Authentic Lamb Korma (Mutton Korma) recipe with tender, succulent lamb slow-cooked in an aromatic yogurt and whole spice gravy.
This is Pakistani or North Indian version of Authentic Lamb Korma. It’s mildly spicy with smooth sauce and is very aromatic. This korma recipe regularly makes round to my dinner table along with other recipes like Chicken Curry, Boneless Chicken Karahi and Authentic Chicken Korma. Therefore you can be assured that you have a tried and tested recipe at hand which is easy to follow and give authentic taste.
What is Korma?
Korma or Qorma means braised meat. Korma originates from Mughal Cuisine like many other dishes like Nihari, Biryani or Rogan Josh.
Lamb Korma (Mutton Korma) is a popular curry in Subcontinent. It is mildly spicy curry that is slow cooked in onions, yogurt and aromatic spices. Sometimes almonds and cream are also added to make it more creamy and rich.
Ingredients for Lamb Korma
Lamb – Use lamb curry pieces with or without bone. The fat should be trimmed. You can also use goat meat.
Yoghurt – Plain/Greek yoghurt is the used in korma, it makes the gravy thick. Tomatoes are not used in korma so it relies on yoghurt to form the gravy. The gravy is made from fried onions and yoghurt.
Spices – lets break the spices into 2 groups . There are regular spices like red chilli powder, paprika, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder.
Then there are aromatic spices, this includes green cardamom, black cardamom, black pepper corns, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg powder and lastly mace.
How To Make Lamb Korma
- Firstly fry the onions in the oil and take them out once golden brown.
- In the same oil add all the aromatic spice, along with ginger garlic and meat. Fry until meat changes colour.
- Add the remaining spices and fry fir another minute. Add water and cook until meat is nearly done.
- Mix onions in the yoghurt using stick blender. Add it to the meat and mix.
- Allow the gravy to simmer until its thick and it absorbs all the flavours from spices.
- Sprinkle some garam masla and garnish with coriander.
What Cut Of Meat is Ideal for Korma?
Firstly lets decide Lamb or Goat. Both lamb and goat work beautifully for making authentic korma. In Australia and many Western countries, lamb is more popular due to its tender texture and mild flavour. In Pakistan and India, goat (mutton) is commonly used — it’s leaner, lower in fat, and offers a more distinct, robust flavour.
No matter you are using lamb or goat , shoulder and leg cuts are best for korma. These cuts become tender and flavorful when braised in the rich, creamy sauce of a korma. Ask your butcher to trim off the fat and cut it in small curry pieces.
Can I use Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot ?
Absolutely. Pressure cooking helps tenderise the meat quickly while preserving flavour. I try both methods, there is not much difference between taste of slow cooked meat or pressure cooked meat.
Watch How To Make Authentic Lamb Korma
Tips For Perfect Lamb Korma
- Don’t skimp on oil. It seems that this recipe is using a lot of oil but its is very essential. Korma has this distinct layer of oil on top of it and its the characteristic of a good korma.
- When frying onions make sure they don’t get too dark. The darker the onions, the darker will be the gravy colour. Just aim for light golden brown.
- Use Yoghurt at room temperature. When adding yoghurt, its important to remove the pot from heat or turn the stove off. It prevents yoghurt from getting curdled which doesn’t make good appearance in gravy and it makes it grainy. Mix the yoghurt in and then return it to the medium heat.
Serving Lamb Korma
Its best to eat Korma with naan/flatbread. Some people eat steam rice with it, but Naan is by far the best option. The scrumptious sauce definitely deserves a naan to be dipped into it.
Other Curries to Try:
Authentic Chicken Korma
Boneless Chicken Karahi
Achar Gosht
Aloo Gosht (Meat Gravy with Potatoes)
Authentic Lamb Korma
Ingredients
- 700 g Lamb(Cut Into Small Pieces) See Notes
- 1 Large Onion
- 1 Cup Plain Yoghurt See Notes
- 1 tbsp Garlic Ginger paste
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 1½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder Alt Paprika
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1½ tsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 6-8 Black Peppercorns
- Pinch Nutmeg Powder
- 5-6 Cloves
- 3-4 Green Cardamoms
- 2 Pieces Mace See notes
- 1 Black Cardamoms
- 1/2 Cup Oil
- Coriander/Cilantro for garnish
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
Instructions
- In a pot heat oil and fry onions untill golden brown.
- Takes them out on paper towel and set aside.
- In the same oil add bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, cumin, mace, green and black cardamom. Temper for a minute and add garlic ginger paste.
- Add Meat and fry until it changes colour.
- Add salt, red chilli, paprika, turmeric and coriander powder. Fry the meat for around 5-7 minutes. Add a dash of water if spices are sticking to the pan.
- Once you see oil separating, add 3/4 cup of water, cover and cook for around 30 minutes if using a normal pot. If you are using pressure cooker or Instant pot pressure cook it for 15 minutes.
- Blend yoghurt and fried onions together using stick blender. Alternatively crush fried onions with hands and mix them in the yoghurt.
- Remove the pot from heat and add yoghurt to the meat. Stir in until well combined.
- Return it back to heat and cook on medium flame until water from yoghurt evaporates and oil starts to separate.
- You can add little water to adjust the consistency of gravy. Cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle garam masala. Garnish it with some cilantro/coriander.
Notes
- Use lamb leg or shoulder pieces. Trim off the excess fat.
- Use Greek style yoghurt, Pot style yoghurt can also be used. Ensure that it’s at room temperature when adding to the curry, this prevents it’s from splitting and getting curdled.
- Mace is outer covering of nutmeg. You can use whole piece or powder. Don’t add to much as its quite overpowering in flavour.
This is an amazing Korma recipe. I used goat instead of lamb, turned out perfect, balanced spices and beautifully aromatic. The recipe is literally so easy to follow and simple.