Rogan Josh Recipe (Lamb Rogan Josh)
Updated: April 3, 2023, By Swasthi
Rogan Josh, a classic comfort food from the Kashmiri Cuisine is a slow cooked dish made with lamb, spices, herbs and yogurt. You will seriously be hooked to this beautiful Kashmiri Rogan Josh and will turn back to time & again for a spectacular feast. Serve it with plain steamed rice, Chapati, Tandoori Roti, Butter naan, Sheermal, plain basmati rice or Turmeric rice. This recipe will give you soft, tender and juicy lamb with fall-off-the-bone tender meat in an extremely delicious sauce.
About Rogan Josh
Absolutely phenomenal in taste and texture, Rogan josh, the deep red spicy meat curry, is the signature dish of Kashmir and is an integral part of the lavish Kashmiri food spread, Wazwaan. In fact, this multi-course meal is one which you should be tasting at least once in your life since the dishes are so lip-smacking and delicious.
There are various interpretations of the name which I learnt. Rogan, pronounced as “roughan” means “oil or ghee” in Persian, while in Urdu, it may mean “brown or red”. On the other hand, “Josh” (jus) refers “to braise” or “stew”. Other meaning may be the intense heat. So Rogan josh may mean one that is “stewed or braised in ghee”.
Like Nihari and Hyderabadi Marag, traditionally Rogan josh is prepared by slow-cooking meat over a low heat for several hours. In the recent times, a pressure cooker is used to cook the meat quickly.
But nothing can beat the slow cooked rogan josh. When the meat is simmered, it lends the dish a deep and substantial flavor that is also unique. Slow cooking seeps the marrow from the bones into the gravy making it thicker and delicious.
The thickness you taste and see in an authentic rogan josh comes from the bone marror, red chili paste, fennel powder, ginger powder and yogurt but not from onions, garlic and tomatoes. Some recipes do not even use yogurt and instead use pran (wild shallot paste).
More Similar Recipes
Lamb Karahi
Goat Curry
Lamb Curry
Lamb Vindaloo
Lamb Korma
Mutton Curry
Mutton Biryani
Photo Guide
Traditional Vs Modernized version
Rogan josh gets its characteristic red color from the Kashmiri Red chilies and again not from tomatoes. Also the usage of ratan jot, an herb from the borage family enhances the deep color. Alternately a lot of people also use Cockscomb flower known as maval locally, for the the red color.
You will also find many households and restaurants making this without both ratan jot or cockscomb flower since both these do not make much difference to the flavor of rogan josh. A lot of restaurants use food color but I suggest simply to leave out these ingredients if they are not available.
There are numerous versions of this popular dish on the internet. Some use tomatoes for more volume, but this alters the original authentic taste considerably. Similarly, fresh ginger and garlic are not used in the original one. Instead, asafetida is added to get the flavor base of onion and garlic.
The usage of onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic makes it a regular Mutton curry and not ROGAN JOSH.
Two methods
Rogan josh is prepared in 2 methods – Hindu Pandit method and the Kashmiri Muslim method. As such a lot of Kashmiri recipes vary depending on the community and region.
In the Hindu Pandit method, yogurt is used and involves searing and braising the meat, which isn’t included in the other method. Onion, fresh ginger, and garlic are avoided. Likewise, Ghee is used in this method.
In the Muslim version, a unique flavor enhancer known as pran or praan is used. It is made by deep frying wild onion or shallots until golden. These are later ground in a mortar pestle along with the oil in which they are fried. The resulting paste is a light and super flavorful ingredient that takes the dish to a new level.
Apart from these 2, a lot of households and chefs have their own recipes to make the dish. Some people use mustard oil instead of ghee and some use garlic.
My Rogan Josh Recipe
My Recipe is super simple and uses pantry staples. You will be surprised at how delicious this turns out with minimal ingredients. Though easy to make, it is not a fast recipe and as you know slow cooking mutton is what makes this dish so good.
