These Whole30-friendly Instant Pot Indian curry lamb spare ribs are packed with flavor and super simple to make!
I got the inspiration for this dish after tasting my buddy Noopur’s bright and fresh-tasting curried mutton the other day. She’s a fellow CrossFitting foodie who obsesses about what’s she’s going to eat all the time – just like me. Noopur told me the secret to her recipe is to use lots of lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Here’s a simplified (and bastardized) American version of her phenomenal Indian lamb spare ribs recipe that you can throw into your Instant Pot!
Time to make Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs!
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 2½ pounds pastured lamb spare ribs
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- ½ pound ripe tomatoes
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Method:
Toss the lamb spare ribs with 2 teaspoons salt…
…and 1 tablespoon curry powder.
Use your hands to thoroughly coat the ribs.
Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours and up to a day.
When you’re ready to cook off the ribs, melt the coconut oil on the sauté function of your Instant Pot. Brown the spare ribs in two batches…
…and remove them to a plate when they’re done.
While the ribs are sizzling, grab the onion and tomatoes…
…throw them in a blender…
…and blitz until smooth.
Once the spare ribs are seared…
…add the minced garlic.
Stir the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds) before adding the tomato and onion puree.
Mix well.
Add curry powder, salt, 1 cup chopped cilantro, and lemon juice.
Stir well to combine…
…and add the lamb back in.
Mix the spareribs to coat with curry sauce.
Lock on the pressure cooker lid and cook for 20 minutes under high pressure. When the ribs are done cooking, wait for the pressure to release naturally (10-15 minutes).
Scoop the grease off the top and discard. Taste and adjust for seasoning and stir in scallions and ¼ cup chopped cilantro.
Enjoy!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot Indian Curry Lamb Spare Ribs
Ingredients
For the lamb spare ribs
- 2½ pounds lamb spare ribs
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
For the sauce
- 1 tablespooon coconut oil or ghee
- 1 large yellow onion coarsely chopped
- ½ pound tomatoes coarsely chopped
- 5 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1¼ cup chopped cilantro divided
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Toss the lamb spare ribs with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours and up to a day.
- When you’re ready to cook off the ribs, melt the coconut oil or ghee on the sauté function of your Instant Pot. Brown the spare ribs in two batches and remove them to a plate when they’re done.
- While the ribs are sizzling, grab the onion and tomatoes and toss them in a blender. Blitz until smooth.
- After the lamb is seared, add minced garlic to the cooking fat in the empty Instant Pot insert. Stir the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds) before adding the tomato and onion puree.
- Mix in 1 tablespoon Indian curry powder, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 cup chopped cilantro, and lemon juice. Stir in the seared lamb spare ribs.
- Lock on the pressure cooker lid and cook for 20 minutes under high pressure. When the ribs are done cooking, wait for the pressure to release naturally (10-15 minutes).
- Scoop the grease off the top and discard. Taste and adjust for seasoning and stir in scallions and remaining ¼ cup chopped cilantro. Serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is such a delicious recipe, and very quick. Everyone in my family loves it, and that’s very rare. We buy a whole lamb a few times a year and this is always one of the first dishes I make from it!
I don’t know if my ribs are spare or not, they came in a slab all connected, am I supposed to slice between them before I pressure cook them? And I’m not sure how to remove the grease off the top, when I do beef ribs, I refrigerate overnight and then scrape off. Thank you in advance, Nomsters
I made this over the weekend, although I used half lamb and half goat since that’s all that was available at the nearest Mediterranean market. It was super easy to make, and the flavor is fabulous! I served it with turmeric roasted cauliflower florets. I will definitely be making this again and again!
I made a small batch to try it. My husband, who is an omnivore from Hungary, liked it so much, he asked me to save the grease so he could spread it on bread.