Lamb Rogan Josh is one of my favourite curries to make at home. Gorgeous, melt-in-your-mouth lamb, slow-cooked in an intense and aromatic sauce for the perfect family fakeaway.
Firstly, I must emphasise that I am not an authentic Indian cook. I’m not an authentic cook of anything really.
I’m a home cook. When it comes to curries, I’m very much a do a bit of reading, order some takeouts (for research, of course!) and throw some spices into a pot until they taste good kind of cook.
This unfortunately means that I have to make them all many times until I manage to write down what I’ve done to get my meal. It’s a great hardship.
Honestly.
Homemade Rogan Josh is one of my favourite family fakeaways. The lamb is just so soft and tender. It melts in your mouth, and the sauce is quite a unique flavour. I really love it. Smells great too!
But, probably not anything approaching a real Rogan Josh. Sorry about that!
What is Rogan Josh?
Rogan Josh is an aromatic curry of Persian or Kashmiri origin. It’s typically made with either lamb or goat, and Lamb Rogan Josh is a favourite on many Indian takeout menus all over the country.
It’s got a smokey and yet sweet taste, and features several different intense flavours. It’s this mixture of tastes that really set it apart from other popular Indian dishes.
While of course, mine is very much “English Mum Does Indian Cooking Badly” and nowhere near authentic, it is still a fantastic flavour.
It’s also easy enough to have a go at at home, so that’s always a win.
Is Rogan Josh Spicy?
This recipe isn’t! If you prefer yours spicier, you can add extra chilli powder to the mix. Red chillis and chilli flakes could also make a powerful addition.
But my Lamb Rogan Josh is fairly mild, and perfect for a family curry night.
What Can You Serve Curry with That Isn’t Rice?
I quite like rice, in the sense that it is versatile and works well with lots of things. It’s also fairly healthy.
But, it gets a bit dull doesn’t it?
If you are anything like me, you’ll want a mixture of sides with your homemade curry!
I serve my lamb rogan josh with rice, garlic naan bread, poppadoms, onion bhajis, and anything else that I can find. Then I dip it all in mango chutney!
Can You Make a Leftover Lamb Curry?
YES! Leftover meat is perfect in a curry! It’s already nice and tender, and cooking it in a yummy sauce stops it from drying out.
A Leftover Lamb Rogan Josh would be absolutely perfect.
Chop your leftover roast lamb into chunks on Sunday night once it has cooled, and place it in a sealed tub.
You could add the garlic, ginger and chilli then if you wanted to.
Then, on Monday or Tuesday, take your leftover Sunday lunch lamb and cook this recipe, following the instructions the same.
The only difference is that you wouldn’t need to brown the lamb, just coat it in the rogan josh curry paste.
How Do You Cook Lamb So That It is Tender?
The best way to cook any meat so that it’s delightfully tender is to cook it slowly.
This Lamb Rogan Josh is perfect. It’s cooked really slowly, in quite a thin sauce. Your lamb should be delicious by the time it’s served.
Because it is covered for most of the cooking time, this lamb curry shouldn’t dry out. If it does, add a little water or chicken stock.
How Do You Thicken Curry?
If any of your curries are a little too watery when you come to serve them, there are a few things that you can do to thicken them up.
If you’ve got time, simmering, uncovered for longer, usually works well.
If not, you could try adding a little extra tomato puree, or mix 2 tbsp cornflour with 2tbsp of water, and stir this paste into your curry.
Why Is My Curry Bland?
This curry recipe isn’t too thin, and the flavours are fairly powerful, so hopefully, it won’t taste bland.
But, if you are looking for more flavour, I would try adding some extra spices, but carefully.
Add a little more chilli, stir, give it a few minutes to simmer, and then taste. Try the same with the cumin or paprika. I probably wouldn’t add extra cloves though.
Can You Make a Healthier Rogan Josh?
I wouldn’t call this Rogan Josh unhealthy. But, if you want to cut calories, you could serve with wraps or chapati instead of rice and naan.
You could also use low-fat or fat-free yoghurt, instead of full-fat.
But, low-fat dairy tends to curdle when you add it to a hot dish.
To prevent this, remove your lamb rogan josh from the heat for 30 minutes before stirring in the yoghurt slowly.
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Lamb Rogan Josh
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 People 1x
Description
Lamb Rogan Josh is one of my favourite curries to make at home. Gorgeous, melt in your mouth lamb, slow-cooked in an intense and aromatic sauce for the perfect family fakeaway.
Ingredients
- 500 g Diced lamb
- 2 Cloves garlic (Crushed)
- 2 teaspoons Root ginger (Grated)
- 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 2 tablespoons Sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- 1 Stick Cinnamon
- 2 Onions (Chopped into 8)
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 500 ml Chicken stock
- 100 ml Natural yoghurt
Instructions
- Toss the lamb with the chilli, ginger and garlic, cover and leave in the fridge until needed.
- Blend the onion with a splash of water until pureed.
- Heat the sesame oil in a lidded flameproof dish or pan.
- Fry the cardamom and cinnamon for 2 minutes.
- Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the cloves, cumin, coriander, paprika and bay leaf.
- Stir together well.
- Add the lamb and stir until browned and well coated.
- Pour in the stock and tomato puree and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the yoghurt, and simmer uncovered for a further 30 minutes.
- Serve straight away.
Notes
If you are using leftover lamb, follow the recipe the same, just don’t spend as much time browning when you add the lamb.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Inactive Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Easy Midweek Meals
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 523kcal
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 332mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 36g
- Cholesterol: 127mg
Gosh I love curries and this looks and sounds wonderful. I’ve never made a lamb curry so I shall remember this next time I have some lamb. Thanks for sharing :)
Thank you :)
Love, love, love good Rogan Josh and this one sounds so so good! Definitely naan and rice, could never go for just one! :)
No me either! I need both! Thanks for your comment! :)