This leftover lamb curry recipe is simple, delicious, and a great way to enjoy leftovers from a Sunday roast. An unfussy British retro-style curry that has no fancy ingredients – the perfect week-night supper, and on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Leftover Roast Lamb Curry
For many of us who grew up in the UK, there was a time when curry was just curry. True, this meant that we didn’t enjoy the delicious flavours of authentic Indian cooking, or even the variety of Anglo-Indian cuisine, but it did mean that life was simple.
This leftover lamb curry is that sort of recipe; a simple British curry that does what it says on the tin. It’s a dish for those times when you need food that’s simple, easy, quick, comforting and on the table as soon as possible.
Making curry with leftovers saves time and money, and also makes your weekend roast go further. With this recipe, you only need 150 g of leftover roast lamb to feed two. Using leftovers like this means that I can justify a delicious weekend roast for just two people.
To feed more, simply scale up the recipe. Alternatively, if you don’t have enough meat, you could add tinned chickpeas, beans or roast butternut squash.
How To Make Leftover Lamb Curry
Step one – First, grab all your ingredients!
Step two – Heat a flame-proof casserole dish on the stove top on a medium to low heat. Chop the onion, and fry it. Peel and crush the garlic and add to the onion. Cook for about two minutes. Add the curry powder, turmeric, flour and lamb, and then stir well to make sure that the meat is coated.
Step three – Cook for at least two minutes more, until the spices are really fragrant, to make sure that the sauce won’t taste of flour. (This is rather like making a white sauce or roux.)
Step four – Add a little of the stock, and stir in to make a smooth paste. Then slowly add the rest of the stock. This two-stage process is important, because it helps to avoid lumps in the sauce.
Step five – Stir in the tomato puree.
Step six – Cover, turn the heat right down and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with pilau rice or easy Instant Pot pilau rice and a scoop of chickpea curry.
Hints and Variations
- To avoid getting lumps in your sauce, add a small amount of the stock first to make a paste. Then add the rest of the liquid.
- Add some chopped fresh tomatoes with the stock. Tinned ones work too.
- How about adding some cream or coconut cream, to create a rich and creamy sauce?
- You could add some roasted butternut squash.
- Make your lamb go further by adding some tinned chick peas or other beans.
- Slice some green and red peppers. Fry them and add just before the end of cooking.
More ideas with leftover lamb
More curries with leftovers
- Leftover turkey curry
- Leftover chicken curry
More easy curry recipes
If you love homemade Indian food try some more of my easy curry recipes, masala chips, easy tandoori chicken tikka skewers, or coronation chicken.
This spicy curry would be ideal with a cooling lemon posset served for dessert after.
Leftover Lamb Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- ½ onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 150 g leftover roast lamb (diced into 1 cm cubes)
- 240 ml lamb or chicken stock
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop the onion, and fry for a couple of minutes, until just starting to turn translucent. Peel and crush the garlic, and add it to the onion. Cook for about another two minutes. Add the curry powder, turmeric, flour and lamb, and then stir well to make sure that the meat is coated.
- Cook for at least two minutes more, until the spices are really fragrant, to make sure that the sauce won’t taste of flour.
- Add a little of the stock, and stir in to make a smooth paste. Then slowly add the rest of the stock. This two-stage process is important, because it helps to avoid lumps in the sauce.
- Stir in the tomato puree. Cover, turn the heat right down and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with rice.
Notes
- To avoid getting lumps in your sauce, add a small amount of the stock first to make a paste. Then add the rest of the liquid.
- Add some chopped fresh tomatoes with the stock. Tinned ones work too.
- How about adding some cream or coconut cream, to create a rich and creamy sauce?
- You could add some roasted butternut squash.
- Make your leftover lamb go further by adding some tinned chick peas or other beans.
- Slice some green and red peppers. Fry them and add just before the end of cooking.
- This recipe is 10 Weight Watchers Smart Points
Video
If you like this leftover lamb recipe, next time you have some leftover chicken make my chicken curry recipe. Or if you don’t have leftovers, fry some chicken breast pieces and use that instead.
Alexandra
This is taking leftovers to a delicious next level. Yum!! It is one gorgeous curry! :)
Helen
A really good way of using up leftovers.
Delores
I love simple dishes like this, full of flavour and easy to make. You really can’t beat a tasty curry dish.
Helen
A classic retro style curry.
Paula
This is a great idea for using left over meat. It’s always nice to have something a little different to make, and this sounds really tasty.
