Lamb and Spinach Curry | Lamb Saag

This tasty lamb and spinach curry is slow cooked to make the meat really tender. As it's homemade it's a healthy curry too and is great when reheated.

It was National Curry week and what better way to take part than to enjoy a healthy homemade curry. I have been a curry lover for a long long time and although you can get great takeaway curries and even fantastic ready meal curries these days, nothing beats the taste of your own homemade curry.

If you've never made your own curry then just have a go at this easy lamb and spinach curry and I'm sure you'll be a convert.

Is this lamb and spinach curry easy to make at home?

Curry is not difficult to make at home. Yes, you do need a few spices, but this easy lamb and spinach curry is a great one to start with as it doesn't have a really long list of ingredients and the spices it does contain are ones that are very widely used in other recipes too.

Ingredients for this lamb and spinach curry

To make this lamb saag you'll need:

• Tomatoes - You can replace them with half a 400g tin of chopped tomateos
• Fresh root ginger - You can replace this with lazy ginger but I think fresh root ginger adds a more vibrant flavour.
• Garlic - Just like the ginger, I prefer to use fresh garlic but you can use a puree.
• Bay leaves
• Cardamom pods - Crush them slightly so they flavour the curry more.
• Cinnamon stick
• Onion 
• Whole green chillies - I keep them whole but pierce them a couple of times with a knife so they flavour the curry without making it too hot.
• Lamb - Choose a cut that is good for slow cooking.
• Ground coriander
• Garam masala
• Spinach - You can use fresh or frozen
• Fresh coriander 

How do you cook this lamb curry?

Lamb curries are best if they are cooked slowly so the lamb is really tender, which means this is a great meal to make when you are going to be at home for a few hours before you plan to eat.

There is a full recipe card further down the post but basically I fry the whole spices in a little oil for a minute then add chopped onion and chillies.

While the onion is cooking, I make a paste with the tomatoes, ginger and garlic. Then I add the ground spices and the tomato mixture. Cook for a short while and then add the lamb.

It's then just a matter of leaving it at a very gentle simmer for 3 hours. Just remember to add some spinach about half an hour before it finishes cooking.

Can you cook this lamb and spinach curry in the slow cooker?

If you want to cook this recipe in the slow cooker, follow the instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post but then transfer the curry to the slow cooker in step 4. Cook it on low for 8 hours but add the spinach an hour before the end of the cooking time.

Can you prep this curry in advance?

Yes of course. You can make it one evening, keep it in the fridge overnight and then eat it the next day. Curries are great reheated as the flavours have even more time to develop. Another curry that I like to make in advance is my easy lamb vindaloo! And my lamb bhuna curry!

Can you adapt this lamb Saag Recipe?

This tasty lamb curry is very easy to adapt. Although I love lamb curries, you can make this with chicken instead and it will still be really really tasty. If you do make it with chicken, you don't have to cook it for as long either, although cooking it slowly will help all the flavours to develop.

The fieriness of this curry, really depends upon the strength of the chilli peppers. Because the chilli peppers are left whole and just pricked, they don't make the dish too hot.

However, be careful as sometimes the chillies can split and make the whole curry a lot hotter than you might be expecting! If you are cooking it for people who can't tolerate too much eat then do feel free to omit the chillies but add extra sliced chillies to serve for those who do like it hot.

What to serve with this lamb saag?

I like to serve this lamb curry with rice and naan breads. I often make a raita to go with it and you can also see some of my homemade onion bhajis in the background of the first picture. They are really easy to make so do check them out as well!

How to store the leftover lamb saag?

Any leftover lamb saag will keep in a covered container in the fridge for up to three days. Just reheat thoroughly before serving. I usually reheat curry in the microwave but you can reheat in a saucepan or in the oven. Add a splash of water if you think it might be a little dry.

You can also freeze any leftovers for up to three months. Before eating, defrost in the fridge overnight and then reheat as above.

More tasty homemade curry recipes

I have lots of curries here on Searching for Spice including an entire recipe collection for easy homemade curry recipes!

Why not also check out my recipe collection for easy spicy recipes that are perfect for midweek. And if you're a fan of lamb then I'm sure you'll love my Indian lamb chops.

So, what's your favourite curry recipe and how will you be celebrating National Curry Week?

Recipe

Lamb Saag – Lamb and Spinach Curry

Corina Blum

This tasty lamb and spinach curry is slow cooked to make the meat super tender.   It's a healthy choice too and is great when reheated

4.44 from 30 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Curry, Main Course

Cuisine British, Indian

Servings 3

Calories 286 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 3 tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger roughly chopped or grated
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 3 green chillies whole but pierced a couple of times with a knife
• 400 g Welsh lamb diced
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• 300 g frozen spinach or fresh
• A few sprigs of fresh coriander chopped

Instructions

 

• Put the tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a food processor and blitz until smooth.
• Heat a little oil in a saucepan. When it is hot, add the bay leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Cook for about half a minute then add the onion and green chillies.
• Cook until the onion is soft (about 5 minutes) then stir in the ground coriander and garam masala as well as the ginger, garlic and tomatoes.
• Add the lamb and a dash of water. Bring to the boil then simmer very gently for 2.5 hours.
• Add the spinach. Cook for another half hour.
• Serve with rice or Indian bread with a little chopped fresh coriander on the top.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and a guideline only.

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 33gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 321mgPotassium: 1142mgFiber: 8gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 12775IUVitamin C: 35.6mgCalcium: 201mgIron: 5.3mg

Keyword lamb and spinach curry, lamb saag

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