Lamb Rogan Josh

Lamb Rogan Josh is a hearty, red, warming curry. The spices complement the lamb meat perfectly. Rogan Josh is a staple of the Kashmir region of India and has an intense, rich and fragrant flavour. “Josh” can mean hot, it can also mean red. In this recipe I go lightly on the chillies, but if you prefer a hotter curry, just add a few more.

One of the many things I love about this curry is that it leaves no aftertaste the following morning. It is easy to prepare and can be made in the slow cooker as well as on the stove. If you love rogan josh but prefer a vegetarian equivalent, check out my rogan mushrooms recipe.

I served this lamb rogan josh with red rice to increase the nutritional value of the meal as red rice contains anthocyanins (a powerful antioxidant) . I also threw in a few handfuls of spinach and rocket just before serving up.

Lamb Rogan Josh

Serves 4

1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

5cm piece of cinnamon stick

8 green cardamom pods, bruised

4 cloves

2 small red chillies, chopped (add the seeds for a hotter flavour)

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 red onions, diced

1″ piece of ginger, grated

1 tbsp ground coriander

1½ tsp ground cumin

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp garam masala plus 1 tsp extra to use just before serving

2 flakes of dried mace blades

1 tsp ground fennel seeds

4 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp salt

200ml water

750g boneless lamb shoulder roughly diced into 5cm cubes (or lamb steaks equivalent weight)

125g natural yoghurt

50ml double cream

Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

How to prepare lamb rogan josh

To cook on the stove:

Use a large frying pan and melt the ghee or coconut oil.

Add the whole spices and fry for 1 minute, then add the onion and fry on a medium heat for approximately 8 minutes until it starts to brown. Stir in the garlic, ginger and salt and add the ground spices. Fry for 30 seconds and pour in the tomato puree. Combine well.

Add the lamb chunks, cover well with the sauce and either put aside to rest in a cool place for a couple of hours to allow the flavours to infuse the lamb meat, or begin cooking immediately. I tend to just move the pan off the heat and let it sit at ambient room temperature for 2 or 3 hours. Health and safety would probably have a fit, but I’ve not had a dicky stomach or died from food poisoning yet by doing this!

When you do start to cook with the end in mind, pour in the water, bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for between 1½ to 2 hours until the lamb is tender.

Remove from the heat and add the double cream, yoghurt and chopped coriander. Season with the extra garam masala and serve up.

To cook in the slow cooker:

I cook on the high setting on my slow cooker. It’s a simple as adding all the ingredients, leaving adding the double cream, yoghurt, extra garam masala and coriander until just a few minutes before serving up.

As I don’t pre-fry or pre-boil anything you will not need the ghee or coconut oil. It always turns out delicious. Cook on a high setting for approximately 8 hours.