Lamb Rogan Josh Kashmiri Influenced Curry
Lamb rogan josh is an ever-popular curry that is defined by soft and tender yoghurt-marinated meat in a boldly flavoured and spicy sauce.
My version of this recipe combines traditional North Indian and Pakistani influences with British Indian restaurant flavours.
Classic Rogan Josh Recipe
This recipe has many names: roghan josh or rogan gosht. I’ve even seen rogan gosh, which gets a special mention simply because it makes me smile and reminds me of an old friend!
As far as I am concerned, Lamb or mutton is the perfect meat for a curry.
I use it in dishes like my lamb madras, lamb pasanda, lamb jalfrezi, and I use minced lamb in my keema matar recipe.
It has a big and bold flavour that holds up well to big spices, and most importantly, a really nice quantity and quality of fat.
That fat is the key to getting all of those complex flavours to meld together perfectly.
Generally speaking, spices are fat-soluble rather than water-soluble, which is why lamb curries like this lamb rogan josh are always smoother and rounder to the palate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip marinating the lamb?
You can if you wish, but marinating in yoghurt is an old technique that helps both tenderise meat and add flavour.
It will, of course, make a difference on the flavour front, but it will not be night and day.
What sort of lamb should I buy?
I usually use some diced lamb shoulder for this recipe, although sometimes I make it with lamb neck fillet. Using lamb neck fillets requires an extra 30 minutes of cooking.
This recipe, made with mutton, is heavenly. Everything remains the same; all you need to do is add twice as much water and simmer for 90 minutes.
Do I have to use lamb?
No, I also have recipes for chicken rogan josh and vegetable rogan josh, they feature a very similar sauce, but both are quicker to cook and use slightly different techniques.
Can I make this in advance?
Oh yes, like many curry dishes, this recipe improves with age; it is stunning after it has been sat in the fridge overnight.
It will be fine sat in the fridge for 2-3 days and will freeze for up to 3 months with no problems.
Serving Suggestions
I tend to keep my curry recipe sides pretty simple. I am perfectly happy with a tandoori style naan bread or some chapattis.
If I am adding rice, then it is usually plain boiled or steamed rice, but a nice pilau rice is also always a solid choice.
If rice isn't your choice, how about some potatoes? I love this dish with a side of my roast Bombay potatoes or aloo methi.
But there are other additions that really work well with the richness of this lamb rogan josh.
The first is a good kachumber salad, it is essentially a salad of diced onion, tomato and cucumber with a citrus dressing, some sugar and coriander or mint.
Another thing that works really well is a lime pickle, a classic Indian side served with pappadoms, but I love it stirred through curries.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 30cm or 12" frying pan or skillet with a lid.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Mixing bowl.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Lamb Rogan Josh Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g Lamb 14oz
- 125 ml Natural Yoghurt ½ Cup
- 35 g Ginger 1 thumb sized piece
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Star Anise
- 6 Green Cardamom Pods
- 4 Cloves
- 1 Blade Mace
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper Corns
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1½ tablespoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
Instructions
- Cut the lamb into 2-2.5cm (¾-1") cubes.
- Take the yoghurt and use it to marinate the lamb for at least 8 hours and as long as 24 hours.
- Blitz together the ginger and garlic with a little water to form a paste.Stir half of this through the lamb and yoghurt mix. Do this a couple of hours before you cook or whilst you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Cut the onion into thin (2-3mm or ⅛") half-moon shapes.
- Add the cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cloves, mace and star anise to a dry pan 30cm or 12" frying pan or skillet.Toast them over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, then grind them in a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar.
- Reduce the heat in the pan to medium, and add the cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add in the ground spice mix and cook it off for 30 seconds.
- Add in the onions, ground cumin and ground cinnamon, along with the remaining garlic and ginger paste. Cook until golden brown; this should take 10-15 minutes.
- Throw in the lamb and the marinade to the pan along with the Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric and ground coriander and season with half of the salt.Cook for 10 minutes, making sure you keep it moving as it will want to stick to the pan. This is normal and helps build flavour.
- Add in the tomato puree and 75ml (⅓ cup) of water and stir. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for 25 minutes, adding more salt if required after 10 minutes of simmering.
I cooked this on the weekend - delicious - lamb was very tender - well worth making - I like a more liquid sauce so added more water as suggested which worked perfectly - served with daal and naan - highly recommended
Glad that you enjoyed this John, thank you for taking the time to comment.
This looks like a great version of one of my favourite dishes to cook. Sorry if it’s there, but I can’t see how many this recipe serves?
Looking forward to trying it
Hi Deiric, sorry it took a while to respond, I've been tied up for a few days.
This serves two people (most of my recipes are for two), it says it in the picture above the recipe instructions along with the title.
