Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh is a great example of how simple it is to make classic Indian dishes at home in the slow cooker. This medium heat curry turns out deliciously rich, aromatic and bursting with flavour!
Does melt in the mouth lamb and fragrant spices in a warming sauce sound appealing? Then this recipe is definitely one to try!
The sauce turns out beautifully rich and balances the flavour of the lamb perfectly. It’s signature red colour comes from tomatoes and fresh red chilli peppers.
Why use a slow cooker?
Rogan Josh originates from Persia and simply means ‘cooked in oil with heat’. Whilst the slow cooker isn’t designed to provide a searing heat like cooking over a stove, you get excellent results by marinating and sealing the lamb first.
Slow cooking does the rest of the work infusing the sauce with heaps of flavour over time. This gives the best of both worlds; beautifully tender meat and a flavoursome aromatic sauce.
What are the signature flavours?
Rogan Josh is typically a highly fragrant sauce with a medium heat. The key flavours are:
- Cardamom – this recipe uses pods, which are highly aromatic and contain small seeds.
- Cinnamon – a sweet and woody spice.
- Bay – has a delicate aroma that gets stronger when slow cooked!
A Rogan Josh also contains more well known spices, such as garam masala, ginger, chilli, and cumin.
How to make a Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh
Start by making a paste and marinating the meat. This can be left overnight to save time the following day. Alternatively, you can leave it for a shorter time before you cook. Thirty minutes should be the minimum, but the longer the better!
Next, sear the meat and onions. Do this in the slow cooker if it has a pot that you can put on the hob. See our equipment list for a recommendation.
Mix the sauce in a separate bowl. This helps to ensure the spices are evenly distributed through the sauce.
Finally, add everything to the slow cooker, and wait!
Tips for a great Lamb Rogan Josh
- Marinate the meat. The longer you can marinate the meat, the more flavour from the spices that’ll be imparted into it.
- Sear the lamb before you put it in the slow cooker. This kick-starts the Maillard reaction for tonnes of extra flavour and locks in the juices.
- Don’t cut the chunks of lamb too small. Chunks of 3 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inch) cubes are ideal. Too small and they’ll fall apart and simply melt into the sauce!
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Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh
Equipment
Ingredients
- 700 g (1.5 lb) lamb neck fillet
- 1 large white onion sliced
- 2 tbsp oil
For the paste
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ tsp cumin
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder hot
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lamb stock cube crumbled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce
- 400 g (14 oz) tomato passata
- 250 g (1 cup) natural yogurt not greek style set
- 50 ml (0.2 cups) water
- 1 red chilli finely chopped, seeds removed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp cardamom pods pressed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander dried or fresh
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the paste until smooth.
- Prepare the lamb fillet by removing any sinew and cutting into 3 – 4cm (1 – 1.5 inch) chunks. Add the lamb to the paste and stir to coat thoroughly. Leave for a minimum of 30 minutes, but ideally 2 hours (or overnight if preparing the night before).
- Sear the marinted meat in a pan, along with the onions. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- In another bowl, mix together the yogurt, coriander, sugar and chopped chilli and then gradually stir in the passata and water. This will ensure a smooth consistency.
- Pour the sauce over the lamb and onions in the slow cooker, then add the bay, cardamon pods and cinnamon stick and ensure they are submerged in the sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3.5 hours.
Anna
Monday 10th of April 2023
Hi. I am a novice when it comes to using cardamom pods. When you say “pressed”, do you mean slightly crushed with the flat of a knife and the pods are added whole? Do I need to remove them before serving? Thanks. Looking forward to trying this.
Rosalie Stephens
Tuesday 11th of April 2023
Hi Anna. Yes you are correct that "pressed" does mean slightly crushing them with the flat of a knife before adding whole. Whether you remove them before serving is entirely up to you. Some people don't like biting into a cardamom but in some cuisines they are used to alleviate bad breath!
Astrid
Wednesday 1st of March 2023
Well I cooked this today and it taste terrific. I was given Lamb from a Farmer. So I used the forequarters. Seems to be working out ok.
Rose
Tuesday 7th of February 2023
I made this Lamb Rogan Josh, today in slow cooker. It's so delicious, and warmed me up inside, on this cold winter day. I don't understand about the cardamon pods though, i couldn't chew them, and had to try to remove them, which was difficult, trying to find them in the curry. Are you suppose to eat them ?? or remove them.
Rosalie Stephens
Tuesday 11th of April 2023
Hi Rose, you don't eat the cardamom pods as they are there for their delicious flavour although in some cuisines they do chew them as a breath freshener.
Tracy
Saturday 14th of January 2023
My husband and I are "foodies" and I love to try new dishes all the time...Indian, Moroccan, Greek, German, etc. This recipe is a full-on keeper! We are from the US so I needed to convert from metric but that wasn't any impact. Had to make a few improvisions...didn't have a lamb neck filet but did have lamb neck cuts so basically the same but with bone-in and put them in whole (no cutting necessary); didn't have lamb cubes so used beef stock concentrate. Also, didn't know what was meant by cardamon pods "pressed" so I crushed the pods, threw away the shells, and used the seeds only. I also love how Coriander is the name of Cilantro or Japanese Parsley in different countries:) All I heard for about 30 minutes from my husband was num, num, num!!!
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