Name: Lamb Rogan Josh (Stove Top or Instant Pot)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 700g (24.5oz) of lamb shoulder, visible fat removed and chopped into chunks; 1 tablespoon of ghee (or other oil of your choice) –; 2 onions, diced finely; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger root; 1.5 teaspoons of Deggi Mirch (or medium/hot chilli powder); 1 teaspoon of turmeric; 1 teaspoon of salt; 2 teaspoons of garam masala; 5 green cardamom pods; 5 whole cloves; a couple of pieces of cinnamon bark (or use a pinch of cinnamon if you don't have these); 1 cup (240ml) of crushed tomatoes, canned (or passata) - use 1/2 cup (120ml) of for Instant Pot method; 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (puree) - (use 2 tablespoons if using passata); 1 cup (240ml) of water - use 1/2 cup (120ml) for Instant Pot method; 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of fat-free plain yoghurt; salt to season

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Lamb Rogan Josh - tender fall apart pieces of lamb in a delicious aromatic rich curry sauce that can be cooked stove top or in an Instant Pot.

lamb rogan josh in black frying pan with wooden handle, rice, raita and cilantro in background

Rogan Josh (Roghan Ghosht)

I love Indian food, it is one of my favourite cuisines and I being introduced to the food from a very young age (my father worked in ventilation for the restaurant businesses), I have been loving creating my own versions of some of my favourite dishes over the last few years

One of my favourite Indian dishes is Rogan Josh (Roghan Ghosht) - a curry most typically made with pieces of red meat like lamb, beef or goat, cooked until tender in a delicious rich gravy flavoured with a range of aromatic spices.

Instant Pot Rogan Josh

As well as cooking this delicious dish on the stovetop, if you have a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) then you can cut down the cooking time of this recipe and still have amazingly tender fall apart pieces of meat.

You may be wondering, What is an Instant Pot? An Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) is a 7in1 cooker, that slow cooks, pressure cooks, sautes and has settings for soup, chilli, rice, porridge etc. It will literally cook these meatballs in minutes, so perfect for when you need a meal on the table quickly.

(As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Since buying my Instant Pot, I use it on a regular basis, it's not one of those gadgets that sit in my cupboard forgotten. In fact, it never goes away.

Instant Pot is a brand of an electric pressure cooker, but there are various other brands and options out there.

lamb rogan josh in black frying pan with wooden handle

What is Ghee?

You will notice I use ghee in this recipe and may be wondering what it is? Ghee is the name for clarified butter, it's not the same as a block of butter. Ghee is unsalted butter that is heated to remove the milk solids, the final result being a beautiful golden liquid that is a perfect cooking fat with a high smoke point.

It is commonly used in Indian cooking and will take your curries and Indian dishes to a whole other level that you just won't achieve with regular cooking oils.

If you struggle to find ghee, you can use another cooking oil of your choice in its place, but I recommend sourcing some ghee if you can. It will last for ages and is great in all kinds of cooking.

Can I omit the Ghee or Oil in this recipe?

While it is possible to cook this dish with cooking oil spray, you will not get that same lovely cooking of the base ingredients and spices which all add to the flavour of this dish. So it's something to be aware of if you do make the swap.

Don't be put off using real ingredients in recipes. This is a lifestyle change not a short term fix and a little bit of ghee or oil for a recipe that serves 4 or more people is not much when you look at it like that.

lamb rogan josh in black frying pan with wooden spoon, rice in background in metal dish

Deggi Mirch Chilli Powder

Another unusual ingredient you might spot in this recipe is something called Deggi Mirch, which is basically a good quality chilli powder made from a variety of Indian Red Chillies (usually Kashmiri Chillies and Red Peppers) it has a vibrant red colour that will add beautiful colour to your dishes.

It's a great ingredient to add to your spice collection if you enjoy Indian cooking, but any medium heat chilli powder will work in its place.

Can I use Chicken in Rogan Josh?

I only ever make this with lamb or beef, because I just love how tender the meat is and it really absorbs all the flavours of the spices.

If you do want to use chicken, it will require a lot less cooking time and you may need to adjust the liquids. Plus I would use boneless skinless chicken thighs, as I think chicken breast would really lack the flavour as it cooks quickly and doesn't take on all those flavours as well as other types of meat.

