Kerala Lamb Stew
Put the lamb in the coconut and shake ’em both up
First, confessions – I cheated a little bit. Not on keto, that’s still going strong. I cheated in calling this a Keto Kerala lamb stew, when in actuality I’ve used mutton. You see, in India, we don’t really get lamb. We get goat meat, which is locally called mutton. Now mutton everywhere else in the world is old lamb, which is a different beast altogether. So while I’ve used mutton (goat), it’ll taste just as great, possibly even better with a nice cut of lamb.
But onward to the recipe. This is a dish from Kerala in the south of the country. Chunks of lamb are simmered in coconut milk, spiced with pepper, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, ginger and garlic to make a sublime stew. It’s best eaten hot with some cauliflower rice, but keto bread is just as good to mop it all up with. Now my wife, who is from Kerala, disputes the authenticity of my dish (she’s hissing “cultural appropriation” as I type this), but there’s no disputing that it is delicious. Just ask my Dad who stepped in to taste it!
Using the pressure cooker and other meats
Now, for this Kerala lamb stew, given that I’m using mutton, which is a fairly tough meat, I cooked it in the pressure cooker, as that is the ideal way to cook it. The pressure cooker not only saves time, but it also breaks down the meat well, making it extremely tender and succulent. This recipe is actually based on an older recipe of mine called ‘Chicken Karistew‘ which is a dish I made for the band Karnivool when they were on the show. If lamb or mutton are not your thing, I would recommend chicken for this recipe.
Nutrition Info (Per serving)
- Calories: 284
- Net Carbs: 3g
- Carbs: 4g
- Fat: 20g
- Protein: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
This recipe makes 3 servings. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal.
Kerala Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 200 grams Boneless Mutton You can also use lamb
- 200 ml Coconut Milk
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil Try this one
- 2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste I recommend this
- 50 grams Onion
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 Green Chilly
- 300 ml Water
- 15 Curry Leaves Try these
- 1/2 Tsp Coriander Powder I recommend this one
- 1/2 Tsp Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder I use this one
- 10 grams Fresh Coriander
- Salt to Taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the mutton with the salt, pepper, chilli powder, coriander powder and ginger garlic paste
- In a pressure cooker heat some coconut oil and fry the mutton browning it on each side
- Add in the green chilli, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
- Add in a whole onion, cut into quarters. This is entirely optional, but the onion does give it a nice flavour.
- Deglaze with water, cover and pressure cook for 20-30 minutes till mutton is tender
- Bring to a simmer and add the curry leaves and coconut milk. Cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add the fresh coriander and finish.
- Serve!!!
Hi, Love your video’s and recipes. Could this also be done in a slow cooker using lamb ? If so, how long would you suggest. Thank you….
I’m absolutely certain that it can be done in a slow cooker, though I’m not certain of the duration given that I’ve never used a slow cooker but if a shoulder of lamb takes 4 hours to get tender that would be it. I googled a bit and it said a leg of lamb takes 6-8 hours so I guess that would be an approximate idea.
Hey! Love the recipes on the website! Want to try this one but have a quick question – the description of the recipe (above the graphic) says that this makes 3 servings (“This recipe makes 3 servings. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal.”) and the recipe graphic itself says it’s 2. May I know which one it would be to get a better idea of the portions?
Thanks!
hey fixed that too it is 3 servings. Basically just divide the final stew into 3 bowls.
Why is there onion mentioned in the ingredients list and not used in the steps written? I see that you have used it in the video but its use isn’t mentioned in the cooking steps!
Fixed it.
What a gorgeous recipe! Made this in the slow cooker today with braising beef chunks, doubling everything except the water. Cooked it on low for 4 hours, then added the coconut milk and curry leaves and cooked for another hour on high, and it was perfect 🙂 Thanks a million, yet again.
PS. The recipe is missing the beef stock cube although the video has it, and the cinnamon stick isn’t listed in the ingredients, although it’s listed in the instructions… Just a heads up 🙂
I just made this tonight. My ‘lamb’ took a lot longer than 30 minutes (closer to an hour) but it was worth the wait!!!! Soooo good! And so fulfilling!
I have been trying all your recipes bit by bit and you don’t know how thankful I am for this blog because not only are the dishes yummy, but I am able to source the ingredients easily!