Whether you are making a weeknight family dinner or in need of something amazing that will satisfy a crowd, this is an excellent aromatic dish that tastes close to the authentic version. This incredibly delicious fare packs a serious flavor punch from the ground spices like ginger, fennel and red chili.
This dish is made with mutton – goat or lamb. You may use your favorite meat including chicken but you won’t require so much liquid and red chilli powder.
Traditionally this dish is made with Kashmiri chili paste which adds volume and red color to the dish without making it too hot and pungent. For convenience I have used Kashmiri red chili powder. All the ingredients used in this recipe will be available easily in an Indian grocery stores.
Since we do not eat very spicy and hot foods I have used only 1 tablespoon red chilli powder. I have used ratan jot as it is easily available. Feel free to skip it. Here is how to use it.
Photo Guide
How to use Ratan Jot
Ratan Jot or Alkanet root – The root of this plant was extensively used in traditional Indian cooking for its color. What’s more, it even imparts a mild flavor. This ingredient is optional and you may skip it. It is available online easily and here is how to use it if you are able to source it.
Heat two tablespoons of ghee or oil in a saucepan along with a few pieces of the ratan jot. Keep stirring for 1 to 2 mins until ratan jot is soaked up in ghee. I had to add more ghee and more herb.
Once the ghee becomes red, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 to 3 mins. Turn off the heat and allow the herb to steep until you need. Keep the pan in a slightly hot place so the ghee does not solidify. Follow the recipe to incorporate it in the recipe.
Dried Cockscomb Flower – Instead of Ratan Jot, you can use dried cockscomb flower also. Soak them in warm water for 20 minutes. Strain and use it. It gives the dish a distinctive taste (very mild) and color to the dish.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Rogan Josh Recipe (Lamb Rogan Josh)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1.1 lbs. (500 grams) bone-in mutton (tender lamb)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ghee or mustard oil (refer notes)
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing, skip if you don't have)
- ½ cup curd (yogurt at room temperature, preferably fresh and not sour)
- ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 to 1½ tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder (or 2 tbsps. Kashmiri red chili paste)
- 1 cup hot water (or mutton stock)
- 1¼ cup sliced shallots or yellow onion (optional, refer notes)
Spices (refer notes)
- 1 bay leaf (skip if you don't have)
- 3 to 4 cloves (or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves)
- 1 inch cinnamon (or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 3 green cardamoms (or ⅓ teaspoon ground cardamoms)
- 1 black cardamom (skip if you don't have)
- 2 teaspoon fennel seeds powder
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder (or substitute 1 teaspoon ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
Instructions
How to Make Rogan Josh
- This step is optional. But it helps to thicken the rogan josh. Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in a pan and saute shallots/onions on a medium heat until golden, about to caramelize but not burnt. Cool them and blend with 2 to 3 tablespoons of yogurt to a smooth paste. Keep this aside.
- Heat oil or ghee in a heavy bottom pot and add bay leaf, green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and black cardamoms. (If you opt for the ground spices, add them later.)
- When the spices begin to sizzle in oil, add mutton and sear it for 1 to 2 minute on a high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and fry for another 4 to 5 minutes until the meat is slightly brown.
- While you fry the meat, add yogurt to a mixing bowl. Also add ground spices – red chilli powder, fennel powder, dried ginger powder and salt.
- Whisk all of them well. If your yogurt is too thick (like Greek yogurt), add 3 to 4 tablespoons of water or stock and whisk it well until smooth.
- Once the meat is light brown in color, add hing to the oil. Take the pot off the stove and slowly stir in the spice and yogurt mixture.
- Mix well and place the pot back on the stove. Cook covered for 3 to 4 minutes on a medium heat.
- Pour 1 cup hot water or stock. Cook covered on a low heat until tender, adding more hot water if required.
- Stir rogan josh every 7 to 8 minutes. When it is done, the mutton pieces should be soft, tender and fall off the bone. (Optional – During the last 20 minutes of cooking add the blended onion paste and mix well.)
