B's Bites Lamb Rogan Josh (Slow Cooker)

Name: The BEST Restaurant Style Lamb Rogan Josh
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: lamb, cut into curry-sized chunks; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 large brown onion, finely sliced; 6 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 inch fresh ginger, grated; 2 bay leaves; 5 whole cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 8 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 2 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 300 ml water or stock; 150 g Greek yoghurt; 1 tsp garam masala; salt

Source video by B's Bites on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

On camera the cook calls out that this is the restaurant version, not the traditional Kashmiri Rogan Josh (mustard oil, ratan jot, minimal spices). Two tablespoons of vegetable oil go into a heavy-bottomed pot, one large brown onion is finely sliced and fried till browned, then 6 crushed garlic cloves and a 2-inch piece of grated ginger join in. Whole spices follow: 2 bay leaves, 5 cloves, a cinnamon stick, 8 lightly crushed cardamom pods. Ground spices next: 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tbsp each of cumin and coriander, plus 1 tsp of ordinary chilli powder. Tomato paste in for a moment, then the lamb sears all over. 300 ml of water (or stock) goes in. Adapted for the slow cooker, the pot transfers to Low for 6 hours. 150 g of Greek yoghurt and 1 tsp of garam masala stir in at the end. Served with cucumber-mint raita and quick pickled red onion on the side.

Slow cooker notes: Original simmers on the hob for an hour with a 10-minute uncovered finish. Adapted for the slow cooker: build the masala on the hob exactly as the cook does (onion brown is one of the things that gives Rogan Josh its colour, per the cook; don't skip), sear the lamb in the same pot, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with 300 ml of water or stock. Low 6 hours. Yoghurt and garam masala stir in at the end, uncovered for the last 10 minutes on High if you want it slightly thicker.

Ingredients

Curry

lamb, cut into curry-sized chunks
2 tbspvegetable oil
1large brown onion, finely sliced
6garlic cloves, crushed
2 inchfresh ginger, grated
1 tbsptomato paste
300 mlwater or stock

Whole spices

2bay leaves
5whole cloves
1cinnamon stick
8green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

Ground spices

2 tbspKashmiri red chilli powder
1 tbspground cumin
1 tbspground coriander
1 tspchilli powder

Finish

150 gGreek yoghurt (add late)
1 tspgaram masala (add late)
salt (add late)

Method

Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Fry the finely sliced onion until soft, sweet and well-browned.
~10 min
Stir in the 6 crushed garlic cloves and the grated ginger. Cook for 1 minute.
~1 min
Add the whole spices (bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick, crushed cardamom) and the ground spices (Kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander, chilli powder). Toast for about 30 seconds, stirring.
~1 min
Stir in 1 tbsp of tomato paste. Add the lamb pieces and sear on all sides.
~5 min
Tip the pan into the slow cooker. Add 300 ml of water or stock. Stir.
~2 min
Lid on. Cook on Low for 6 hours (or High 4 hours).
~360 min
Stir in 150 g of Greek yoghurt and 1 tsp of garam masala. Taste and add salt. Lid off, cook on High for the last 10 minutes if you want the gravy a touch thicker.
~10 min
Serve with rice or naan and a cucumber-mint raita on the side.
~2 min

Frequently asked

Is this a traditional Rogan Josh?

No, and the cook says so. The traditional Kashmiri Rogan Josh uses mustard oil, no onion-ginger-garlic, very few spices and ratan jot for its red colour. This is the restaurant version that most people recognise as Rogan Josh in the UK.

What if I don't have Kashmiri chilli powder?

Use paprika. You'll get the same red colour but less heat. Bump the 1 tsp of regular chilli powder to 2 tsp if you want the heat back.

Do I have to brown the onion that hard?

Yes. The deep onion brown is one of the things that gives Rogan Josh its colour. Pale-cooked onion leaves the curry orange instead of red.

Why yoghurt at the end and not earlier?

Yoghurt splits if it's boiled hard for too long. Adding it at the end keeps the dairy smooth in the gravy rather than curdled.

Extraction notes (transparency): Most key quantities explicit. Lamb weight not stated on camera (the cook just says 'lamb pieces'). Salt left as null per source ('salt to taste'). Sides (pickled red onion + raita) are full sub-recipes in the source but not slow-cooker; not extracted here.