Lamb Chettinad curry is all about bold flavor—tender bone-in lamb simmers in a rich, aromatic gravy. Serve it with warm flatbread or chapati to soak up every bit of the flavorful curry.
What is Lamb Chettinad?
Lamb Chettinad is a South Indian favorite that brings big, bold flavors to the table. Bone-in lamb or goat is simmered in a deeply spiced, aromatic gravy made with freshly ground spices and curry leaves, resulting in a mutton curry that’s as comforting as it is delicious.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chettinad Masala: Process the dry whole spices like green cardamom, black cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds with dried red chiles, grated coconut, and cashews into a fine powder to deepen the flavor.
- Ghee: Ghee is a staple in Indian cuisine and develops a nutty base for the dish.
- Aromatics: Temper a cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and mustard seeds in oil to enhance the flavor.
- Onions: I use yellow onions but substitute with shallots.
- Garlic: Use three fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Ginger: I love how the freshly minced ginger cooks alongside the lamb.
- Curry Leaves: Curry leaves add so much flavor and smell delicious as they cook! I’m lucky enough to have a few curry trees in my backyard, so I can pluck them fresh, but you can easily find them at your local Indian grocery store.
- Tomatoes: Puree the fresh tomatoes in a blender or food processor before adding them to reduce the cooking time. If you’re in a pinch, you can use ½ a can of diced tomatoes or chop fresh ones and cook them down over low heat. Just keep in mind that this may extend the cooking time.
- Spices: Season the curry with hot red chili powder or Kashmiri chili powder for a mild flavor, turmeric powder, and salt.
- Mutton: Use tender young cuts of bone-in lamb for the best results. Ask the butcher to cut the meat into 1-inch pieces. You can use boneless lamb, but it won’t have the same flavor.
- Cilantro: Finish the lamb Chettinad with chopped cilantro or coriander leaves..
Additions and Substitutions
- Replace the lamb with goat meat or bone-in chicken thighs and legs.
- Use a ready-made ginger garlic paste instead of fresh ginger and garlic to reduce the prep time.
How to Make Lamb Chettinad
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and dry toast the whole spices for the Chettinad masala until they turn golden brown. Transfer the mixture to a spice grinder in batches to process into a fine paste. Set it aside.
Step 2: Warm ghee in the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the cinnamon stick, green chiles, bay leaves, and mustard seeds. Saute until the ingredients sputter.
Step 3: Add the onions to the pot and cook until golden brown, for about 15 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic, ginger, and curry leaves. Cook for another minute.
Step 4: Deglaze the Instant Pot with pureed tomatoes and season with hot red chili powder, turmeric, and salt.
Step 5: Add the water and nestle the lamb meat into the pot. Secure the Instant Pot lid and cook on manual high pressure for 15-30 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
Step 6: Remove the lid and stir in the reserved Chettinad spices. Cover with the lid, but do not secure. Simmer for 15 -20 minutes in saute mode until the gravy reduces and the ghee separates.
Expert Tips
- If you prefer more curry, increase the number of onions and tomatoes you include.
- Similar to aloo keema or bhuna gosht, this dish uses a cooking technique called bhuna—which means “fried” in Urdu—where the ingredients cook over high heat until the ghee or oil separates. However, this method isn’t always ideal for goat or lamb, as they need more time to become tender. That’s why I pressure-cook the goat first, then switch to sauté mode for a low-heat braise. This allows the flavors to meld while reducing the liquid, resulting in a rich, thick curry.
Serving Suggestions
Serve lamb Chettinad piping hot with all kinds of sides. Scoop up the flavorful curry with warm bread like naan, roti, paratha, chapati, dosa, or idli. If you prefer rice, I recommend jeera rice, basmati rice, mutton yakhni pulao, or chicken tikka biryani.
Accompaniments: Lamb Chettinad pairs wonderfully with various side dishes and accompaniments. Some popular choices include raita (yogurt with herbs and spices) and cooling cucumber or tomato salad. These accompaniments provide a refreshing contrast to the dish’s spiciness, balancing the palate.
Kachumber salad, avocado cucumber tomato salad, sumac cucumbers, or chickpea tahini salad are refreshing side dishes, and don’t forget sauces like raita, chutney, or serrano crema.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover lamb curry in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the dish cool and transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Lamb chettinad freezes for 2-3 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the mutton curry in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers on the stovetop, and prepare your rice or naan.
More Curry Recipes:
Lamb Chettinad
- 2 green cardamom
- 2 black cloves
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2-3 boriya chiles
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon cashews
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 green peppers, slit lengthwise
- 1 – inch cinnamon stick
- 1-2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoons mustard seeds
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ – inch fresh ginger, minced
- 8 curry leaves
- 1-2 medium tomato, pureed
- 1 tablespoons hot red chili powder or Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cups water
- 1½ pounds mutton, bone-in, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and dry toast the whole spices for the Chettinad masala until they turn golden brown. Transfer the mixture to a spice grinder in batches to process into a fine paste. Set it aside.
- Warm ghee in the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the cinnamon stick, green chiles, bay leaves, and mustard seeds. Saute until the ingredients sputter.
- Add the onions to the pot and cook until golden brown, for about 15 minutes. Then, stir in the garlic, ginger, and curry leaves. Cook for another minute.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot with pureed tomatoes and season with hot red chili powder, turmeric, and salt.
- Add the water and nestle the lamb meat into the pot. Secure the Instant Pot lid and cook on manual high pressure for 15-30 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
- Remove the lid and stir in the reserved Chettinad spices. Cover with the lid, but do not secure. Simmer for 15 -20 minutes in saute mode until the gravy reduces and the ghee separates.
- If you prefer more curry, increase the number of onions and tomatoes you include.
- Similar to aloo keema or bhuna gosht, this dish uses a cooking technique called bhuna—which means “fried” in Urdu—where the ingredients cook over high heat until the ghee or oil separates. However, this method isn’t always ideal for goat or lamb, as they need more time to become tender. That’s why I pressure-cook the goat first, then switch to sauté mode for a low-heat braise. This allows the flavors to meld while reducing the liquid, resulting in a rich, thick curry.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.