A great curry recipe for those who love lamb and mutton
You are about to be introduced to a lamb curry like no other! I am really happy to bring you this lamb curry that I was served at a Rajasthani restaurant in Mumbai. It was so good I asked for the recipe and actually got to go back to the kitchen to watch the chefs prepare it for other customers.
You would be amazed by the size of the huge cast iron wok they were using! Cooking in huge batches at the restaurant is always a necessity: usually two to three batches per night.
I'm sure you will agree, a lamb curry that is served on that scale in what was a small restaurant, simply has to be tried. For this reason, I have to insist that you ignore the amount of ghee used to make it so delicious.
But isn't all that ghee bad for you?
Yes, but please allow me to explain...
There is one heck of a lot of ghee used which actually becomes the sauce as it takes on the mouthwatering flavour of the meat. Usually ghee and oil are used simply to fry onions or other ingredients. They aren't 'the sauce'!
The sauce is more of a drizzling sauce than a saucy sauce. Think about the last time you dipped a nice chunk of lobster into a garlic butter sauce. It was delicious right?
But you don't go crazy with all that garlicky butter. That is unless you do.
Although there is a good amount of sauce, this is meant to be served as a dry - or should I should say juicy curry? Serve yourself some of that meat and then drizzle the leftover sauce in the pot over it and some rice. It is so good you won't want to stop eating.
It only takes a little sauce to be amazing, just like that garlicky butter sauce you dip your lobster in.
I think you are going to love every bite.
A great curry recipe is only great if it is perfect for you.
If you enjoy tasty chunks of tender meat in an unbelievably rich and gorgeous sauce, this one is for you. There are only 7 ingredients in this curry so make sure they work their magic for you. Taste and adjust as you go.
Add more chilli if you like a spicier curry or less if you don't. I recommend adding paprika instead so that you still get that eye-catching red hue you get from the Kashmiri chilli powder.
Coriander seeds offer a nice citrusy flavour. Again, you can add this to your own taste.

In the photo above, I thought I would use less ghee but ended up adding more. I had to so that the melted ghee completely covered the meat while cooking.
We are talking one heck of a lot of ghee here! Scared to try it? Then try this equally good Kashmiri lamb rista instead.
Please don't be scared off though. Instead, give it a try and prepare to be amazed at how good seven simple ingredients can taste together.
The meat juices melt into the ghee which a delicious meaty, buttery sauce. As the meat cooks, it becomes really tender.
A little sauce is all that's needed.


When adding the chilli powder and dried chillies, be careful! Personally I love a really spicy curry but if you don't, think about using a mix of chilli powder and mild paprika or just paprika.



I also like to serve this over warm chapatties with a twist of lime juice, freshly diced tomatoes and coriander and mint chutney.

7 Ingredient Lamb Curry

Ingredients
- 250 - 350ml Melted ghee*
- 1k (2 lbs.) lamb cut into small 5cm (2 inch) pieces on the bone
- 20 dried Kashmiri chillies
- 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 12 large cloves garlic
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Slice 8 of the garlic cloves lengthwise in half and blend or pound the remaining cloves into a paste. Set aside.
- Heat the ghee over medium high heat. When bubbly hot, stir in the lamb, chillies, chilli powder, coriander seeds and garlic paste and slivers.
- Give it all a good stir and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir regularly and continue cooking until the lamb is succulent and tender. Don’t rush this.
- If after 45 minutes it is not tender, continue cooking until it is. Season with salt to taste.
- An optional squeeze of lime juice over the curry is a nice touch. It wasn't added when I tried the recipe for the first time but I like it.
*This is a traditional way of cooking this great curry recipe with lots of ghee. If healthier curries are more your thing, just use about 2 tbsp ghee and add just enough water to cover the meat.
There are plenty of curries on my blog that use less oil though so I recommend that you give this curry a go just as it’s meant to be.
If you would like to try another delicious and authentic lamb curry recipe, try my railway lamb curry.
mohan kumar says
This sounds gorgeous! I’m actually considering making this!
Dan Toombs says
Great. Thanks Mohan. I hope you do. 🙂
Dan
Sean mcgee says
Lovely looking recipes as usual ,keep up the good work,own 2 of your books now best curry books I've ever bought
Dan Toombs says
Hi Sean
Thank you very much. Really nice to hear and much appreciated.
Cheers,
Dan
Ian says
I'm actually gonna give this a go in my slow cooker, really surprised there's no cumin as that seems to be a stable ingredient when making curry. Still positive it will be amazing as all of your recipes are Dan.
Dan Toombs says
Thanks Ian
This is a really authentic recipe. No cumin in it. That said, I agree. Why not. Add some if you you like. 🙂
Thanks,
Dan
Barrington Orr says
Hi Dan, which cut of lamb would you suggest using for this recipe?
Dan Toombs says
This is a slowly cooked curry so you can use cheaper cuts of meat if you like such as shoulder. Any will do though.
Thanks,
Dan
steve says
hi dan the new spice packs would I just add 1 tablespoon of it to your recipies instead of all the other spices
thanks
Dan Toombs says
Hi Steve
Not really. The new spice blends are used in a lot of my recipes. The spices in this recipe should be used as described in the recipe. Hope this helps.
Thanks,
Dan
Paul Johnson says
Is this authentic I want to cook this but I want it to taste like really home Indian cooking
Dan Toombs says
This recipe is about as authentic as they come. I love it. Hope you do too.
Thanks,
Dan
Mobasir hassan says
Love the way you described everything so nicely. It really helped me to make this recipe at home. Looking forward for more recipes.
Dan Toombs says
Hi
Good to know, I am glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks
Dan
Jane Norburn says
Cooking this on Friday as a socially distanced dinner with the next door neighbours. And will check out a Tarka Dhall recipe. Presume you have one? Yummy... Can't wait. Xxx
Dan Toombs says
Hi Jane
I hope it went well.
Thanks
Dan
Ben Newman says
Made this tonight with some trepidation given the simple recipe and the amount of chilli, but it was really sublime, my wife is now cleaning up the kitchen, that is how good it was!
Dan Toombs says
Hi Ben
Great to hear.
Thanks very much
Dan
anthony walton says
Just done this, cracking curry if you like them hot, also made the chicken tikka massala for the wife and kids, 10/10
Thank you.👍🏻
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear.
Thanks
Dan
Chloe says
My SO is dairy free but we don't mind cooking meat in fat, so could this be done with peanut or coconut oil?
Dan Toombs says
Yes, use whatever oil you can tolerate.
Thanks
Dan
Matt Barker says
Hi Dan, I like the fact this recipe only uses 7 ingredients, I love a hot curry and have a huge bag of Kashmiri chillis I need to use up, would it work with chicken? Thanks
Caroline Toombs says
I love the recipe but I have never tried it with chicken. I imagine it would work.
Thanks very much.
Dan