- The cook time depends on the kind of pot, source of heat and the intensity of heat. Do not forget to add more hot water (if required) as you cook.
- The gravy in Rogan josh is neither too runny nor too thick but is slightly thick as the some of the bone marrow seeps into the liquids. This results can be achieved only by slow cooking the dish.
- Taste test and add more salt or garam masala if required. Turn off the heat and rest for few hours before serving. This helps to develop the flavors.
- Serve rogan josh with Tandoori Roti, Butter Naan, Basmati Rice, Paratha or Roti. It is best served with plain rice.
Notes
- If using mustard oil, first heat it until smoking hot. Reduce the heat and then begin to cook.
- My spice combination makes this recipe the best. However if you do not have whole spices, then use garam masala plus fennel powder and fresh ginger paste.
- If using fresh ginger paste, add it when the mutton is light brown. Slide the mutton to a side and add the ginger paste to ghee/oil. Fry quickly until aromatic without burning.
- This recipe has been updated to use onions/shallots (for a thicker gravy) and garam masala. These are not used in the traditional rogan josh.
- To use pran, skip using yogurt and use 4 to 5 tbsps of pran paste along with the ground spices. After searing the mutton, pour hot water or stock and cook until 50% done (half cooked). Then add all the ground spices and the pran paste.
- If using store bought bottled pran, make sure it is fresh and does not smell rancid. Pran stored in glass containers and made with ghee keeps good for longer.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
Iโm Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโs Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
Follow Swasthi’s Recipes
Comments
I tried this in my work kitchen. Amazing flavour and great taste. All co-workers loved it.
Amazing how little masala it has, so easy to make, and soo yum. It was even tastier after a few hours, so wd.recommend making it in advance- say morning, if it’s for dinner. I made it without pran etc as I didn’t have that, but otherwise exactly as per the recipe. 1 tsp byadgi chilli pwd was just right for us. Yum! Thank you.
Go glad you like it Anjali. Yes I agree, resting enhances the flavor. We usually eat the next day for lunch because the meat is not marinated, resting makes it the best. Thanks for sharing back how it went for you.
Good morning Swasthi: I am having a tough time finding any “bone in” lamb to use for your wonderful Rogan Josh. How much would using boneless lamb stew meat alter the delicious taste? Carol
Good Morning Carol,
Yes you may use stew meat and for the liquid, use stock or bone broth (start with lesser liquid). I think it should be alright. Hope you get to try!
This might just be my favourite recipe of all time! The marrow makes this utterly delightful. Next time I’ll trim the fat on the meat to trim the calories. It’s outrageously delicious and easy to make – took 3 hours on my stove but I have no regrets. I’m still deciding if this is as good or better than my local restaurant!
Thank you so much Annabelle for sharing back! Happy to read that!
When to use the Hing? If I am using ratan jot do i need to use kashmiri mirch powder?
Hi,
After you saute the meat, stir in the hing. It is mentioned in the recipe card. Kashmiri mirch is for mild heat and ratan jot is for color.
Excellent.
Thank you
This rogan josh turned out spectacular and my husband loved it. The only change was to leave out the garam masala and double the fennel and ground ginger. I think this is the first recipe I found on your blog without step by step photos. But no worries turned out delicious. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Glad you like it Saumya. Yes I haven’t shared the pictures yet. I will be doing it soon. Thanks for trying.
In rogan josh receipe you have not mentioned when to use ratan josh and in what quantity.
Add it towards the end, during the last 3 to 4 mins of cooking. Temper it in 2 to 3 tbsps ghee. Add as much as you want until your rogan josh looks bright red. Store the left over in the fridge and reheat for next time.
I’ve cooked this dish and it turned out quite well. I slow cooked it and the meat(lamb shoulder) became very tender. But the sauce got very, and I mean really thin. I followed the recipe and quantities, using mustard oil, greek yoghurt, Anaheim chili powder and sweet paprika 2:1 and 240ml of hot water. I was afraid the yoghurt would curdle, which didn’t happen, though. I expected the sauce to thicken up a bit, but it got even thinner during the process. The flavours were fine. What should I do different next time?
