlic and ginger and cook stirring for 2 minutes. Transfer the onion, garlic and ginger to a high-speed blender. Add the cashews to the pan with extra oil if needed and roast until lightly brown then add to the blender. (Don’t skip the frying as it adds a real depth of flavour to the sauce).

Add the remaining onion gravy ingredients to the blender. Blend all the ingredients together on high until you have a smooth consistency.

Simmer everything together: Transfer the lamb with marinate to your pan on high heat, spread out evenly over the base and leave for 2 minutes to allow the lamb to change colour. Use a spatula to turn over the lamb then scoop in the onion gravy, add the bay leaves then stir everything together well. Reduce heat low and cook covered for 30 – 35 minutes or until the lamb is tender. Stir often while simmering and if the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more stock or water.

Serve lamb korma topped with extra roasted cashews, fresh coriander and cauliflower rice (or basmati rice if you tolerate it).

Article supplied with thanks to The JOYful Table.

About the Author: Susan is an author of The JOYful Table cookbook containing gluten & grain free, and Paleo inspired recipes for good health and wellbeing.

Feature image: by Susan Joy