Easy Lamb Korma Stew (Keto, Paleo, Whole30)

This Jamie Oliver-inspired Lamb Korma is creamy, rich, and super aromatic. With toasted spices and loads of fresh herbs, the boneless lamb leg meat is melt-in-the-mouth tender. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make this lamb stew. If you love food, wine, and dinner with friends and family, this easy Lamb Korma recipe is perfect for a smaller gathering!

The original recipe was published in 2016. The update includes new photos and recipe writings to make the instructions more clear and simpler to follow.

Keto and Dairy-Free Lamb Korma Recipe

I found myself sharing lamb recipes a lot more in December. Perhaps it’s the cold weather or the holiday season, making a pot of lamb stew feels warm and festive for the holiday season. 🙂

I decided to revisit this older recipe and give it a fresh new look and simplify the cooking steps to make it easier to follow.

The boneless lamb leg meat is slowly simmered in the coconut cream sauce with all the warming spices and herbs until it soaks up all the delicious flavors. Surprisingly much EASIER and FASTER to make!

So don’t feel intimidated to make a pot of lamb stew at home! If you are hosting a smaller holiday dinner this year with a party of 2 or 4 people, this dish will be perfect!

What is korma

According to Wikipedia, Korma is an indian dish with mild curry meat or vegetables braised in yogurt, cream, spices, and stock to create a thick creamy sauce.

The Korma style of cooking is similar to western braising techniques. The meat is first seared under high heat then slow simmered to fork tender with minimum of added liquid.

Today’s recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s homemade Indian curry korma paste.

Ingredients for lamb korma

I’ve simplified the recipe and make it easier to make. Here are some key ingredients –

• Lamb – I recommend using boneless lamb leg meat or lamb leg steak. Good quality lamb meat is the key to a pot of flavorful lamb stew. Using freshly cut lamb meat is the best.
• Fresh Herbs – garlic, ginger, cilantro, and shallots (or yellow onions)
• Dry Spices – Garam masala, cumin, coriander, shredded coconut, and almond flour.
• Coconut Cream – I use Whole Foods 365 brand coconut cream from a can. Whole Foods canned full fat coconut milk used to be thick and creamy but recently they diluted the texture and it became too thin. So now I recommend using their coconut cream, if you are buying it from the same source.

How to make homemade Lamb Korma

Trust me, I had a fear of making lamb dishes because growing up cooking lamb – with the exception of ground lamb meat – is not a common choice my family would make at home. We do, however, love ordering lamb curry when we eat out so here are the simplified steps to make a pot of delicious stew!

Lightly season the lamb with coarse sea salt. Sear and brown it over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven.

Set the lamb aside to cool before you dice them to chunks.
Use the fat to saute freshly chopped herbs until fragrant.

Lower the heat and add the spices and lightly roast for 30 seconds.

Add the coconut cream and return the diced lamb to the Dutch oven. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or until the lamb is fork tender.

[Optional] I stirred-in the mushrooms and baby spinach for texture and color. To finish the dish, season it with salt and lime juice to taste and marble the stew with thick creamy yogurt.

What Type of Lamb To Use

I recommend using boneless lamb leg meat or lamb leg steak. Good quality lamb meat is the key to a pot of flavorful lamb stew. Using freshly cut lamb meat is the best.

It’s also good to know that American lamb is fed with grains so the flavor is sweeter whereas the grass-fed lamb from New Zealand or Australia have stronger and more intense flavor.

The Cooks Illustrated and Mashed articles will help you learn more about different cuts of lambs and the flavor intensity.

Storage tips

This lamb korma recipe tastes great even the day after. I recommend best finishing it the next day or within 3 days when stored in the refrigerator.

What to serve with lamb korma

Traditionally the dish is served with rice and/or naan bread. Here are some suggestions if you prefer to keep it lower in carb.

• Broccoli fried rice
• Shirataki fried rice with garlic chips
• Tatsoi salad Asian greens
• Lemon garlic broccoli
• mung bean sprouts salad recipe
• Asian-Style Chopped salad

More Lamb and Curry dishes

• Xi’an Cumin Lamb Meatballs
• Homemade Chicken Korma
• Roasted lemon chicken legs
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Chicken Curry
• Mini Lamb Burgers
• Thai Green Curry Chicken
• Dutch oven roasted red curry whole chicken
• Whole30 vegan vegetarian curry