Rogan Josh Recipe (Indian Lamb Curry)

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided (or use ghee)

3 whole cloves

1 large cinnamon stick

6 cardamom pods (husks removed and crushed - use all green, or a mix of black and green)

1 blade of mace (or use nutmeg)

1 large onion (chopped)

1 large red bell pepper (chopped)

1 2- inch knob ginger (peeled and chopped)

5 garlic cloves (chopped)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½ pounds lamb shoulder (cubed)

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder (or use paprika)

1 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 ½ cups chicken stock (or use water)

2 tablespoons ground almonds (or use cashews)

1/2 cup yogurt (full-fat preferred)

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon garam masala

For serving. Steamed rice, roti bread, fresh chopped parsley.

Directions

Spices

Heat half of the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and mace. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, or until fragrant.

Onion

Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the onion is nicely browned and softened.

Ginger

Add the ginger, garlic, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring a bit, until the garlic blooms. Add ¼ cup water or stock to the pot to deglaze, then scrape the brown bits from the bottom. Let the liquid reduce until almost gone.

Paste

Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Lamb

Heat the remaining oil (or ghee) in the same pot to medium-high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Add the lamb in batches and brown each side, 2-3 minutes per side.

Flavors

Stir in the chili powder, ground coriander, ground fennel, ground turmeric, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring for 1 minute to bloom the spices.

Stock

Return the curried onion-chili mixture to the pot and add chicken stock.

Simmer

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1.5 hours, or until the lamb is fork tender. It could take longer, depending on the meat. Add a bit of water or stock to the pot if needed.

Yogurt

Gently stir in the ground almonds, yogurt, and garam masala. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken up a bit. Shred the meat, if desired, and discard any bones.

Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

• Calories: 408 kcal
• Total Fat: 25 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
• Cholesterol: 75 mg
• Sodium: 351 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 19 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 28 g