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Restaurant Style Lamb Saag

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This lamb saag recipe will get you restaurant quality results.


I have a restaurant style lamb saag recipe in my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy Bible’ which I love demonstrating at my cooking classes.

This recipe is similar to that one but in the book the recipe serve 4 or more as part of a multi-course meal. Here I show how to make it as a curry house portion to serve 1 – 2 people.

This lamb saag is amazing with plain Basmati rice or flavoured Basmati rice. You might also like to try it with naans or chapatis. Don’t forget the homemade dal and samosas! You might also like to serve this with homemade poppadoms and a selection of chutneys and raitas.

Lamb saag curry recipe

Give this a try! It’s even better with a cold beer by the Fourpure Brewing Company!

Prepared ingredients and substitutes for lamb saag.

So this is a lamb saag just like the recipe in my cookbooks. You could however try other main ingredients.

Just like when you go out for a curry and see saag on the menu, you could add something else such as chicken, paneer, king prawns, beef… Whatever sound good to you.

As this is a curry house style recipe, you will need to make a base sauce first. This is really easy and great to have on hand for that last minute curry craving. Here is one of my recipes. 

I usually make a large batch and freeze what I don’t use. It freezes really well. 

You will also need to pre-cook your lamb. Authentic lamb saag curries are made by slowly simmering the lamb until it is tender. 

Restaurants don’t usually have that much time so they use pre-cooked lamb. You might like to try my stewed lamb recipe or this lamb tikka.

For this lamb saag recipe I used leftover roast leg of lamb.

 
Ingredients for lamb saag curry

It is always a good idea to get your ingredients together before starting cooking.

Following are a few pics I took of the cooking process…

frying onions, garlic and ginger

Heat the oil in your pan over medium high heat. Fry the chopped onions for about 5 minutes and then stir in the garlic and ginger paste. Fry for a further 30 seconds.

stirring coriander (cilantro) stems into the pan

Stir in the chopped coriander (cilantro) stems.

Adding ground spices to the pan

Add the ground spices.

Stirring the sauce in the pan.

Stir it all up well.

Adding tomato puree to the pan

Add the tomato puree and bring to a simmer.

Then add a ladle or two of the base sauce and bring to a simmer. Only stir if the sauce is sticking to the pan.

Adding meat to the pan

Add the pre-cooked lamb to the pan.

Stirring the lamb into the sauce

Stir to coat the lamb with the sauce. Add more base sauce if the curry is looking dry.

Stirring spinach puree into the sauce

Stir in the spinach puree.

Stirring in the yoghurt

Stir in the spinach and add the yoghurt.

Adding kasoori methi (fenugreek) to the pan

Add the dried fenugreek (methi). Then season with salt to taste to serve.

If you like this lamb saag curry recipe, you might like to try some of these too. No base sauce required…

Railway Curry
Lamb Curry
Keralan Lamb Curry
Stir Fried Lamb
Coconut Lamb
Pre Cooked Lamb

finished lamb saag curry

So good!

Finished lamb saag curry with other curries.

Dig in!

Special Fourpure Beer Offer!

Restaurant style lamb saag is perfect paired with a cold beer from The Fourpure Brewing Company!

If you would like to try some, you can order here. Use the discount code thecurryguy20 to receive a 20% discount through the end of March 2021.

Yield: 2

How To Make Lamb Saagwala - An Indian Restaurant Favourite

finished lamb saag curry
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 110g (1/4 lb) baby spinach leaves
  • 3 green bird's eye chillies - roughly chopped
  • 1 handful coriander (cilantro) leaves
  • 2 tbsp ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil
  • 1/2 onion - finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp coriander (cilantro) stalks
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp mixed powder
  • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 70ml (1/4 cup) tomato puree
  • 250ml (1 cup) base sauce
  • 300g (11oz) pre-cooked lamb
  • 1 tbsp plain natural yoghurt
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Start by preparing the spinach. Place all of the spinach, chillies, coriander and lime juice in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. You may need to add just a bit of water to do this. Set aside.
  2. Now heat the ghee/oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat.
  3. When hot, add the chopped onions and fry for about 15 minutes until translucent and soft but not overly browned.
  4. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and allow to sizzle for about 30 seconds.
  5. Add the ground spices and stir to combine..
  6. Stir in the tomato puree and bring to a simmer. Then add a ladle or two of the base sauce and bring to a simmer, only stirring if it is sticking to the pan.
  7. Stir in the lamb and ensure it is covered in the bubbling sauce. Then stir in the spinach puree.
  8. Cook for a couple of minutes and then stir in the yoghurt.
  9. Check for seasoning and add the salt to taste.
  10. Stir in the lemon juice and sprinkle with the garam masala and dried fenugreek and serve.

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 I hope you enjoy this restaurant style lamb saag curry recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you. 

 

 

 

Dee

Monday 30th of October 2023

Hello, I am going to attempt this for my guy. I've never cooked Indian cuisine of any kind before. I'm pretty good at following recipe directions and being fairly successful. Please, what are the "2 tbsp mixed powder" ? The link brings me to the curry base gravy recipe and I don't find any mixed powder recipe. Thank you, Dee

Dan Toombs

Wednesday 1st of November 2023

You can buy mixed powder in Asian shops but if you want to make it yourself here’s my recipe.

https://greatcurryrecipes.net/2020/04/26/mixed-powder/

Beatrice

Saturday 21st of January 2023

Greetings from British Columbia. You use precooked lamb in this recipe. If using uncooked, would you braise in all the ingredients or add the spinach puree (and the finishing touches) after the lamb was cooked?

Dan Toombs

Monday 23rd of January 2023

I would add the finished spinach purée and the finishing touches after the lamb is cooked. It will take a while to cook the lamb until it’s tender so you don’t want to cook the other ingredients for that long. Thanks Dan

Michael

Wednesday 5th of October 2022

Can you tell me how you precook the lamb? I just made this in an instapot and the saag itself was great, but the lamb turned out like rubber.

Dan Toombs

Thursday 13th of October 2022

Here is my recipe for pre cooked meat which works really well

https://greatcurryrecipes.net/2013/05/29/pre-cooked-lamb/

Thanks Dan

Mark

Friday 28th of January 2022

I would love to make this, but the "mixed powder" link takes me to a base curry mix. What is the "mixed powder"? Thanks

Dan Toombs

Saturday 29th of January 2022

Here is my recipe for mixed powder

https://greatcurryrecipes.net/2020/04/26/mixed-powder/

Jen

Saturday 18th of September 2021

Thank you for this recipe, it was one of the best curries I’ve had! Worth the effort, 10/10

Dan Toombs

Friday 24th of September 2021

Thank you for letting me know, I am very pleased you enjoyed it so much. Dan

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