Let me know in the comments if you do try it with chicken and what adjustments you make.

lamb rogan josh in black frying pan with wooden handle on wooden board, wooden spoon placed in pan

Sides for Rogan Josh

There are many sides that go well with this delicious recipe. I like to keep it simple with some basmati rice, cilantro (coriander) and a very simple Cucumber Mint Raita.

Cucumber Mint Raita

To make the Raita I combine the following:

¾ cup of plain fat free Greek yoghurt
juice of half a lime
pinch of dried mint (or you can use fresh mint chopped)
100g of diced cucumber
¼ of a small red onion, finely diced
pinch of salt
little maple syrup (or can use sweetener) but this is optional
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of ground coriander
(or if you have some MDH Chutney Pudina Masala Powder, you can add a pinch of that in place of the cumin/coriander).

More Indian Fakeaway Recipes

Want to turn this into an Indian Fakeaway Feast? Check out these recipes below from my Indian Fakeaway Recipes section

or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 900 delicious Slimming Eats and Weight Watchers friendly recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients etc

Lamb Rogan Josh on yellow plate with rice and raita and cilantro, wooden handle fork place on the plate

This recipe was originally created on the 20 February 2016 and updated on 1 July 2020

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Recipe Card

Yield: SERVES 4

Lamb Rogan Josh (Stove Top or Instant Pot)

Lamb Rogan Josh - tender fall apart pieces of lamb in a delicious aromatic rich curry sauce and can be cooked stove top or in an Instant Pot.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

700g (24.5oz) of lamb shoulder, visible fat removed and chopped into chunks
1 tablespoon of ghee (or other oil of your choice) –
2 onions, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger root
1.5 teaspoons of Deggi Mirch (or medium/hot chilli powder)
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of garam masala
5 green cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
a couple of pieces of cinnamon bark (or use a pinch of cinnamon if you don't have these)
1 cup (240ml) of crushed tomatoes, canned (or passata) - use ½ cup (120ml) of for Instant Pot method
1 tablespoon of tomato paste (puree) - (use 2 tablespoons if using passata)
1 cup (240ml) of water - use ½ cup (120ml) for Instant Pot method
4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of fat-free plain yoghurt
salt to season

Instructions

STOVE TOP

Add the ghee to a deep lidded frying pan over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add the onion and fry till golden and translucent.
Add the turmeric, garlic and ginger and fry for a further few mins.
Add in the lamb, garam masala, Deggi Mirch (chilli powder, salt and continue to fry for a couple of minutes until the lamb is coated in all the spices.
Stir in the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon bark.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer for approx 1 hour and 30 mins, until lamb is tender. If it gets too dry just add a little water at a time.
Once cooked, taste and season with some more salt if needed. Add the yoghurt to a bowl, and spoon some of the hot gravy into the yoghurt and whisk until combined, yoghurt should no longer be cold. This helps prevent it from splitting when added into the hot sauce.
Add the yoghurt mixture into the lamb and stir until combined.
Serve with your choice of sides and Enjoy!!

INSTANT POT

Set instant pot to saute mode, add ghee and wait for it to display hot.
Add the onion and fry until golden and translucent, then add in the turmeric, garlic and ginger and fry for a further few mins.
Add in the lamb, garam masala, Deggi Mirch (chilli powder), salt and continue to fry for a couple of minutes until the lamb is coated in all the spices.
Stir in the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon bark.
Add the crushed tomatoes and water, mix to combine, ensuring you scrape any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan, otherwise, you may get a burn notice and it won't get to pressure.
Spoon the tomato paste onto the top (do not stir)
Add lid, close valve (if not self-sealing) and then set Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Once Instant Pot beeps to signal it has finished cooking, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
Stir, taste and season with some more salt if needed. If you require sauce to thicken more, set it to saute mode and let it bubble for a few minutes. But turn off from saute mode before following the next step.
Add the yoghurt to a bowl, and spoon some of the hot gravy into the yoghurt and whisk until combined, yoghurt should no longer be cold. This helps prevent it from splitting when added into the hot sauce.
Stir this into the lamb until combined.
Serve with your choice of sides and enjoy!!

Notes

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Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
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