Lamb curries are some of my favourites. And this recipe for Lamb Badam Pasanda is at the very top of the tree. Creamy and rich, but very simple to throw together, this cardamom-infused curry is the perfect way to enjoy such a sweet and tender meat.
It seems that pasanda is a dish with many varieties. It’s difficult to find two that are the same. And though my recipe is in many ways unique, it does bear resemblance to other renditions in a number of ways.
The main flavour component of pasanda, other than the meat, is cardamom. There’ll be no cardamom shirking here. As a result, pasanda has a very distinctive and fragrant flavour, almost medicinal, but pleasantly so.
It should also feature a rich and creamy masala. Though there are numerous ways to achieve this. Personally, I use plenty of ground almonds – the origin of ‘badam’ – but you could also use cream or milk.
Many pasanda recipes add paprika in an attempt to convey a vibrant red colouring, instead of the greeny-brown masala in my images. But I’ve never been a proponent of paprika in curries; it just doesn’t seem right and it masks the fragrance of the whole spices. Leave it out and embrace the colour.
For more interest Indian dishes that make good use of meat, check out my recipes for Slow Cooked Beef Curry, Leftover turkey Curry and Ox Cheek Rendang…
Lamb Badam Pasanda
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1kg leg or shoulder of lamb, large chunks
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 8 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 200ml water
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp almond flakes, toasted
Method:
- Quickly brown the lamb on a high heat with 1 tbsp of oil and set aside. To the same pan add the remaining oil and saute the onions for 2-3 minutes, until soft.
- In a dry pan, gently toast the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds, before grinding. Once the onions are ready, add the ground spices, turmeric, ginger paste, garlic paste, cardamom pods, chilli flakes and salt.
- After a further 2 minutes incorporate the browned lamb and ground almonds, covering with 200ml of water.
- Cook for 2 hours over a medium heat, topping with water if necessary. The masala should be thick and rich at the end of the cooking time.
- Finish the dish by stirring through the garam masala. Top with toasted almond flakes and serve with rice and paratha.


Cost: Lamb is incredibly cheap at the moment – in Britain at least. But even if you take this anomaly into account, your pasanda should set you back only £7.
21 replies on “Lamb Badam Pasanda”
Wonderful spice mixture.
Thank you, Rosemary.
Weekend meal sorted!
Many thanks once again.
My pleasure!
Lovely.I cooked something at the weekend. It is uncanny in that it is very similar to yours except for a couple of ingredients. I put mine together completely from scratch, without reference to any recipes. I did use tomatoes and goat yoghurt as well as spinach. No almonds. A very happy family. I must do more Indian.
Very strange – yes, you must. I cook several curries a week and can’t get enough. There’s so much variety on offer.
I love lamb curry and this sounds like a lovely version! Will try it soon.
Let me know how it goes – It’s one of my favourite curry recipes.
Beautiful recipe – one of my very favourite curries!
Thank you – one of mine too. Can’t beat a bit of lamb.
Oh Wow.. I am SO going to be whipping this curry up very soon.. THANK YOU!!
My pleasure – it was a gorgeous meal and very simple.
“No cardamom shirking!”
Exactly!
Very nice…This is a curry!
Full of aromatic, freshly ground spices, ground almonds and my favorite meat for curry-Lamb.
Toasted flaked almonds sprinkled on top gives it a lovely authentic touch, very nice…
Great curry, recipe and photo’s, thanks.
Well done!
Odelle Smith. (U.K.)
Thanks, Odelle – so glad you like it 🙂
I’m a big fan of nuts in curries and almonds or cashews seem to work really well to get that creaminess without adding cream. Cardamom is one of my favourite spices too, so I’ll definitely be trying this recipe!
I hope you do – I completely agree with everything you’ve said, particularly the cardamom!
[…] course, if a vegetarian curry isn’t quite what you’re looking for, my recipe for Lamb Badam Pasanda is a delicious and simple alternative and it could even be served alongside your saag […]
Love the colour, lamb is one of my favourite meats so I’ll definitely be trying out a lamb and ground almond curry soon. Thanks for the inspiration!
My pleasure. It was a really delicious meal.