Helen
Full of flavour and very tasty.
Nancy Perine
Hi there! I had so much fun wandering through your blog. Your leftover lamb curry really caught my eye. I never thought I liked curry until I found a mild curry powder. I actually had all the ingredients on hand, including some leftover lamb in the freezer. Have guests coming for dinner this coming Sunday, so will cook the sauce up ahead of time in my cast iron skillet and serve it with rice and a Caesar salad with my home made dressing. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with all of us. I liked your “variety” suggestions also. I’ll be back and back and back again!!!
~~~ Aloha, Nancy On Maui ~~~
Helen
Hi Nancy, thank you for commenting, I am glad you enjoyed it
Rosa
I’m loving how vibrant this dish looks! Sounds so full of flavour.
Helen
I really do quite enjoy an inauthentic retro style curry
Toni
I loved how flavorful it was! A huge hit at my house!!
Helen
so glad you loved it.
kim
What a delicious recipe! I love how easy this is too!
Helen
its a proper retro curry!
Suzy
Such a delicious meal!
Donna G
I really like a simple tasty curry like this, great for a family meal.
Cally Gray
I’m not a huge fan of really spicy curries, but this looks very tempting and so easy to make.
Evelyn Welsh
My husband loves a curry and this is so easy to make. A great use of leftover meat.
Richard E
Got to love a curry, and lamb is such a good choice. A no frills dish packed with flavour.
Felicity D
Lamb is such a good meat to make a curry with. This sounds so good, it would be perfect over a baked potato.
Lottie
Curry is my Friday night comfort food go to meal. This looks delicious, and I love that it is a leftover meal.
Lynne
This reminds me of curry that my mum used to make for us. Good memories. Really tasty and great for cold days.
Bryan B
So good to make a really tasty dish from leftovers. It is dishes like this that makes me always hope there are plenty left for the next day.
Peter grimes
Enjoyed the leftover lamb curry immensely. Thanks
Dan
A terrific, very simple and adaptable recipe. I added a handful of finely chopped leek at the start and some spinach leaves and a tablespoon of plain yoghurt towards the end. Really simple, a great use of leftovers and very tasty
Helen
I am so happy you enjoyed it Dan! Great additions of the #extraveg!
Stephanie Hibbert
Made this yesterday. It was perfect. So easy. I doubled cup the quantity. It was just the right mild spiciness! The family loved it. Many thanks.
James Evans
One of the nicest curries I have made and eaten. So simple to make.
Helen
thank you James. It is very retro and unfussy.
Lois Donnelly
The left over lamb leg meat I had was sliced but i choped it up and followed all the instructions for this curry. It was absolutely delicious and really quick to make. Fabulous meal.
Helen
Hi Lois, thanks for letting me know! It is a good old British style generic curry – nothing fancy at all.
Nigel
Easy to make and really good. I added some raisins that gave a nice sweetness
Judith
This tastes yummy Very mild added the chickpeas,diced tomatoes &coconut cream
A quick and easy tasty meal
Thank you
Golumpki
This was amazing and so easy. Added cooked carrots and cubed potatoes as well as a few
Peppers. Finished with a dollop of plain yogurt. Served with basmati rice and a mandarin cucumber salad. Thank you!
Sandra Farrar
Let me start out by saying this recipe was delicious and exceeded my expectations. I did have a question about the lamb. I roasted a leg of lamb and cut the leftovers into chunks for this recipe. The lamb was tender and delicious the day I roasted it but when I put the chunks in this recipe they got tough. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the sauce or recipe but don’t understand why it would toughen so much. Any ideas? Can I use this sauce recipe for other meats? Again, it was really good!
Helen
Hi Sandra, I think that cooking the second time can cause it to toughen up for some reason – best to go very gently
Jennifer
We absolutely loved this, and oh, so easy! I added a bay leaf while sauteeing the onions, and also a bit of garam masala, just because I had some. Excellent.
Helen
Delicious! I usually add a bay leaf to homemade pilau rice which I serve with this. I love garam masala – such a lovely blend.
Graham
Absolutely delicious, served it with the Masala Chips (they didn’t last long!). Firm favourite to be made again. Certainly be using FFF recipes again.
Mary Ellen
Great, easy to make dish, I made it with butter beans to increase the protein and fiber content. Came out great, will make again next time I have leftover roasted lamb.
Ali Maas
This is a perfect quick lamb curry. I have added half tin of tomatoes, half tin of lentils, some spinach and a pinch of Nigella seed.