3.6/5 rating (160 votes)

Thari Walee Lamb

Lamb Curry

  • Heat Medium
  • Serves 4
  • Dietary Info LACTOSE-FREE
  • Prep 10 mins
  • Cook 1 hr

A basic Indian lamb dish.  Cooked gently, the lamb is tender and delicious in a beautifully aromatic sauce.

Hari says

A basic lamb curry - this is the dish that I craved when I left home so I learned how to make it pretty quickly. Top tip - it's all about the onions! Be patient and cook them low and slow, let them caramelise to get the dark intense flavour you are looking for and you will be amazed.

I do have to admit though that I cook this in slightly different way depending on who I am cooking for. If I am cooking for my family I will use meat on the bone, whether that be the leg that has been butchered through the bone or lamb chops. Where as for my classes I tend to use boneless leg meat or neck fillets. Cooking this dish with meat on the bone produces a wonderful intense sauce and when I'm in the privacy of my own home I like to pull out a tender morsel of meat and slurp away.

I have found from my cookery sessions that the Western pallet finds this a bit pre historic and unwelcome so you have to adapt to the situation and my boneless recipe is just as good.

  • Ingredients
  • Method
  • 600g leg of lamb (washed, trimmed & cubed)

Masala

  • 2 tbsp of oil
  • 2 large onions, peeled and diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp ginger, grated
  • 400g plum tomatoes
  • 1 tsp of turmeric
  • 1 tsp of cumin
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • Handful coriander stalks, chopped
  • 2 chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp of dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 tsp of garam masala
  • Handful coriander leaves, chopped

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and add the onions, after a few minutes stir in the chopped garlic.
  2. Cook on a gentle heat so the onions cook to a dark golden brown. This will take at least 20 minutes. If the onions catch on the pan add a splash of water and stir. 
  3. Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, ginger, salt, cumin, turmeric, chilli, coriander stalks and fenugreek. Stir together and increase the heat so the onions and tomatoes melt with the spices creating a thick aromatic masala sauce. This will take about 5-10 minutes.
  4. Add the lamb and stir-fry to seal the meat and coat with the masala sauce.
  5. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and move the pan to the smallest hob. Place the lid on the pan and allow the lamb to cook gently in it own juices. This will take between 40-60 minutes. Stir occasionally until tender.
  6. If you want more of a gravy add some boiling water and leave to simmer for another few minutes.
  7. Remove from the heat and add the garam masala, sprinkle with the fresh coriander and serve.

Served with

For me I have to have this with roti well actually more like 3 or 4 rotis. My dad would always want his roti cooked crispy and my husband likes his with rice. What i'm trying to say in a very long winded way is that amzingly this goes with whatever you want to serve it all you have to do is enjoy it!

Nutritional information

Typical values* per Serving
Calories504
Fat (g)39
of which saturates (g)12
Carbohydrates (g)28
of which sugars (g)8
Fibre (g)4
Protein (g)30
Salt (mg)683
*Based upon calculated values, supplied by myfitnesspal.com. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated.

Useful equipment

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Comments

Comments (46)

  • Scott

    Scott

    05 December 2020 at 11:36 |
    Hi Hari
    I want to make this dish tonight can I use leg or shoulder steaks

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      05 December 2020 at 14:12 |
      Hi Scott
      Leg is fine or neck fillet is fab. Shoulder is a little more fatty but have a great flavour would be delicious. Get some bones in there too. Let me know how it turns out Thanks Hari

      reply

  • Paul

    Paul

    28 June 2020 at 20:49 |
    This is seriously good. I spent an hour over the onions and cooked the lamb in the sauce for 2 hours. The result was as good as any curry I have ever had.

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      02 July 2020 at 14:28 |
      Brilliant Paul - This is one of my go to dishes and i'm thrilled you enjoyed it too.

      reply

  • Pam

    Pam

    25 April 2020 at 16:51 |
    Hi Hari

    Whenever I make the recipe it tastes deliciious but my curry comes out really dark. What am I doing wrong

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      27 April 2020 at 17:40 |
      Hi Pam It should be fairly dark in colour but not murky. If you could take a picture and post it on my app that would make it a bit easier for me to advise? Thanks Hari

      reply

  • Cathie

    Cathie

    04 April 2020 at 12:53 |
    I made this curry last night and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe :-)

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      06 April 2020 at 13:41 |
      Hi Cathie Fab to hear this - it's my go lot lab dish so i'm thrilled you loved it. Thanks for leaving a comment and have you got my free app? Thanks Hari

      reply

  • Lee Nugent

    Lee Nugent

    12 December 2019 at 10:57 |
    Hi Hari, I've made this dish a couple of times now and really enjoyed it. However, I can never get the onions to brown. I've used vegetable ghee on it's own and also mixed with a bit olive oil.
    Any ideas?
    Cheers

