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–+ servings
A closeup image of lamb curry over a bed of white rice in a serving bowl with a fork.

Easy Coconut Milk Lamb Curry

20 minutes prep + 3 hours cook
8 servings
Easy and delicious coconut milk lamb curry recipe! A warming dish with tender, slow-cooked lamb in a hearty curry gravy, served over white rice.

Ingredients 
US Customary - Metric

  • 3 lbs bone-less leg of lamb, cubed into chunks
  • OR
  • 3 1/2 to 4 lbs bone-in lamb loin chops
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • sea salt, as needed
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 12 medium garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp EACH: ground cumin; chili powder; turmeric; ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 3 large bay leaves
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 18 oz canned, diced tomatoes
  • 13.5 oz coconut milk, whole fat; unsweetened
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • steamed white rice, for serving

Instructions

Browning the Lamb Meat:

  • This lamb curry recipe works great with boneless leg of lamb or lamb loin chops. If using chops, leave them whole. If using lamb leg, cube the lamb into large, 1 to 1 ½-inch chunks.  
  • Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of avocado oil. Add a portion of the lamb meat to the pot, allowing ample room between the pieces. Season generously with salt and brown all over.
  • To avoid overcrowding the pan, brown the lamb meat in batches. Since this recipe uses a large amount of meat, consider browning some of the meat in a separate frying pan on the side to speed up this process.
  • Remove the browned lamb meat from the pot and set it aside.

Preparing the Curry Sauce:

  • Add a few tablespoons of butter into the same pot, along with the diced onion. Sauté the onion over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until it’s tender and translucent.
  • Next, add in the sliced garlic, sea salt, and all the spices – curry powder, coriander, cumin, chili, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and star anise. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
  • Add the diced tomatoes and coconut milk next to the mixture. Stir until the coconut milk fats are melted.
  • Return the browned lamb meat back into the pan. Pour beef broth over the lamb, just enough to cover the meat.

Cooking the Curry:

  • Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat down to very low, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
  • Cook the lamb curry until the meat is very tender and falls apart easily when pulled with a fork.
  • At the very end of the cooking process, combine the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the curry, cooking for a few more minutes, until the gravy is thickened. Stir in a few tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro.

Serving the Lamb Curry:

  • This lamb dish can be enjoyed right away once it’s done cooking. Make sure to remove the whole cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and star anise before enjoying. Garnish the curry with fresh chopped cilantro and serve over a bed of steamed white rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 996mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 216IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 5mg