Korma is a traditional Mughlai dish made with braised meat, chicken, or vegetables. It is known to be originated in the Indian subcontinent. To make the mutton korma also known a lamb korma, meat is cooked on high heat and then mixed with a rich sauce made with fried onions and yogurt. Cooked again until it’s soft and tender along with all the spices.
Ingredients for Mutton korma
Mutton/Lamb
I made mutton korma with bone-in lamb pieces. Bone will provide the extra flavor as juices will come out of the bone while cooking. If you want to use boneless lamb or goat, you can use boneless as well.
Onions
Traditionally, onions are fried until light golden brown and then blended with the yogurt sauce. I used one big onion and fried it in the oil until light golden brown. Don’t overcook onions, as soon as they turn light golden take them out because onions can keep cooking for a while even after taking them out of the oil.
Yogurt
I used full-fat yogurt to give the creaminess to this dish. I will not recommend using low-fat yogurt because you won’t be able to achieve creamy korma. Make sure to mix the yogurt well before adding it to the mutton to avoid any lumps.
Sauce
One thing to remember korma doesn’t have any tomatoes. The tanginess comes from the yogurt and onion sauce. Adjust the thickness of the sauce according to your liking by adding water. I like thick korma.
Whole Spices
I used black cardamom, green cardamom, whole black pepper, and a 1-inch stick of cinnamon. Whole spices are usually added at the beginning to release their aroma during the cooking process.
Almonds
In traditional Pakistani korma, we don’t use cashews. I like to add blanched and peeled almonds to the yogurt sauce. Trust me you don’t want to omit almonds as they will give the creaminess and a rich flavor to the korma.
Special Masala for lamb Korma Recipe
For this shadion wala korma, I made a special spice blend, that includes coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppers, cloves, black cardamom, green cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, and mace. Dry roast all of these spices and grind them to make a powder.
Alternatively, you can use regular garam masala and add ¼ tsp each of nutmeg and mace powder.
Pressure Cooking the Mutton/Lamb
Mutton takes a long time to cook. For a shortcut, after braising the meat transfer it into a pressure cooker or in an instant pot and cook for 20 minutes under pressure. For instant pot use meat settings. Once it is tender transfer it to a pan to finish the last step.
What to serve with Lamb Korma?
The soft, pillowy naan is ideal for scooping up curries, while the slightly charred tandoori roti adds a wonderful texture and taste that enhances the overall dining experience. Tarka rice, seasoned with aromatic spices provides a delightful contrast to the spices of the main dish. White rice or any other pulao will also taste good with this dish, as they serve as a neutral base that allows the vibrant flavors of the curry to shine through, making each bite an absolute delight.
Mutton Korma
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker or Instant pot optional
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs lamb or goat meat with bones or 1 KG
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 20+5 almonds
- 4+1 cups water
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 cup yogurt
Spices
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp red chili powder cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
Whole Spices
- 4 green cardamom
- 2 black cardamom
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
Special Garam Masla
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds Note 1
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp whole black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 3 inch cinnamon
- 10 green cardmom
- 1/2 nutmeg
- 1 piece mace
- 3 black cardamom
- 1 star anise
Instructions
Special Spice Blend
- To make the spice blend, add all of the ingredients to a pan and dry roast for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
- Once the spices start changing color, take them off the stove. Let them cool down, and blend to make a powder.
- You only need 2 tsp of this blend. Save the rest of it for later.
Caramelize Onions
- Peel and thinly slice onion.
- Add 1 cup of oil to a pan, add onions, and cook on high heat until onions turn light golden brown.
- Occasionally stir onions for even cooking.
- Take them out on a paper tower.
Cook your Mutton
- Take half of the oil out of the pan and in the remaining oil add green cardamoms, black cardamoms, and cinnamon stick.
- Cook whole spices for a minute and add pieces of mutton.
- Cook on high heat for about three minutes. Change the side and cook from the other side for another three minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium and add ginger and garlic paste. Keep cooking for two minutes.
- Add all of the spices and cook for two minutes on medium heat.
- Add 4 cups of water and let the meat cook on medium to low heat for about 1 hour or until meat is tender. If you are cooking in a pressure cooker or instant pot, add only 2 cups of water and cook for 20 minutes under pressure.
Yogurt Paste
- In a small bowl, add almonds and 1/2 cup of water. Microwave for 1 minute. Take the peels off the almonds.
- To make yogurt paste add yogurt, caramelized onions, and 20 peeled almonds in a blender. Blend it to make a paste.
- Once meat is 90% tender, add yogurt paste and 1/2 cup of water and keep cooking for another 10 minutes.
- Now take the lid off of the pan and cook until oil leaves the masala. It'll take about five minutes.
- Add 2 tsp of the special masala we made earlier.
- Garnish with peeled almonds, and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- To make shadion wala korma, I use my special garam masala mix. If your garam masala doesn’t have mace and nutmeg, then add 1/4 tsp of each separately.
- Don’t over-brown your onions, once they are light golden take them out of the oil as they will keep cooking once out of the oil.
- You can make this in a pressure cooker or an instant pot.