Easy Lamb Balti recipe made with fall apart tender lamb and delicious aromatic homemade curry sauce. If you love Indian restaurants curries, you will definitely enjoy this lamb curry.
We love to cook both homestyle and British Indian Restaurant style lamb curries at home. Here are our reader's favourite Lamb Mince Curry and Easy Lamb Keema Rice recipes you might like to try out.
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What is Lamb Balti?
This balti curry is one of the most popular British Indian Restaurant dishes and also known as Balti Gosht. ' Balti ' means bucket and ' Gosht ' means red meat, lamb, mutton, or beef. Balti curry is originated in Northern India and Pakistan and is recreated in Britain. Basically, a slow-cooked lamb masala curry loaded with tomato-based sauce served in a pressed steel bowl. The cooking method and spices used can be varied depending on the restaurants and family's own recipes. In this recipe, I am sharing our homemade version of lamb balti curry from scratch with simple everyday ingredients.
With this recipe, you can make better than takeaway posh lamb curry without much hassle.
Following is a quick guide and detailed measurements in the recipe card.
What do we need
Lamb - lamb shoulder, lamb leg, or stew meat are ideal to make lamb balti curry. Or you can also try it out with bone-in lamb pieces, mutton, beef, or chicken. Beef and bone-in lamb will take a bit longer to get tender.
Herbs and Spices - you will need a handful of cupboard-friendly herbs and spices. Most of these ingredients can be easily bought at local supermarkets and grocery stores.
Cumin seeds - are also known as whole Jeera/zeera. It has a strong warming distinct flavour, which is ideal for use in this curry. You can substitute cumin seeds with ground cumin ( Jeera powder ).
Bay Leaves - dried bay leaves have a pungent warm aroma and they get the best fragrant when you sauté them in the hot oil or ghee.
Cardamom - dried cardamom pods are sweet, spicy, citrusy, and widely used in Indian curries. You can slightly crush the cardamom pods or add them as a whole.
Garam Masala - is a ground spices blend that usually consists of black pepper, chilli, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, nutmeg, etc. You can find it in most supermarket Asian aisle or spice counters. You can add in the marinade and also in curry sauce.
Customise the spices - you don't need to add exact same spices used in this recipe. If you prefer milder curry sauce, you can add paprika instead of chilli powder. Paprika brings vibrant red colour with a mild peppery flavour.
Tomatoes - Usually thick balti gravy is made from tomato and onions. I used large vine-ripened tomatoes in this recipe. You can also use tinned chopped tomatoes or tomato passata.
Yoghurt - I love to add yoghurt in lamb curries for a rich tangy creamy gravy. Highly recommend adding in this recipe. Add plain natural full fat yoghurt which is less likely to curdle when you add in the hot curry. Yoghurt should be at room temperature before you add in the gravy. Instead of yoghurt, you can also add heavy cream or double cream.
How to make it
- Heat the large heavy-bottom saucepan into medium heat, drizzle vegetable oil and ghee. Once the ghee is melted, add bay leaves, cardamom, cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds.
- Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Follow with the grated garlic, ginger and stir well until the onions are slightly brown.
- Next add the lamb pieces and continue stir until the meat is no longer pink.
- Then add the spices, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, and salt to taste.
- Cook for another 1-2 minutes and add the chopped tomatoes. Continue cook until the tomatoes are soft and reduced.
- Next pour the water in and bring it to simmer. Close and lid and cook with low-medium heat for 45 mins to 1 hour until the lamb is soft and tender. Give a good stir occasionally.
- Now stir in yoghurt and continue cook for another 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle garam masala, chopped coriander and fresh green chillies.
Recipe Tips
- Use natural or plain yoghurt and add the room temperature yoghurt to prevent it from forming curdle.
- To eliminate gamey flavour of the lamb, remove excess fat from the lamb and add a good amount of freshly grated ginger and garlic.
- Slow cooking is the key to achieve the juicy tender meat result and worth the wait.
- Instead of thin saucepans use heavy-duty pots such as dutch oven, cast iron or heavy-bottom stainless steel pots which absorbs and distribute heat evenly.
