This Ground Lamb and Mint Curry is the FABULOUS result of having too much fresh mint in the house. I had mint. I needed to use it. I had lamb. I wanted to use it. Everyone knows these two make for a winning combo – so you know this is going to be a winning dish. I added some tasty spices like paprika, fennel, and coriander to make this minty curried dish a little more exotic. I also mixed in some diced tomatoes, which added sweetness and serrano pepper for some heat.
So… the reason we had a lot of mint in the house? My hubby, Roby, decided to make a mango-mint cocktail for my recent 28th birthday celebration (Here’s a pic on my instagram of him making it. Isn’t he handsome?). Lucky for us – he overestimated the amount of mint he needed (random aside: you know what I don’t get… why mint is somewhat expensive to buy and yet supposedly super easy to grow? I need to try to grow my own mint).
Moving on… to make this dish, brown some onions in a saute pan and then add ginger, garlic, serrano pepper, and spices. Add tomatoes, then ground lamb. Once the lamb is almost done, add the creamy mint sauce and cook for several more minutes. Just a heads up, while this recipe calls for coconut milk – know that you won’t actually taste the coconut. The spices mask the flavor, and so adding the milk gives this dish a creamy flavor – it’s delicious.
This lamb and mint curry is awesome with my paleo naan flatbread. You can make both the naan and this curry with ONE can of full-fat coconut milk (because you need a total of 1 and ¾ cup to make both). Yep, I try my best to be awesome for you guys.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or fat of choice
- 1 onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inch-knob ginger minced
- 1 serrano pepper minced
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon fennel powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or Pinch of cayenne
- 1 can organic diced tomatoes
- 1 large handful fresh mint
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 1 pound ground lamb
Instructions
- Add oil and onions to a dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat.
- Saute the onions for 15 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Then, add the garlic, ginger and serrano pepper. Stir-fry for a minute.
- Add the spices, stir-fry, then add the tomatoes. Mix well and cover the pot for 5 minutes.
- While that’s cooking – combine the coconut milk and fresh mint in a blender – and blend. Set the sauce aside for now.
- Add the ground lamb to the pan and once it’s completely browned and cooked through, add the mint sauce you just made.
- Cook for another 5 or so minutes, garnish with more mint and serve.
Ayuri says
Where to buy lamb from? I’m in pittsburgh. Thanks!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Ayuri! I’m in Pittsburgh too 🙂 You can get ground lamb from Whole Foods!
Anna says
This was very good and easy to make. I doubled the recipe to have left overs but it became a bit too soupy with the extra can of coconut milk so next time I’ll still only add just the one can even if I double the rest. Also, the grocery store was out of fresh mint so I subbed fresh basil and it was very nice. I hope to try with mint soon.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Anna, glad you liked it!
Emma says
Hi Ashley, this turned out awesome! I love your recipes and make them all the time. Ground lamb was on sale and I hoped you had a recipe for it with mint—this was perfect! Out of preference, I added a can of tomato paste instead of tomato chunks and used a full can of coconut cream for the remaining liquid. Turned out super rich and creamy. I paired it with your delicious instant pot mint pulao. It wasn’t easy tracking down enough mint for both recipes, but totally worth it! Planted some spearmint seeds, hopefully they will grow. Thanks for all you do!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Emma, that’s so great to hear! I’m glad you liked this recipe – thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Leighanne says
THE SHORT:
I’m so confused. This recipe sounded AWESOME and then, well – if one has never had curry before, one *might* enjoy it…. otherwise there is absolutely no circumstance in which this would satisfy. Honestly this was a waste of my produce and $9 pound of ground lamb.
THE LONG:
We were able to salvage this only because we’ve cooked literally hundreds of Indian dishes –
So do yourself a favor, and follow these recipe adjustments:
Take an additional ten minutes to saute an extra onion with a reasonable amount of cumin seed, garam masala, chili pepper and hot oil until browned, then incorporate a 6 oz can of tomato paste; 1 tsp yellow curry; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1/2 tsp brown mustard (dry) + dried cilantro to taste, then add 3 TBS yoghurt (one TBS at a time, sizzling the water off between dollops). Once things have melded, incorporate above mixture into the existing recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Leighanne, this is meant to be more of a fusion dish, not an Indian one. Also just so you know, curry powder isn’t actually Indian. Glad you were able to make it work for you though.
David Barry says
This was outstanding. I used backyard mint and had it over cauli rice sautéed with red onions and Kalamata olives. Packed with flavor.
My Heart Beets says
David, that’s so great to hear! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Sarah S says
So tasty! This quickly became one of my go-to weeknight meals when I get home late and crave something quick and nourishing. You’re a culinary genius, lady. Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Awesome!! Thanks, Sarah 🙂 I’m so glad you like it!!
Sarah says
Tremendous, easy, tasty recipe! Thanks for saving my weekend when my fridge was practically bare save some mint and ground lamb!
My Heart Beets says
Sarah, that’s awesome! So happy to hear that you liked it 🙂