Brian
Hi this recipe sounds great but could I make this in a slow cooker? If so would I need to change anything? Thankd
Hi Sam... You could turn this into a slow cooker curry, but there are couple of things to be aware of. The long slow cooking may cause the yoghurt to separate, it is not problematic in terms of being able to eat it or even flavour but it will not look the best.
Also, slow cookers do not get rid of much moisture so it could be quite a lot "wetter", you can add a step to help prevent the yoghurt from splitting and to help with the texture a little and that's to add a little flour, just a tablespoon or two. I would use gram flour personally, but plain flour will work.
In addition, I would not add any water.
Sear or toast all of the ingredients as per my instructions, then transfer to the slow cooker and then cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Hope this works.
Enjoy.
Brian
Loved the flavour but despite being a hot chilli lover next time I would reduce it down to 1tsp not 2. Also despite marinating in yoghurt for 24 hours it took an hour n a half for the meat to cook till tender, will definitely however cook it again 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it Jackie... Chilli preference really is such a challenge to get right, one persons raging inferno is another gentle tickle, it is probably the greatest challenge in writing spicy recipes.
Rogan Josh is one of my favourite curries. I've tried loads of recipes over the years but none of them have ever come close to the one I can get via takeaway. That was until tonight, it was delicious! I had to pare the chilli down because I live with a chilli wimp but it didn't detract from the depth of flavour. Brian you sir are awesome!
Thanks Jane, always good to hear from folk that enjoy the grub 🙂
Greetings from upstate New York (NOT the city) 🙂 I fairly new to cooking with lamb and making Indian dishes. What cut of lamb should I use? I have some lamb front shoulder roast, chops and shanks in the freezer. Will any of them or a combination work for this recipe? I also have a Penney’s Rogan Josh spice blend that I bought on a whim. Can I sub that for some of the spices in your recipe? Thanks!!
Hi Sue... Sorry that it took me a while to respond, I have been relocating so steeped away from my site for a week so greetings right back at you from both Eastern Hungary and North West Britain lol.
I always use boned cube shoulder for this, it has just the right fat ratio, you can get away with the upper leg too and even rump if you have some.
As for the spice blend yes you can use it but how good it will be is a real unknown, the blending of spices varies greatly, give it a try, and as the sauce cooks have a taste if you find it a little flat add more of what you think is missing, I would guess that it would be the mace and star anise and add some later on.
Enjoy, Brian.
Hi Brian
This is a great recipe, thanks for sharing it. I've made it twice now with some minor adjustments for my family. It was our Easter Sunday dinner this year! I used 1kg of lamb pieces and adjusted the youghurt to 500g and increased the garlic and ginger amounts. I just doubled all the other ingredients and it made a lovely sauce with just enough kick to suit all tastes. I wanted to make it with chicken next would I need the same marinade time (overnight)?
Regards
Gabriel
Hi Gabriel...
Glad you enjoy it. Personally speaking, I am not fond of subbing out sauces for beef or lamb straight into chicken, I find so often that the meat is completely lost. Reducing the marinade time will certainly help reduce that a little, look at 4 to 8 hours rather than overnight.
I would also maybe look at cooking it with skin-on bone-in chicken portions and then removing the skin and shredding and simmering for 10 minutes before serving. It will add a little more "fat" to the dish that you can skim off but it should add a boatload more chicken flavour.
Good luck.
Brian
Hi I’ve made this tonight and a bit disappointed. Not for the flavour but I think the recipe has a mistake. I used a cup of yoghurt (260ml) but then I noticed it said 125ml of yoghurt. So should it be 125ml - 1/2 cup rather then a cup? My curry is really liquidy
Yes, my mistake, I have only recently added cups to this recipe and that is a typo, sorry.
Hi there
I am eager to try out this recipe! Can this dish be made using a pressure cooker?
Best regards
Hi Prashila. I have not tried to cook this in a pressure cooker I'm afraid. Some of my curry recipes are pretty simple to swap methods but this recipe would require completely redesigning for a pressure cooker.
Sorry.
Brian
I’m very impressed by your recipe, though I use ready made masalas in Mumbai.
Glad I am doing something right... there ain't a lot of prepared masala here in rural Hungary so I have to do the work 😉
I have just returned from a holiday in Goa and ate Goan. Curries every day. So now back home and craving a curry so I made my first ever proper curry and chose your recipe of Rogan Josh. It turned out really well although a little dry. How could I make it Just a tad more saucy. Love the recipe. Going to try more now.
Hey Janet... Glad you like the curry, this is one of my favourites.
As you can tell I very much prefer a clingy thick sauce with almost all of my curry recipes there are a couple of ways to let that sauce down if you wanted more of a "pool" of gravy.
The first would be to add a splash of water, you will be surprised how far just 100ml will let down a sauce but it will not have a massive impact on flavour, you will need to play it by "ear" though and address the spicing and seasoning with salt if required. The good news is that once you have it sorted then you can repeat that with any of my recipes and end up with consistent results.