Frequently asked questions
Simply serve it with plain basmati rice, vegetable pulao rice, naan, garlic naan, flatbread or chapati. If you are on a low-carb diet, you can also serve it with brown rice or cauliflower rice according to your taste.
Balti curries are usually a tomato-based medium hot flavour. You can always adjust the chilli powder and fresh chillies amount to your taste when you make it at home.
Yes, you can make this dish one day ahead, once it is cooled, store it in an air-tight container in the fridge. It usually lasts in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can freeze it in an air-tight container or bag for later use. It usually lasts in a freezer for a couple of months.
You can simply reheat it over the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot just before serving. Add a splash of water if the gravy is too thick. Add freshly chopped coriander and green chillies to freshen up the dish while reheating.
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📖 Recipe
Lamb Balti
Ingredients
- 500 g Boneless lamb ( about 18oz ) lamb leg/shoulder/stew meat
- 3-4 Onion Shallot onion or brown onion
- 4 cloves Garlic Finely grated/paste
- 1 tbsp Ginger Finely grated/paste
- 2-3 Tomatoes Vine ripened tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Oil Vegetable, canola, sunflower or neutral flavoured oil
- 1 tbsp Ghee Or unsalted butter
- 2 tsp Salt Or salt to taste
- 1½ cup Water Warm water, add more water if needed
- 2 tbsp Yoghurt Natural yoghurt or plain full fat yoghurt
- 3-4 Green chilli Cut half lengthways
- handful Coriander Roughly chopped
- ½ tsp Garam masala To add in the finishing
Spices
- 2-3 Bay leaves
- 4-5 Green cardamom
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
Instructions
- Heat the large heavy-bottom saucepan into medium heat, drizzle vegetable oil and ghee. Once the ghee is melted, add bay leaves, cardamom, cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds.
- Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Follow with the grated garlic, ginger and stir well until the onions are slightly brown.
- Next add the lamb pieces and continue stir until the meat is no longer pink.
- Then add the spices, turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, and salt to taste.
- Cook for another 1-2 minutes and add the chopped tomatoes. Continue cook until the tomatoes are soft and reduced.
- Next pour the water in and bring it to simmer. Close and lid and cook with low-medium heat for 45 mins to 1 hour until the lamb is soft and tender. Give a good stir occasionally.
- Now stir in yoghurt and continue cook for another 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle ½ tsp of garam masala, chopped coriander and fresh green chillies.
Video
Notes
- Spices - Most of the spices used can be bought at supermarket Asian aisle, spice counter, or local Asian grocery stores.
- Lamb - Instead of lamb you can use beef, mutton, or chicken and create your favourite balti curry.
- Tomato - Use vine-ripened tomatoes or tinned chopped tomatoes.
- How to serve this dish? You can simply serve with plain basmati rice, pulao rice, naan, garlic naan, chapati, or flatbread. Add Indian-style onion and tomato salad on the side.
- Cooking time can be slightly varied depending on the lamb cut and cookware. It usually takes about 45 minutes to one and half hours to become tender.
- Use a heavy bottom pot which is best for slow cooking recipes.
Leonie Clarke says
Are the onions chopped or sliced?
James Phillips says
Can you double up on recipe ?
Khin says
Yes, you can double all of the ingredients and spices.
Andy says
What a curry, thanks for your recipe.
Gorgeous.
Chris Warman says
I have just followed your recipe and wow, wow, just wow! Nice heat nothing too mind blowing, the flavours were absolutely gorgeous! This is my first attempt, and I wouldn't change a thing! My first time making one of your recipes too, thank you so much!!!!!
Android says
Looks so yummy.
Can this recipe be cooked with goat shoulder as well?
Khin says
Hi Andriod, this curry goes well with goat shoulder. Hope you enjoy trying out.
Frank says
Very detailed and very easy to follow. It’s obvious you’ve put a lot of effort in all your recipes! Thank you Khin.
Khin says
Thank you Frank. Hope you enjoy this new curry recipe.
Martha says
I always order chicken balti from curry house. Now I have to try your recipe. Is it ok to cook with chicken breast?
Khin says
Hi Martha, you can definitely use chicken breast. It takes less time to cook. Hope you enjoy this homemade balti sauce.
May says
Unique recipe. Would love to try!
Thanks
Khin says
Hope you enjoy it, May!