Guyanese lamb curry is tender chunks of lamb marinated in spices and aromatics, cooked in a delicious sauce. It is my husband’s favorite curry so I make it for my family on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.
Guyanese Lamb Curry
Lamb curry or curry lamb… no matter what you call it, just make sure it’s delicious! This isn’t traditional Indian lamb curry but the Guyanese variation of this dish still packs plenty of flavor. I infuse Caribbean green seasoning with dry spices to create a rich, mouthwatering foundation for this recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Lamb Curry Recipe
- A Family Favorite: Lamb is a delicacy so whenever I make it, it’s a treat for the family. It’s hearty and perfect for cold weather so it’s super satisfying during the winter to indulge at the dinner table surrounded by loved ones.
- Versatile: This recipe includes Whole30 and paleo friendly options.
- Flavorful: Curry lamb is known for its rich, deep, and complex flavors. The combination of aromatic spices and slow-cooked lamb is savory, spicy, and so satisfying.
Ingredients for Lamb Curry
Curry lamb is an aromatic dish that combines tender pieces of lamb with a flavorful curry sauce. The curry sauce is a combination of Guyanese green seasoning and an array of spices.
- Lamb: I use both bone-in and boneless cuts of lamb. Lamb is not always readily available in Denver, CO so I use what I can find. Cut the boneless lamb into 2-inch chunks and cut around the meat on the bone-in pieces to create 1-2 inch chunks.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour or cassava flour (for a gluten-free option) to remove the gamey taste from the lamb.
- Green Seasoning: Once the lamb has been adequately cleansed season it with a bit of green seasoning made from fresh aromatics: scallions, yellow onion, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, basil leaves, parsley, wiri wiri pepper and ginger. Then reserve the rest for the masala paste.
- Curry powder: When I am making this for my children I use a mild yellow curry powder when I am making it for others, I love to use Indi Madras Curry Powder.
- Roasted ground cumin: I prefer the taste of geera versus store bought ground cumin. Geera is made by toasting whole cuming until it is almost black, then grinding it up.
- Garam Masala: This adds to the richness of the dish.
- Amchar Masala(optional): Very similar to garam masala this spice blend adds a depth of flavor to the curry.
- Ground coriander: Coriander works really well with red meat. I carry that flavor through from the coriander leaves (cilantro) in the green seasoning and then ground coriander seeds in the dried spices.
- Ground mustard (optional): Gives the dish a little kick.
- Oil: Used for cooking the masala paste
- About 3 cups of water: For the stove top version of the recipe. Use less for the instant pot recipe.
- Gold Potatoes: Adds to the thickness of the curry.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Lamb Curry
Prepare Lamb
Add the lamb to a large bowl, then sprinkle generously with flour. Mix well, then set aside and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly in order to remove all of the flour and drain any excess water, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Then add 1 teaspoon of salt to the lamb and mix in.
Then make a marinade or green seasoning by combing all of the aromatics with about 1/4 cup of water in a blender and blending until smooth. Add two tablespoons of the green seasoning to the lamb, then mix well. Cover and let marinate on the counter for 20-30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator if time allows.
Make Curry Paste
When ready to cook, pour the remaining green seasoning into a bowl, followed by all of the ground spices and 3/4 cups of water. Mix well to form a curry paste and set aside.
Cook Curry
Add oil to a large pot suitable for stews, on high heat. When the oil comes up to temperature, add the curry paste and cook stirring often until all the liquids cook down and a thick, almost dry paste is left. This should take about 10 minutes. (You may add an additional 2 tablespoons of oil if it starts to stick or burn.)
Sauté Lamb to Curry
Add a third of the seasoned lamb to the pot and sauté until most of the pink color is gone. Continue to add lamb to the pot gradually. Continue to sauté on high until all the pink color of the lamb is no longer there and the lamb starts to brown. Then reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
After about 5 minutes lots of juices from the lamb would have formed a sauce in the pot, give the lamb a stir then cover again and let those juices cook down to form a very thick curry sauce. Once this happens add 1 cup of water to your lamb and bring that water to a boil.
Slow Cook Curry Lamb
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to simmer (low), and let the lamb slow cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check the tenderness of the lamb, if more cooking is needed add 1/2 cup of water, mix well, cover and continue to cook on simmer
Check the lamb again after 20 to 30 minutes and add more water if needed. After about 1 1/2 hours of total slow cooking, your lamb should be ready, check the lamb to see if it has the desired tenderness. You may also add 1/2 cup more water at this point if the curry is too thick
If you choose to add some water at the end, you should increase the heat to medium and bring the curry to a quick boil to allow that little bit of water to cook into the curry sauce. Remove from the heat and enjoy warm.
Make it in the Instant Pot
I don’t always have time to braise lamb on the stove top for curry. When I need lamb curry in a hurry, I add it to my instant pot and it is ready in less than 30 minutes. Here’s how.
This step is optional but I love to sauté some yellow onions first before adding in the curry paste. Then I cook the curry paste until all of the liquid cooks off and it is thick and almost burning, but be careful not to burn it.
Add your marinated lamb to the instant pot and let cook untouched for 2-3 minutes. Then stir to move the lamb at the top to the bottom of the pot, then let that cook untouched for 2-3 minutes. This well allow the curry paste to marry with the lamb. Then add in your peeled potatoes whole, followed by 1/4 cup of water. Seal up and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
Once the pressure cooking cycle completes, vent the instant pot using the rapid release function. Then add in your wiri wiri peppers so that they can steam and give your lamb curry a good stir to mix everything well and break up the potatoes a bit. Be careful not to make all of the potatoes mushy.
