Lamb Rogan Josh
A fragrant, deep-red Kashmiri-style lamb curry — tender slow-cooked lamb in a spiced yoghurt gravy, glossy with a slick of oil and packed with warm aromatic spices. Comforting, show-off-worthy and better the next day.
This is proper Kashmiri-style Lamb Rogan Josh — slow-cooked, jewel-red and scented with warm whole spices and fennel. It’s the kind of curry that makes guests think you’ve been up all night tending a simmering pot (you don’t have to be a saint to pull it off).
Make it for a weekend dinner, a cosy midweek treat, or when you want a curry that’s rich without being unbearably heavy. The trick is slow braising and patience with the onions — get those two right and everything else falls into place.
Ingredients
- 900 g boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 200 g plain whole-milk yoghurt — whisked
- 45 ml ghee or neutral oil — about 3 tbsp
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced — ≈300 g
- 6 cloves garlic — finely minced
- 45 g fresh ginger — ≈3 tbsp, grated (or paste)
- 30 ml Kashmiri chilli powder — for colour and mild heat
- 15 ml ground coriander
- 10 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml fennel seeds — lightly crushed/ground
- 5 ml turmeric
- 4 pods green cardamom pods — lightly crushed
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 piece cinnamon stick — ≈4 cm
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 5 ml garam masala — add at the end
- 10 ml salt — adjust to taste
- 250 ml water — for simmering; add more if needed
- 15 ml lemon juice — fresh
- 30 ml fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped — for garnish
- 2 pieces dried Kashmiri chillies (optional) — for colour and garnish
- 0 ml asafoetida (hing) (optional) — a pinch
- 5 ml sugar (optional) — to balance acidity if needed
Equipment
- heavy-based casserole or Dutch oven
- spice grinder or coffee grinder
- blender or food processor (for onion paste)
- slotted spoon or spatula
Instructions
Marinate the lamb: in a bowl combine 150 g of the whisked yoghurt (reserve 50 g), 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp salt, half the grated ginger (about 1.5 tbsp), half the garlic (3 cloves minced) and 1 tbsp of the oil or ghee. Add the lamb cubes and mix to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Make the dry spice blend: in a small spice grinder or mortar and pestle grind the fennel seeds, green cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon into a rough powder. Mix in the ground coriander and ground cumin. Set aside.
Caramelise the onions: heat 1 tbsp of ghee/oil in a heavy-based pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until deep golden brown and sweet — about 20–25 minutes. Reduce heat if they threaten to burn.
Cool and blitz the onions into a smooth-ish paste (a few seconds in a blender or food processor). Set aside.
Brown the lamb: heat the remaining 2 tbsp ghee/oil in the same pan over high heat until shimmering. Add the bay leaf and the whole spice mix (if you have any whole bits left) and fry for 20–30 seconds to release aroma. Add the marinated lamb in a single layer (do this in batches if your pan is crowded) and sear, turning occasionally, until well-browned on all sides — 6–8 minutes.
Lower heat to medium. Add the remaining garlic and ginger, fry for 60 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the ground spice blend, remaining 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric and asafoetida (if using). Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so the spices don’t burn.
Add the onion paste, the reserved 50 g yoghurt (off the heat — see next step) and 250 ml water. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid slightly ajar and simmer very gently until the lamb is tender and the sauce is glossy — 60–75 minutes. Check every 15 minutes and add a splash of water if the sauce reduces too aggressively.
Once the lamb is tender, temper and finish with yoghurt: remove the pan from direct heat for 1–2 minutes. Whisk the reserved yoghurt to loosen it. Very slowly drizzle a few spoonfuls of the hot curry into the yoghurt while whisking (tempering), then slowly stir the warmed yoghurt back into the pan. Return to the lowest heat and cook gently for 5–7 minutes — do not boil hard.
Stir in garam masala, lemon juice and the sugar (if using). Check seasoning and adjust salt or chilli to taste. If the sauce is too thin, increase heat briefly to reduce to desired thickness; if too thick, add a little hot water.
Rest the curry off the heat for 10 minutes to let flavours settle. Garnish with chopped coriander and optional fried dried Kashmiri chillies. Serve with steamed rice, naan or rotis.
Tips
- Caramelise onions slowly until deep golden — that sweetness is the backbone of the gravy and can’t be rushed.
- Temper yoghurt: always bring it up to temperature with a few spoonfuls of hot sauce before adding to the pot, and keep heat very low afterwards to stop curdling.
- Sear the lamb in batches: overcrowding the pan steams the meat and you lose all the Maillard flavour.
- Make-ahead: Rogan Josh tastes even better the next day after flavours have melded. Reheat gently on low with a splash of water.
- To thin or thicken: reduce over higher heat to thicken, or add a little hot water or stock to loosen the sauce while reheating.
Substitutions
boneless lamb shoulder → bone-in lamb shanks or leg (use same weight but increase simmer time until tender)
Stays closeKashmiri chilli powder → paprika + a pinch of cayenne (for heat and colour, use 1½ tbsp paprika + pinch cayenne)
Stays closewhole-milk yoghurt → Greek yoghurt (full-fat) — whisked and use same weight
Stays closeghee or neutral oil → olive oil (light) or sunflower oil
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 680
- Calories
- 58 g
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 650 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make Rogan Josh in a slow cooker?
Yes — sear the lamb and caramelise the onions first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6–8 hours until tender.
Why did my yoghurt split/curdle?
Most likely the yoghurt was added while the curry was at a vigorous boil or it was cold. Always temper yoghurt by whisking in a few spoons of hot sauce off heat, then return slowly and keep the heat low.
How can I make this spicier or milder?
Increase or reduce Kashmiri chilli/cayenne to taste. Kashmiri chilli adds colour with moderate heat; cayenne will spike heat quickly so add cautiously.
Is this gluten-free?
As written, yes — there are no wheat ingredients. Check labels of spice blends and yoghurt if you need strict gluten-free assurance.
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