Lamb Rogan Josh Curry
Lamb marinated in yoghurt for at least an hour, then slow-cooked with whole spices until it’s properly tender. That yoghurt does double duty here, working as both the marinade and the base of the sauce.
Leaving the pot uncovered once the water goes in is what lets the sauce reduce and concentrate properly. Cover it too early and you’ll end up with something thin and watery instead of rich and deep.
Serve it over fragrant saffron rice with naan on the side. Most of the cook time is hands-off simmering, so it’s a lot less work than it looks.
Lamb Rogan Josh Curry
LAMB · DINNER · MEDIUM
Deep, spiced, and properly slow-cooked
Scraping every bit of yoghurt out of the marinating bowl when the lamb goes into the pot matters more than it seems — it's doing double duty as marinade and sauce base, so leaving any behind thins out the final gravy.
Toasting the whole spices just until fragrant builds real depth without tipping into bitterness. Cloves and cardamom turn bitter fast if you go much past a minute.
Give the lamb the full simmer time and it breaks down into something properly tender, soaking up all that spice along the way.
Lamb Rogan Josh
Ingredients
Rogan Josh
- 750 g Lamb Leg or Shoulder Diced
- 190 g Natural Greek Yogurt
- 28 g Ghee
- 15 ml Neutral Oil
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 5 Green Cardamom Pods
- 4 Whole Cloves
- 4.5 g Cumin Seeds
- 3 Dried Bay Leaves
- 3 Shallots Sliced
- 4 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 15 g Ginger Peeled & Grated
- 14 g Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 4 g Ground Fennel
- 2 g Ground Ginger
- 180 ml Hot Water or Chicken Stock
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Saffron Rice
- 200 g Jasmine Rice Washed
- 400 ml Cold Water
- 10 Saffron Threads Optional
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Serving & Garnishing
- Coriander (Cilantro) Garnish
- Naan To Serve
Method
- Combine the lamb & yogurt in a bowl, mix well. Wrap tightly & allow to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
- In a small bowl or jar, combine the red chilli powder (Kashmiri), ground fennel or leaves & ground ginger. Pour in the water & mix until smooth, set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the ghee or clarified butter & canola oil over medium heat. Once melted add in the cinnamon, green cardamom pods, cloves, cumin seeds & bay leaves. Fry for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add in the thinly sliced shallots & saute for 5-6 minutes or until golden & translucent. Add in the minced garlic & ginger, fry for 1 minute, stirring the whole time.
- Place in the marinated lamb & yogurt (scraping all the yogurt in to avoid wastage), mix well & cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in enough hot water to only just reach the top of the ingredients (don't cover it otherwise it will be too runny) & bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, place on a lid & simmer for 40 minutes.
- Remove the lid & add in the chilli, fennel, ground ginger & water mix. Season to taste & mix well. Allow to continue simmering uncovered for a further 20 minutes or until reduced, thickened & the lamb is tender.
- In the meantime, place a saucepan over high heat, add in the washed rice, saffron & sea salt flakes, mix well & bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, place on a lid & simmer for 14 minutes undisturbed. Turn it off the heat, leave the lid on & allow it to steam for 4 minutes. Remove the lid & fluff with a fork.
- Serve over the steamed saffron rice & garnish with coriander (cilantro). Serve with naan or any toasted bread.
I’ve always wanted to make homemade curry. This curry is super flavorful and delicious and very good with lamb!
This curry is so good, I’m glad you agree. Thank you.
Excellent recipe Jack thank you
Thank you