Lamb Rogan Josh is a classic Kashmiri curry celebrated for its deep red color, warming spices, and tender lamb simmered in a yogurt-based gravy. Traditional rogan josh avoids tomatoes and onions, instead depending on whole spices, dried red chilies, ground ginger, fennel, and yogurt for its layered flavor. It’s an iconic dish from Kashmir, often cooked in mustard oil or ghee to achieve its characteristic aroma and depth. This version can be made easily in an Instant Pot or a stovetop pressure cooker.
A Quick Look At This Lamb Rogan Josh Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Cuisine: Kashmiri
- Course: Main Course
- Diet: Non-Vegetarian
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Equipment: Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker, Mortar Pestle, Whisk, Small Tadka Pan
Why You’ll Love This Family Favorite Recipe!
- Pressure cooked, but tastes slow-cooked: The Instant Pot or pressure cooker speeds up cooking while allowing the spices to develop a deep, slow-simmered flavor.
- Authentic and traditional: Prepared in the Kashmiri style with fennel and dry ginger, aromatic and balanced rather than overly creamy or heavy.
- Homestyle, not restaurant-style: This recipe focuses on traditional flavors, not the rich creamy versions that are often served in restaurants.
- Better the next day: Flavors deepen with resting, making leftovers especially satisfying.
- Comforting and familiar: A warm, hearty curry rooted in Kashmiri cooking.
- Pairs effortlessly: Serve with naan, plain rice, or jeera rice for an uncomplicated meal.
Table of Contents
- A Quick Look At This Lamb Rogan Josh Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Family Favorite Recipe!
- Ingredients
- How To Make Rogan Josh Lamb
- Lamb Rogan Josh FAQs
- Serving Suggestions
- Lamb Rogan Josh Recipe
Rogan Josh is a traditional Kashmiri curry—“rogan” refers to red-colored oil and “josh” means heat or boiling. This lamb version uses tender lamb pieces cooked in a fennel- and dry ginger–flavored sauce. Kashmiri red chili powder and sometimes ratanjot (a natural red root) give the curry its vibrant color without making it excessively hot.
The dish appears in two common styles: the Kashmiri Pandit version without onions and garlic, and the Kashmiri Muslim version that includes them. This recipe follows the pandit-style approach but notes how to adapt it if you prefer onions and garlic.
Ingredients
Lamb: Use bone-in lamb from shoulder or leg cut into 1–1½ inch pieces for the best texture and flavor. Boneless lamb works too.
Whole spices: Black cardamoms, cloves, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, mace, bay leaves, cumin seeds, and Kashmiri dry red chilies. Kashmiri chilies add color with moderate heat.
Spice powders: Kashmiri red chili powder, fennel powder, dry ginger powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala.
Fat: Mustard oil or ghee is recommended for an authentic aroma and taste.
Yogurt: Fresh plain yogurt forms the creamy base of the curry.
Saffron: Soaked in hot milk and added for aroma and color.
Others: Asafetida (hing) and salt. Skip hing if you need a gluten-free option.
Tempering (optional): Ratanjot steeped in ghee gives a deep red hue and earthy note. If unavailable, the dish is still delicious without it.
How To Make Rogan Josh Lamb
Preparation
Step 1: Soak a pinch of saffron strands in 2 tablespoons of hot milk.
Step 2: Lightly crush the whole spices (black cardamoms, cloves, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, and mace) in a mortar and pestle.
Step 3: Whisk ½ cup plain yogurt with 3 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder, 3 teaspoons fennel powder, ¼ teaspoon asafetida, 1 tablespoon dry ginger powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, and about 2 teaspoons salt.
Make The Curry
In An Instant Pot
Step 4: Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot and heat 5 tablespoons mustard oil or ghee.
Step 5: When hot, add the crushed whole spices, 2 bay leaves, 4–5 Kashmiri dry red chilies, and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds.
Step 6: Add 2 pounds (about 1 kg) of bone-in lamb pieces and brown for 5–6 minutes.
Step 7: Add the yogurt-spice mixture and the saffron-milk, stirring to combine. Pour in 1 cup hot water and mix.
Step 8: Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes (the pot will take time to come to pressure). Allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure and open the lid.
In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Follow the same steps for tempering and browning.
- Close the cooker and cook on medium-high until one whistle, then reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow the pressure to release naturally.
Temper The Curry (Optional)
Step 9: To intensify the red color and aroma, heat ¼ cup ghee in a small pan, add a 1-inch piece of ratanjot and cook briefly. Strain the ghee and pour it over the curry just before serving.
Lamb Rogan Josh FAQs
For a Muslim-style version, add about ½ cup chopped red onions and 2 teaspoons chopped garlic after the whole spices. Cook until the onions turn light brown, then continue with the recipe as usual.
Not necessarily. Kashmiri red chilies give the dish its vivid red color and a warm heat, but they are milder than many other chili varieties, so the curry is flavorful without being overly hot.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave. You can also freeze it for up to a month; thaw and reheat when ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
Lamb Rogan Josh is traditionally served with steamed white rice. It also complements phulka, tandoori roti, or khamiri roti. For a full Kashmiri meal, serve alongside dum aloo and a simple leafy green preparation like haak.
Other Non-Vegetarian Curry Recipes We Recommend
Chicken Curries
Chicken Angara Recipe
Mutton Curries
Railway Mutton Curry Recipe
Fish & Seafood Curries
Goan Shrimp Curry Recipe (Goan Prawn Curry)
Chicken Curries
Chicken Masala Recipe
Lamb Rogan Josh Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- 2 tablespoons hot milk
- 3–4 black cardamoms (badi elaichi)
- 4–5 cloves (laung)
- 3–4 green cardamoms (hari elaichi)
- 8–10 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 1 mace (javitri)
- ½ cup plain yogurt (dahi)
- 3 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3 teaspoons fennel powder (saunf)
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 1 tablespoon dry ginger powder (saunth)
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
- 5 tablespoons mustard oil or ghee
- 2 bay leaves
- 4–5 Kashmiri dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 pounds bone-in lamb (about 1 kg, cut into 1–1½ inch pieces)
For the Tempering (Optional)
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 piece ratanjot
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak saffron strands in hot milk.
- Lightly crush whole spices in a mortar and pestle.
- Whisk yogurt with all powdered spices and salt.
Make The Curry (Instant Pot)
- Press SAUTE and heat mustard oil or ghee.
- Add crushed whole spices, bay leaves, dry red chilies, and cumin seeds; let them crackle briefly.
- Add lamb and brown for 5–6 minutes.
- Stir in the yogurt mixture and saffron milk, then add 1 cup hot water and mix.
- Close lid, set valve to sealing, pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, allow natural release for 10 minutes, then release remaining pressure and open lid.
Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Follow the same steps for tempering and browning.
- Cook until one whistle on medium-high, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
Temper The Curry (Optional)
- Heat ghee in a small pan, add ratanjot and cook briefly.
- Strain the ghee and pour over the curry before serving.