This slow cooker curry packed full of wonderful aromatic spices is so easy to prepare, and then your slow cooker does all the work! Spectacular with lamb, this spice mix works just as well with beef or even your favourite vegetables, making this an incredibly versatile recipe. Its full of flavour, rich and satisfying.

It will come as no surprise to my regular readers that I love to use spices (and herbs) in my cooking. They can turn an every-day average meal into something spectacular. Most of all I love to cook Indian inspired curries. We don’t use a lot of chilli these days because my 3 year old objects to too much heat, but we do use a fair amount of warm spices to bring our food to life. Cumin, coriander, tumeric, ginger, garlic, cinnamon…… With loads of spices in a curry you don’t actually miss the chilli much.

To my excitement I’ve recently discovered a new Indian speciality supermarket. It was recommended to me by the maitre’d at a local Indian restaurant and the next time I see him I owe him a huge thank you. This supermarket was amazing! Aisle upon aisle of interesting and different ingredients, vegetables and accompaniments. I could (and almost did) spend hours in there just browsing the shelves.

This visit though was just just to stock up on spices. The selection of bulk spices was enough to make any spice enthusiast smile. Though I will admit to being tempted into a jar of mango chutney and the poppadom I’ve used in these images. (OK, OK, so I also bought a giant packet of frozen roti bread as well which I like to keep in the freezer – a few quick minutes in a hot pan with a tiny drizzle of oil and you’ve got the perfect side for a curry like this).

Buying spices in bulk from a speciality store can be a real money saver. Stored correctly in air-tight containers in the pantry spices will last well – not forever but for a good few months. This means you always have spices on hand when a curry-craving takes hold. Which for us is quite often during our winter months! Spices are so fun to play around with. Even slight variations in the quantities of the spices you use can create a completely different flavoured dish. This slow cooker curry is uses some of my favourite combinations. Its full of cumin and coriander flavour, warmed up with tumeric and garam masala. Mustard and poppy seeds add just a little bit of interest. I also like to add sweet potato to a slow cooker curry to help thicken the sauce and add a subtle sweetness.

The meat in this slow cooker curry becomes so tender it almost falls apart. Serve it with steamed rice or naan or roti to soak up the thick, spice laden gravy. Slow cooker curry has never tasted so good!

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Slow cooker curry with lamb, beef or vegetables

Rating  5.0 from 3 reviews

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  8 hours

Total time:  8 hours 15 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the spice paste:

• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp white vinegar

For the curry:

• 1 tbsp oil or ghee
• 1 brown onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 stems fresh curry leaves (optional)
• 500g lamb shoulder, or stewing beef, or
  3 cups of your favourite vegetables, diced (see notes)
• 2 medium orange sweet potato (kumara)
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• ¾ cup beef stock
• 165ml coconut cream

Instructions

1. Combine all the spices and the salt for the spice paste in a small bowl. Pour in the white vinegar and stir to make a thick paste.
2. Heat the oil or ghee in a large frypan over a medium heat.
3. Dice the onion and slice the garlic and add to the pan. Cook gently for 5-7 minutes until very soft. Remove the leaves from the curry stems and add them to the pan. Cook for another minute.
4. While the onion is cooking, dice the meat into 2 cm cubes. Peel and dice the sweet potato into 1 cm cubes.
5. Add the spice paste to the pan and cook gently for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
6. Stir in the diced meat and sweet potato. Stir well to coat both in the onion and spice mixture.
7. Pour over the can of tomatoes and the beef stock.
8. Add the diced vegetables to the bowl of a slow cooker.
9. Carefully transfer the curry to the slow cooker on top of the vegetables. Stir to combine. Put on the lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 4 hours) until the meat is tender.
10. Half an hour before serving, stir in the coconut cream. Replace the lid and continue to cook until serving.
11. Serve with steamed rice, poppadom or roti, and your favourite chutney or raita.

Notes

If using vegetables for this curry instead of the meat, try to use vegetables that will stand up to long, slow cooking without breaking down, such as carrot, parsnip, pumpkin. If you choose to use softer vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini or broccoli, add them in half way through the cook time.

Fresh curry leaves can be tricky to locate. I usually only find them at my local speciality Indian store. If you are unable to find them, just omit them.

Orange sweet potato is best for this curry rather than the yellow or purple varieties. The orange ones are much softer and will break down almost completely during cooking, giving the sauce a lovely thickness.

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I’ve also shared this recipe over at Saucy Saturdays – come and check it out!