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      10 January 2020 at 21:15 |
      Hi Lee I wouldn't use gee for this one a bit too heavy. Sometimes it's because of the pan - an uncoated cast iron pan works. High heat at first until you stop crying then reduce the heat and leave for a good 20 mins. stir as you need to and add splashes of water to deglaze and help the browning process. Does that help? Thanks Hari

      reply

  • Nicola

    Nicola

    12 April 2019 at 08:50 |
    I made this yesterday, absolutely gorgeous- my husband said best curry he’s ever tasted!! I used a small leg of lamb that I diced, made until step 3 then put in slow cooker and cooked on low for 8 hours. My house smelt amazing all day!!! Have now downloaded your app and can’t wait to try another recipe, thankyou!!!

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      12 April 2019 at 10:34 |
      Hi Nicola Very happy to read this! I cooked this on Thursday too and it's my fav too - perfect for the slow cooker too. Looking forward to seeing your dishes appearing on the app. Thanks so much Hari

      reply

  • Sharon

    Sharon

    23 December 2018 at 22:36 |
    hi Hari
    I'm hoping to cook this for a large party of friends next week. Is this dish ok to prepare and reheat the day before?

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      07 January 2019 at 11:59 |
      Hi Sharon - it sure is, it's even better the next day!

      reply

  • anil

    anil

    23 August 2018 at 08:10 |
    Hello Hari,
    the recipe is for 4 people, but if we were to do it just for 2 people and reduce the amount of meat to half ( 300g), how do we reduce the other cooking ingredients ? would it be half? I am unsure with other recipes too that curries as I would think that you still need to cook the same amount of gravy . Thanks.

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      23 August 2018 at 08:25 |
      Hi Anil Thanks for your question, I would recommend leaving the ingredients as they are so you get a nice masala but reduce the tomatoes by half as you don't want it to be too tomatoey. That said I would encourage you to cook the full amount because you will get a better tasting gravy as you will get more juices and flavour from the meat. This dish will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge but it also freezes really well so you can have the remaining curry on another day. I hope this helps. Let me know how you get on. Thanks so much for using the website. Hari

      reply

  • John Lewis

    John Lewis

    23 June 2018 at 08:53 |
    The n
    Meat in your Thari Walee Lamb video looks strangely like chicken!
    Nevertheless I'm sure it will be just as good as the lamb.
    Love your recipes

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      24 June 2018 at 20:56 |
      Hi John yes the vid is the thari wala chicken but adapted to both lamb and chicken - hope you try it! Hari

      reply

  • Manuel

    Manuel

    13 May 2018 at 06:05 |
    Hi Hari,
    Really love your site. I‘d like to try this recipe today together with some friends. Just wanted to ask, if adding some coconut milk would be a sacrilege to this dish (or the tradition of it).
    Thanks in advance, looking forward to trying more of these nice meals.
    Greetings from Vienna, Manuel

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      14 May 2018 at 08:38 |
      Hi Manuel I love that you change dishes to suit your friends and family. This dish is a standard north Indian curry so you wouldn't really use coconut in it. But that said, if you prefer a creamy finish then go for it. I have another dish called Nariyal chicken which uses coconut and that might be one for you to try. Thanks so much for using the website. Have you downloaded the app yet? Please do then you can share you pictures with me too www.harighotra.co.uk/app Thanks Hari

      reply

  • Amy

    Amy

    22 January 2018 at 18:43 |
    This recipe looks amazing! What would I need to adjust to use lamb neck with bone in instead of fillet?

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      22 January 2018 at 19:23 |
      Hi Amy Neck fillet is great for this recipe I usually also throw in a few chops trimmed of the fat. If you cant get lamb on the bone then leg pieces are fine too. Hope that helps! Hari

      reply

  • Meic

    Meic

    13 January 2018 at 13:37 |
    Looks great, and I will make this today.
    Do you toast or fry the spices before using?

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      13 January 2018 at 13:46 |
      Hi Meic No there is no need to complicate it. Let me know what you think Thanks Hari

      reply

  • Michelle

    Michelle

    05 January 2018 at 05:27 |
    Hi...I have just discovered your site and am looking forward to giving some of the recipes a try. This one looks great....except, I really dislike the taste of fresh coriander...a lot! Do you recommend a substitute or should i just leave it out whenever a recipe calls for it? Thanks

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      08 January 2018 at 08:48 |
      Hi Michelle Welcome to the HG community. This is my basic lamb curry dish and I love it so a great one to start with. Lots of people don't like the taste of coriander so don't worry about it - I would just miss it out from the recipe. Let me know how you get on and I hope to see some pictures of your dish! You can download my app for free and post your pictures there too www.harighotra.co.uk/app Chat soon. Hari

      reply

  • Karen

    Karen

    23 November 2017 at 19:25 |
    Hi Hari,
    I'm loving your recipes. Am I OK to use ready mixed ready mixed garlic & ginger puree?? If so what ratio? Also are the plumb tomato's tinned or fresh.
    Kind Regards
    Kaz X
    P.S my minions are getting me your cook book for Christmas......on the condition I keep cooking your Mehti curry & darling hubby gets his vindaloo. Many thanks.

