This lamb korma made with cashew nuts and aromatic spices is a delicious dinner recipe. The entire family is going to love this, guaranteed!
Ingredients needed
Full recipe with ingredient list and quantities can be found below in the recipe card.
- Lamb: I prefer using boneless lamb but any cut of lamb that requires low, slow cooking is suitable. Lamb neck, shoulder, leg of lamb or sliced lamb shanks will work well.
- Cashew nuts: Korma is a cashew nut-based curry. I use whole cashew nuts that I soak in boiling water before blending into a smooth cream.
- Plain yogurt: I use Greek yogurt but any plain yogurt can be substituted.
- Spices: I use Garam Masala, cardamom, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper. Use any Indian spices you have. A good curry powder will also be delicious.
- Aromatics: Onion, ginger and garlic.
- Stock/Water.
- Sugar.Â
How to make Lamb Korma
- Marinate the lamb: Combine plain yogurt, spices, a squeeze of lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add lamb and mix to coat the lamb with the marinade. Cover and allow to marinate for at least an hours, preferable overnight in the fridge.
- Make the curry: In a large pot/Dutch oven, heat ghee/butter and add onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent then add the ginger, garlic and spices. Cook until the pot is dry. Add the lamb with all its marinade and stock/water. Add a pinch of sugar and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, cover and allow to cook for 1-2 hours until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced slightly. Give the curry a stir every 20-30 minutes and add more stock/water if the sauce is becoming too thick.
- Finish and serve:Â When the curry is cooked, season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary. Serve with rice, naan bread or side dishes of your choice.
What to serve with curry
Curry recipes
- Creamy Mughlai chicken curry
- Creamy shrimp curry
- Cauliflower korma curry
- Easy weeknight chicken curry
Lamb Korma
This lamb korma made with cashew nuts and aromatic spices is a delicious dinner recipe. The entire family is going to love this, guaranteed!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 442kcal
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1.5 kg (3lbs) boneless lamb stew meat cubed
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp ginger crushed
- 1 tsp garlic crushed
For the curry
- 1½ cups cashew nuts soaked in 2 cups boiling water
- 2 tbsp ghee/butter
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 tsp garlic crushed
- 1 tsp ginger crushed
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1-2 cups stock/water
Instructions
- Combine the lamb with all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Cover and allow to marinate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.
- To make the curry, soak the cashews in boiling water for 10 minutes then blend until smooth.
- In a large pot, heat the ghee/butter and add the onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent then add the garlic, ginger and spices. Cook for a minute or two until the pot is dry and the mixture is aromatic.
- Add the lamb and all its marinade, stock/water, cashew paste and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1-2 hour until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced. Stir the sauce every 20-30 minutes and top up with more stock or water if the sauce is getting too thick.
- Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon then serve with your choice of side dishes.
Nutrition
Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 829mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 5mg
Are the cashews raw or rooted?
Raw.
I’ve used this a couple times with great success, tastes just like the real deal, and so creamy! Thank you
Just wondering if you have to make any variations for using chicken ?
You can use boneless chicken thighs too – the cooking time will just need to be adapted slightly.
Tried this last night, and while good, found it to be a bit on the meek side spice wise. My spice may have been old, but found there was no heat at all in the recipe. What would you suggest adding in order to add some of the Indian fiery heat that is in most dishes ? Thanks !
Korma is not traditionally a spicy (hot) curry, it’s meant to mild and creamy. The spices used will create a warm, aromatic sauce. If preferred, you can add some chilli powder to the ingredients for heat.
Cannot understand recipe instructions.
Are all the spices included in the marinade?
What spices are added with the ginger & garlic?
Are the spices included in the ingredients for the marinade? and duplicated for the curry?
NB For the curry: includes turmeric which is not included in the ingredients
In the recipe card (scroll to the bottom of the post) it is broken down in two sets of ingredients. The marinade is listed with the lamb and then under “For the curry”, you’ll see the ingredients listed (including the spices) to be cooked with the onion and to make the curry. Under the curry ingredients is also where the turmeric is listed (1 teaspoon).
Hi just made this recipe and it turned out very bland I even added more salt and pepper and a bit of sugar as well what do you suggest I add kindest regards
Is it possible that your spices have expired? With the amount of spices in this recipe it definitely shouldn’t be bland. Salt and pepper is personal preference so that’s a different story but it definitely shouldn’t be bland.
Any chance you can tell me what size onions or approximately how many cups of chopped onion to use? Also, any preference on the type of onion – white? yellow? red?
Approximately 1-1.5 cup of chopped onions.
For the Marinade is the 1/2 tsp cardamom pods or ground?
Thanks!
Ground.
Cooking is always an adventure for me and the results can thrill or be a little less than thrilling. Despite errors here and there, I have made this recipe four times now and it always draws accolades. My single twist at the end is to remove the lamb and purée the sauce in a blender for a really smooth finish.
Now if I can only perfect my papadums (tasty but too brown) and my papadums….
Regards
Greg F
So happy you had success with this recipe, Greg. I find with poppadoms, the best is to remove it before it gets too golden as it will continue browning out of the oil.
In this time of “use what you have and avoid shopping,” I made this recipe with ground lamb! I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out well. The consistency was more like a meat gravy, but it tasted like korma. I largely followed the recipe, marinating the ground lamb in the yogurt and spices for a couple of hours (rather than overnight). I then glopped that mixture into a ripping hot, oiled skillet (and yes, it was glop), let it cook almost like a pancake on one side and then flipped it over. I then had lightly browned ground meat to throw in and simmer with the cashew cream, etc. I’d prefer making this with a lamb shank or something more suitable, but I’m glad I didn’t throw in the towel when I didn’t have that. Great, forgiving recipe! Thank you.
Do you discard the water before blending the cashews?
No, I blended the cashews with the water.
During cooking it wasn’t quite right and I suspect it was my own fault and I had I added too much cinnamon as it was a tad overwhelming. I then added some coconut cream, a teaspoon of honey and some fresh coriander before serving……so it still ended up delicious in the end.
I’ll be more careful next time.
I am so glad this recipe came up in my google search. The first time I made with was with left over roast lamb and it was amazing. The best homemade curry I’ve ever made apparently! It’s now my go to curry sauce. And I’ve now discovered lots of your other recipes so a win win. Thank you!
Amazing, thanks so much for your comment Amy!
Do you blend the cashews in the 2 cups of boiling water, or soak, drain, then blend?
I just blend in the water to make a super smooth cream.
Can u use almonds instead of cashews pls?
Yes, absolutely!
When must one add the cashew paste?
I’ve amended the recipe, thanks for notifying me of the mistake!
Delicious!
Thanks!