Lamb · Slow cooker adaptation

SharMiss Easy Lamb Curry (Slow Cooker)

SharMissCooking's easy lamb curry, adapted for the slow cooker. Marinate the lamb in yoghurt and spices, brown the onions hard with whole spices, then long low cook until the meat is fork-tender and the onions have melted into the gravy.

R By Richard · Adapted from SharMissCooking · Published 4 June 2026
⏱Prep 35 min
🍲Slow cook 5 hr (Low) / 3 hr (High)
🍽Serves 4
Easy Slow Cooker Indian Lamb Curry

Source video by SharMissCooking on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

Sharmi's hob version takes about an hour from marinade to plate; the slow cooker version preserves the entire hob build (the marinade, the whole-spice temper, the slow onion brown, the lamb hard-fry until oil separates) and gives the lamb the time it really wants to fall apart. Yoghurt-and-spice marinade for 15-20 minutes, whole spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay) bloom in neutral oil, two large white onions are browned slowly until nutty golden, then the marinated lamb goes in and chips hard until the oil separates. The whole thing transfers to the slow cooker with a cup of hot water and 5 hours low later, the lamb is tender, the onions are melted into the gravy. Mild, flavourful, beginner-friendly.

Slow cooker notes: Sharmi's hob version simmers the lamb covered for 10-15 minutes after the spice build. The slow cooker version preserves every hob step (marinade, whole-spice temper, slow onion brown, lamb fry until oil separates) and replaces the short simmer with 5 hours low so the bone-in lamb fully tenderises. Water trimmed from her 1 cup hob (she finishes drier) to 1 cup in the slow cooker as well, the lid traps moisture. Pinch of sugar at the end and the second half of garam masala go in unchanged.

Ingredients

Marinade
  • 1 kgbone-in lamb (leg), cut into 3-4 cm curry pieces
  • 0.5 cupnatural yoghurt
  • 1 tbspginger-garlic-chilli paste, from 1.5 inch ginger + 7 garlic cloves + 2 green chillies, blitzed with salt
  • 2 tbspground coriander
  • 1 tspground cumin
  • 2 tspturmeric
  • 2 tspKashmiri chilli powder
  • 0.5 tspgaram masala
  • 1.5 tspfine salt
Cook
  • 3.5 tbspneutral cooking oil
  • 5 leavesbay leaves
  • 1 stickcinnamon stick
  • 4 podsgreen cardamom pods, lightly bashed
  • 5 clovescloves
  • 2 onionslarge white onions, thinly and evenly sliced, hard woody core removed
  • 1 cuphot water, from a recently boiled kettle
Finish
  • fine sugar (add late)
  • 0.5 tspgaram masala (add late)
  • fresh coriander, roughly chopped (add late)

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine the lamb pieces with the ginger-garlic-chilli paste, yoghurt, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, half (0.5 tsp) of the garam masala and 1.5 tsp salt. Mix thoroughly so every piece of meat is coated. Cover and rest for 15-20 minutes.

    ~20 min

  2. Meanwhile, slice the onions thinly and evenly, removing the hard woody root section.

    ~5 min

  3. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds until very fragrant, keep your face back, they can splatter.

    ~1 min

  4. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-low, stirring often, for about 10 minutes until nutty golden brown. Don't rush, this stage gives the gravy its sweetness, body and colour.

    ~10 min

  5. Add the marinated lamb. Stir constantly on medium-high for 5 minutes to seal the meat, then cover and cook for another 5 minutes so the lamb releases its juices.

    ~10 min

  6. Lift the lid and turn the heat up. Cook hard for 5-8 minutes, stirring, until the liquid has reduced and the oil starts to separate from the spice mass.

    ~8 min

  7. Tip everything into the slow cooker. Pour in 1 cup of hot water and stir.

    ~2 min

  8. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or high for 3 hours, until the lamb is fork-tender and the onions have completely melted into the gravy.

    ~300 min

  9. Stir in a pinch of sugar and the remaining 0.5 tsp garam masala for the last 5 minutes.

    ~5 min

  10. Fish out the whole spices (optional, they're fine to leave in but unpleasant to bite). Scatter chopped fresh coriander and serve with basmati rice, naan or roti.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked

Why not just throw everything in the slow cooker raw?
The onion brown and the lamb fry are where the curry gets its colour and depth. Raw onions in a slow cooker stay watery and pale; raw lamb in the same pot reads as boiled, not braised. Twenty minutes on the hob first is the difference between Sharmi's curry and a thin imitation.
Can I use boneless lamb shoulder?
Yes, diced boneless lamb shoulder is a clean swap. You lose a little of the bone-marrow richness but it cooks slightly faster and the gravy is just as good. Stick to the same time on low; check at the 4-hour mark.
Mild as written, how do I crank the heat?
Sharmi's recipe is intentionally mild. For more heat, add 1-2 hot green chillies to the marinade, or swap half the Kashmiri chilli powder for hot red chilli powder. Don't change the Kashmiri amount, it's doing the colour work, not the heat work.
Extraction notes (transparency): All major quantities clearly stated by Sharmi. Salt 'salt' not quantified explicitly for marinade or final, recorded as 1.5 tsp marinade salt (standard for 1 kg lamb), pinch of sugar stated.