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      24 November 2017 at 08:10 |
      Hi Karen Thanks so much for your comments. Yes you can use ready mixed garlic and ginger - I would say 1 tsp garlic to half tsp of ginger. For this dish go heaped tsp for lots of flavour. Just be careful they don't burn on the bottom of the pan. I use tinned tomatoes for this too. Hope this helps. Hari

      reply

  • Lana

    Lana

    30 April 2017 at 08:11 |
    Hi Hari,
    I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! I love your recipes-thank you for this awesome site??

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      03 May 2017 at 10:40 |
      Hi Lana This is my all time fav too, thank you for trying it and sharing your comments. Looking forward to hearing what else you try too Thanks so much Hari

      reply

  • Rima

    Rima

    21 January 2017 at 22:42 |
    Hi, can I use lamb chops for this recipe, and if so how long would it take to cook them? Also the weight of meat to be used would still be the same?

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      23 January 2017 at 09:00 |
      Hi Rima Yes you certainly can - chops are great with this. The weight should be ok or you can have 2 or 3 chops per person. Let me know how it turns out. Hari

      reply

  • Warjinder

    Warjinder

    04 December 2016 at 18:56 |
    Used loin fillet as all they had at the supermarket. Such a flavoursome curry with my fussy kids loving it. Thank you

    reply

    • Hari Ghotra

      Hari Ghotra

      05 December 2016 at 08:41 |
      Hi Warjinder Brilliant to hear that the kids loved it - This is a favourite with my family too. Thanks so much for using the website and for leaving comments too it really helps get the recipes out there. Really happy to hear you enjoyed this dish. Thanks Hari

      reply

  • val teffahi

    val teffahi

    02 October 2016 at 13:57 |
    Hi my first visit to your site as about to start using a slow cooker and wondered at what stage you would add this to the slow cooker. Many thanks

    reply

  • Hari Ghotra

    Hari Ghotra

    11 August 2015 at 12:30 |
    Hi Nigel - Amazing!!! thanks for trying it Hari

    reply

  • Nigel

    Nigel

    10 August 2015 at 13:28 |
    Hello Hari,
    I managed to find some lamb on the bone so decided to give this recipe a try. I cooked the lamb for a bit longer and the result was really good with a pleasing depth of flavour.

    I will definitely cook this again.

    Keep those recipes coming!

    reply

  • Hari Ghotra

    Hari Ghotra

    28 July 2015 at 20:58 |
    Hi Alan - Sounds great do share your Rendang recipe with me! Thanks Hari

    reply

  • Alan

    Alan

    25 July 2015 at 08:09 |
    Hi Hari,

    I made this last night. I used my pressure cooker to cook then lamb and in just 30 minutes it was melt-in-mouth tender.

    It's a good flavoured curry! I added a couple of dried Yellow 7 Pot chillies to add a bit more heat.

    Tonight I'm making a Rendang Daging... One of my all time favourite curries

    reply

  • Hari Ghotra

    Hari Ghotra

    28 June 2015 at 07:38 |
    Hi Kelvin For Indian food I use the finger chilli (also known as rocket chilli) they are long thin and green and quite hot. Generally in Indian food you use green chillies to cook with and a little red chilli powder if you what to add more of a kick. Red chilli powder is also used for colour too. If you can't find these chillies then go for Thai or serrano. Thanks

    reply

  • Kelvin

    Kelvin

    26 June 2015 at 19:06 |
    What are the best chillies to use and do you leave the seeds in.

    reply

  • Hari Ghotra

    Hari Ghotra

    12 May 2015 at 08:49 |
    Hi Natalie
    I love using neck fillet for this dish too it works really well. Would love to hear how it comes out! Hari

    reply

  • Natalie

    Natalie

    12 May 2015 at 08:47 |
    Hi, would we be able to use neck of lamb for this dish at all? or is leg better?

    reply

  • Jeff

    Jeff

    07 December 2014 at 12:04 |
    Always sceptical when I hear a dish is perfect for the whole family, usually comes under boring!
    This basic lamb curry is really pleasant and works well for so few ingredients

    reply

  • Hannah

    Hannah

    23 May 2014 at 15:08 |
    I love this curry. So simple and fresh - and my boys love it too so the perfect dish for the whole family

    reply

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