The other options are to increase the amount of ingredients like yoghurt, coconut milk or tomatoes/passata. This will have a much more profound impact on the spicing and you will almost certainly need to increase the spicing in the same proportion (give or take a little) to balance these additions.
Enjoy
Brian 🙂
Hi again Brian
I would love to share more of our Parsi cuisine with you! Do let me know if you are interested.
Thanx
Delna
Hey Delna...
I am far from an expert! I was born in Birmingham in the UK a city with a great multicultural heritage and in particular thriving, Pakistani, Northern Indian and Bangladeshi communities, I grew up with this style of food being as common and British food and I love it. My cooking is massively influenced by this food and as you can tell I am a little but fond of it 🙂
I'd love to find more recipes and new influences, feel free to drop them over on my FB page.
https://www.facebook.com/growitcookiteatit/
All the best
Brian
Good afternoon from New Zealand ? My name is Delna & I am a Zoroastrian— I was pleasantly surprised to see you knew all about our “Parsi” as we are known as, recipes !!? from Dhansak to Kachumbar to Patia ! WOW WOW is all I can say. People all over the world are aware of many cuisines but ver few are aware of the existence of Parsi cuisine. I am honoured that you know so much about it ?
Hi brian.
Done your chicken patia and it was delish, on my last review, I'm doing the lamb Rogan Josh but can't see when to add the 1/2 tsp of salt.
Can I add it at the end to taste?
Thanking you
Laurence.
Sorry Laurence, I have updated that recipe to make it much clearer I season the meat as it goes into the pan with around half of the salt and then I will add more if required, it usually is.
Was enjoyable just enough for two and a tad dry however that may have been me....either way lovely!
If you mean not saucy enough for you then that is definitely me, none of my curries are swimming in sauce, I like just enough and not too much, but you can increase the sauce fairly simply if that is what you like.
This dish looks better than many I've seen served in the restaurants! Beautiful work! And happy anniversary, what a milestone to celebrate!
Congratulations on your 10 years.
This recipe speaks volumes of flavours and deliciousness. Lamb is such a great meat to use in curry, I always think it absorbs the flavours so well and ends up deliciously tender. Such a great dish for these colder months, a lovely warming supper.
Wow this looks so good. I love absolutely love Indian but I don't make it anywhere near enough. I'm making this on the weekend for sure!
One of my absolute favorite Indian dishes is Lamb Rogan Josh. I could eat this with a spoon though it does taste awesome with garlic naan. Love the pretty color you have on this Brian. yum!
Absolutely delicious!
Another hit Brian! Loved the spice combination, it worked perfectly. I did have a very small bit leftover from a big dinner, but only because I think my evil eye said to leave that for me to relish tomorrow!
Trying the dish .Looks yum.
Cheers Kiran, enjoy!
Interesting...I’m going to try your Cauliflower dish today. Will update you?
Enjoy!
Another hit Brian! Loved the spice combination, it worked perfectly. I did have a very small bit leftover from a big dinner, but only because I think my evil eye said to leave that for me to relish tomorrow!
I do hope that was breakfast, I love curry left overs for breakfast 😀 So glad you liked it always a winner shame lamb is so difficult for me to find 🙁
Why is it hard to get lamb where you are?
I honestly have no idea although I suspect it is economic, Hungary is one of the poorer nations in the EU and it is probably ore profitable to send the lamb to our wealthier neighbours than try and sell it in a market that would not support the price.
I loved Josh Rogan in that movie with James Franco ... is what I always think whenever I have Rogan Josh. I know, I know, I'm confusing Josh Rogan the guitarist with Seth Rogan the actor with this Indian dish. But I digress. What I really want to say is, man, your photographs of this dish are far and away the most beautiful things I've seen in, well, maybe forever. I mean, wow! Stunning.
Dude that is far too kind, so glad you like them! In other news I am now trying to sort out ym josh's and Rogan's and even rosh jogans!
This dish looks better than many I've seen served in the restaurants! Beautiful work! And happy anniversary, what a milestone to celebrate!
You are far too kind Anna, thank you 🙂
Congratulations on your 10 years.
This recipe speaks volumes of flavours and deliciousness. Lamb is such a great meat to use in curry, I always think it absorbs the flavours so well and ends up deliciously tender. Such a great dish for these colder months, a lovely warming supper.
Thanks so much Helen, a real warming fab dish.
Wow this looks so good. I love absolutely love Indian but I don't make it anywhere near enough. I'm making this on the weekend for sure!
Enjoy Cristie
Absolutely delicious!
Thank Natalie.
This is one of my absolute favorite Indian dishes. I could eat this with a spoon though it does taste awesome with garlic naan. Love the pretty color you have on this Brian. yum!
I always take my Naan plain although my wife loves garlic naan, but yes naan bread is essential ith a curry like this as far as I am concerned 😉