Hi Nat,
Authentic Rogan josh sauce is not thick like other curries and it basically has more of the bone marrow flavor & is runny as seen in the pictures. However if you want it thicker, you may saute 1.25 cups sliced onions (yellow onion or shallots) until golden, make a fine paste with little yogurt and add it during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
thanks.
This is a. Very nice and tasty very rich in flavour ??
I had been looking for an authentic Indian rogan josh and this recipe ends my search! It turned out amazing so much different and easier than any other rogan josh recipes out there on the internet. Pinned it so I don’t loose the link. Thanks for sharing your Indian culture.
Best rogan josh! I added a teaspoon of your garam masala before finishing. It was very delicious. Next time I’m going to double the recipe. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for sharing back Julie. Yes you can add garam masala. Happy to know you like it.
ThanK you for the authentic rogan josh recipe. It was very delicious and have made it thrice in tbe last few months. It is hard for people to understand Indian food is just not tons of tomatoes and spices. While searching for a real Rogan Josh recipe I found many recipes online and none of them were even real. This recipe is a keeper!
Shaheen so true. Every Indian food does not require tomatoes and plenty of spices. Thanks for trying and sharing back.
Was wondering if after I sweat and brown the lamb with the whole spices if I should crush the cardamom seeds. To help add more flavor. Iโm not usually the cook in the house but I can follow directions. I didnโt know how hot or how long to cook the whole spices. I thought the aroma would fill my whole house, but it wasnโt quite that strong as I thought it would be. Overall it really was a good dish. Iโm usually a vindaloo guy always!! But family is notโฆ
Hi Barney,
You don’t need to cook the whole spices. You will just wait for them to sizzle and then add the lamb. Traditional Rogan josh has more natural meat flavors and won’t really have any dominating spice flavors. However you are free to add more ginger, fennel and even ground cardamom. I suggest you play around with the ground spices and may be you can also try with a strong meat masala or garam masala if that’s what you are looking for. Thank you for trying and sharing how it turned for you.
This was an excellent recipe. I’ve had rogan josh at many Indian restaurants, and was never really impressed by it, but this recipe is easy to make, simple and absolutely delicious.
Thank you Marga for trying and sharing back.
HI Swasthi,
great recipe!
its the best rogan josh I have ever had.
I cant find hing, so Im doing a sub of garlic, and onion powder.
should i add to the yogurt mix with the other dry spices?
Hi Beth,
Thank you! Yes add them to the yogurt.
Thank you. This turned out wonderful!
Glad you like it Kavya
I’ve never made a curry style Indian dish that didn’t include onions, garlic, coriander and cumin!
Was sceptical as to how this would turn out, but it is delicious! (I didn’t have Kashmiri chilli, so substituted sweet paprika with a pinch of hot chilli – seems to work!)
Thank you for the recipe Swasthi – will definitely try some of your other dishes.
Glad it turned out delicious.
Is it possible to freeze this recipe in advance, and at what stage? How would you recommend reheating it? Thank you!
Yes you can freeze but not sure for how long. I do it for a week or so. Finish the dish, cool completely and freeze it. Thaw it in the fridge for about 16 to 18 hours and then reheat on a very low heat until it turns hot. Later cook for a minutes on a medium heat until bubbling & hot. Add a splash of hot water if you want. You can also do the same in Instant pot. I pressure cook it for 11 mins (PIP) & natural pressure release.
If we let the rogan josh sit on the stove covered with the heat off for a few hours- do we just reheat when it’s time? Or will it stay warm enough to serve
Hi,
Yes reheat it before serving.
Is this recipe not better if the meat is marinated first?
Hi Drew,
You may marinate it overnight with the yogurt and all the spices. Actually it cooks faster too. But the recipe I shared here is the authentic way. Just didn’t wanted to divert from there. Hope you enjoy the dish.