The Youtube Video Tutorial:
I made a video tutorial to make it easier for you to follow the recipe. Take a look for tips and essential steps, before trying the recipe! In this video I am cooking boneless lamb, but you can also use bone-in lamb.
Storage
Store leftover lamb curry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. rehat in the microwave or over medium heat until it’s warmed through.
Tips for the Best Lamb Curry
- Keep your freezer stocked with lamb so you can make this recipe whenever the craving strikes. I keep a leg of lamb in my freezer for moments when I want to make easy lamb curry or lamb stew and can’t get to Sam’s Club.
- After combining the green seasoning and spices, stir continuously in order to prevent your curry from burning.
- Add lamb slowly for even cooking. Add a portion, mix well, sauté, and then add more, and so on.
- Be sure to brown the meat. This gives the lamb a golden brown crust that locks in the flavor.
- Once all of the lamb has been sautéed, cover the pot. This makes a delicious gravy that cooks down into a thick curry sauce.
- Save time by making instant pot lamb curry. This recipe takes time to slow cook on the stovetop, by using an instant pot or pressure cooker is a great shortcut! Brown your meat on the stovetop, then add it to your instant pot and you’ll have tender lamb in 30 minutes. See below for the recipe card with instant pot instructions. Don’t have an instant pot, buy one here. It will change the way you cook!
Ways to enjoy your Lamb Curry:
This dish is best enjoyed with paratha roti or Dhal Puri or Potato Roti but you can also have it with some white or jasmine rice. I like mine with Coconut Cauliflower Rice or with gluten free roti (since I can no longer enjoy real deal roti).
Frequently Asked Questions
Lamb shoulder or stew meat is ideal for curry. Boneless lamb is great for convenience but use bone-in lamb for a deeper flavor.
Lamb meat is a tough cut that takes time to cook. On the stove, it takes nearly 2 hours and in the instant pot, the cook time is about 45 minutes.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, lambs are sheep that are below one year old. Mutton refers to adult sheep.
Lamb Curry (Whole30/Paleo)
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs lamb can use bone-less or bone-in
- 1/2 cup All Purpose flour use cassava flour to keep this gluten free
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 scallions
- 1 yellow onion divided
- 6-8 cloves garlic
- 4 thyme sprigs leaves removed from the stems
- 3 large basil leaves
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled
- 3 1/4 cups water divided
- 4 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin or geera
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Amchar Masala (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 2-3 tablespoons oil
- 2-3 wiri wiri pepper may use 1/4-1/2 habanero
- 3 Gold Potatoes peeled
Instructions
- Add the lamb to a large bowl, then sprinkle generously with flour. Mix well, then set aside and let rest for 5 to 10 minute. Then rinse thoroughly to remove all of the flour and drain any excess water and pat dry with a kitchen towel or a few sheets of paper towels.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the lamb and set aside, while you make the green seasoning.
- To make the green seasoning add the scallions, 1/2 of the yellow onion, the garlic, thyme leaves, basil, parsley, cilantro, ginger and 1/4 cup of water and blend until a smooth paste forms.
- Add two tablespoons of the green seasoning to the lamb. Mix to combine, cover and marinate on the counter for 20-30 minutes or in the refrigerator for overnight, if time allows.
- When ready to cook, add the remaining green seasoning to a bowl, along with the curry powder, geera (roasted ground cumin), garam masala, amchar masala (if using), ground coriander, ground mustard (if using) and 3/4 cups of water. Then mix to form a smooth paste.
- Next, add a large pot suitable for stews to medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil and when the oil is hot add the curry paste you prepared above.
- Cook the curry paste, stirring often until all of the liquids cook off and it is a thick dry paste (about 5-8 minutes). Be careful not to burn the curry paste. If it starts to stick to the pot before the liquid cooks off, add a bit more oil.
- Then add the seasoned lamb in batches so that it gets a good sear. I like to add a third of the lamb to the pot and cook until most of the pink color is gone. Then add another third and another until all the lamb has been added to the pot.
- Next cover the pot and let it cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes before adding any water to the pot. After about 5 minutes the juices from the lamb, mix with the curry paste to create a sauce. Continue to cook the lamb uncovered until those juices cook off.
- Then increase the heat to high, add 1 cup of water to your lamb and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to simmer (low) and let the lamb slow cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check the tenderness of the lamb add another 1/2 cup of water, increase the heat to high. Bring the liquids to a boil again, then reduce back to a simmer, cover and continue cook. Alternatively you could add boiling water to the pot and cook on a low simmer instead of having to manage the heat every time you add water to the pot.
- After an hour of cooking, cut the potatoes into quarters, add them into the pot, mix well and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes or until the potatoes and lamb are fork tender.
- Boneless lamb takes about 1 1/2 hours to slow cook and bone-in lamb tables 2-2 1/2 hours. Once your lamb is your desired tenderness remove from the heat and serve warm over rice or with roti.
Make it in the Instant Pot
- Set the instant pot to sauté and when it is hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot add the curry paste you prepared above. Cook the curry paste, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot, until all of the liquid cooks down. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the marinated lamb and mix well. Then allow to cook untouched for a few minutes. Stir and allow to cook untouched for another minute or two. Repeat this step for a total of 10 minutes to allow the curry flavors to marry with the marinated lamb.
- Add the potatoes into the instant whole, along with 1/2 cup of water. Mix well, making sure to free any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pot. Then take the instant pot out of sauté mode. Seal up the instant pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking cycle completes, vent the instant pot using the rapid release function. Give your curry a stir, taking care not to crush all of the potatoes. Then add the wiri wiri peppers to steam in the the sauce. If your curry has too much liquids, use the sauté function and cook it for an additional 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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