Lamb and Mushroom Curry: A New Take on an Old Recipe

Mushrooms have long been a favorite food of mine. I especially love mushrooms in curries and stews that cook for an extended time. They soak up all the flavors of the other ingredients and become wonderfully tender. So when I got my hands on a boneless leg of lamb, a meat that does well with long, slow cooks, I knew mushrooms would be included in the recipe. And what better recipe than a Lamb and Mushroom Curry?

I initially found this recipe in a Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook published in 1989. Their recipe for lamb curry looked tasty, and would easily accommodate mushrooms. The recipe as written would have been fine without mushrooms, but the mushrooms add extra bulk to the dish. And since mushrooms are so low calorie, they bulk up the curry without adding significant calories.

Another update I made to the original recipe was the spicing. I used 2 tablespoon of curry powder instead of 3 because the curry I buy from a local roastery is on the spicier side. I also doubled the quantity of cinnamon. Cinnamon is a spice commonly used in curries, and it adds a subtle almost sweetness to any dish. I also added a teaspoon of garam masala to give the curry an Indian flair.

curry with serving spoon rice and cilantro

Slow Cooking with a Big Payoff

This curry cooks for a long time. And it needs to for the lamb to become tender. Lamb is generally a tougher meat and truly shines when simmered for an extended time. When simmered for a long time, the lamb becomes fall apart tender and lends all of it flavors into the curry.

For this recipe I chose to use the oven to do the slow cooking. That got the job done in 2 hours. However, if you’re more of a set it and forget it person, you could just as easily use the slow cooker to make this dish. If you want to use the slow cooker, for best results do all of the frying and then instead of bringing it to a boil, move everything into the slow cooker and cook. For an even easier recipe, you could put everything straight into the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. If you don’t do the frying, you might need to add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste at the end of the cook cycle to thicken the curry.

served curry with bowl of rice and curry pot

How to Make Lamb and Mushroom Curry Your Own

This Lamb and Mushroom Curry is delicious as written, but also endlessly customizable. If mushrooms aren’t your thing, or if you’re not counting calories, you can substitute in cubed potatoes. Another fun addition would be squash. Cubed pumpkin would be fantastic in this curry.

Another change you could make is the spicing. I appreciated the addition of garam masala, but if you don’t have any, you can easily skip it. The curry powder alone adds plenty of flavor. Speaking of curry powder, you can use anywhere from 1 – 3 tablespoons of curry powder. If you don’t like any spice, only use 1. If you like it spicy, use 3. Or if you like it moderately spicy, use 2.

As a final option, you’ll notice that I recommend coating the lamb in flour before frying it. This makes browning easier and slightly helps to thicken the final curry. But, you could skip the flour and just brown the lamb raw. If you go this route though, make sure you dry the lamb well beforehand.

lamb and mushroom curry in dish with spoon and lid and rice

What Can I Serve with Lamb and Mushroom Curry?

Try some of these suggestions to serve your Lamb and Mushroom Curry:

Serve your curry with white rice or try my Turmeric Yellow Basmati Rice.
Add my Naan Bread with Sour Cream to your plate to soak up all of the curry’s juices.
Serve Potato Chickpea Samosas with assorted chutneys as a fun side dish.

Or if you’re not sold on curry, try my Crock Pot Bison Roast for a different take on slow cooked meat and mushrooms.