Brian and I love lamb. In fact, I once won a lamb in a raffle after a customer’s golf outing. When I sent Brian a text telling him that I won a lamb, he responded by asking, “Where will we keep it? What will we name it?”

My response was simple, “We’ll keep it in the freezer and we’ll call it Chops.” 😂

Finding a lamb farmer at the farmers’ market this summer in McMinnville, Oregon, wasn’t on the top of my list of vendors to check out. But between our love of lamb and how finding this type of meat in our travels isn’t always possible, I bought a few things from her, including a pack of lamb shoulder meat.

Lamb Vindaloo is one of Brian’s favorite dishes to order at an Indian restaurant. I won’t lie and tell you that I came up with this dish on my own. That’s not the reality for most of us home cooks. I can tell you that I read about thirty recipes before looking in our pantry to see what I had to work with. This recipe is a combination of research, using what was in our pantry, and a basic understanding of cooking slow-braised meat.

It turned out so well, I’m already thinking about where I might be able to buy more lamb so we can have it again. Alternatively, I think the dish will work with beef and won’t hesitate to make it using beef if needed.

I served this for us with cauliflower rice and some fresh cilantro leaves. You might also serve it with a little yogurt on the side.

Slow Cooked Indian Spiced Lamb Stew

This easy lamb stew is vindaloo – esque with loads of delicious flavor. We like ours a bit spicy, but you can add or remove heat in this recipe. We love lamb, but if you can't find it or don't like it, you might substitute beef in the recipe. If you're looking for a new slow-cooked meal for this fall and winter, you won't be sorry if you try this one!

• Dutch Oven, Slow Cooker, or Pressure Cooker

• 3 tbsp Ghee (or Butter)
• 2 pounds Lamb Stew Meat (shoulder, leg, or steak will work.)
• 12 oz can Diced Tomatoes (Fire Roasted (you may use crushed))
• 1/2 cup Chicken or Beef Broth
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (diced)
• 1 Yellow Onion (diced)
• 5 cloves Garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp Ginger (grated)
• 2 tsp Garam Masala (can substitute with ½ tsp each ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground cardamom)
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon (ground)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Cumin (ground)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Coriander (ground)
• 1 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (use more or less depending on your preference for spicy food)
• 1/2 tbsp Smoked Paprika (I used Spanish Pimenton de la Vera)
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper

1. Cut the lamb into 3/4 – 1 inch cubes. Dry the cut lamb with a paper towel and season well with salt and pepper.

2. Melt butter or ghee in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in 2-3 batches, brown the lamb on all sides.

3. When all the lamb has been browned, drain all but 1-2 tbsp of fat from the pan.

4. Saute the red bell pepper and onion pan until softened. Add the ginger and the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

5. Add the dried spices to the vegetables, stirring frequently. Cook for 30 seconds until very fragrant.

6. Deglaze the pan with the broth scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan.

7. Add the tomatoes with their juices to the pot. Stir well.

8. Return the lamb to the pot. Bring to a boil and turn down as low as possible. Simmer on low for about 3 hours or until the lamb is fork tender.

Slow Cooker Instructions: 

Complete steps as above but move to slow cooker or crockpot for 4 hours on high heat or 6 hours on low heat.

Instant Pot/Electric Pressure Cooker Instructions:

Set to high sautee for browning of the meat and keep it on this function until you’ve returned the browned lamb to the pot with the tomatoes and vegetables.

Seal with pressure cooker lid (vent closed) and set to manual high pressure for 60 minutes.  Natural release for 15 minutes.  Manually release any remaining pressure.

Dinner

Asian, Indian

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