Kashmiri Lamb Rogan Josh: Authentic Recipe

Indian cuisine is one of my favourite types of food, and I love to try new dishes all the time. A personal favourite of mine is rogan josh, and I usually make this with lots of onions and peppers. However, I recently came across this recipe for a Kashmiri lamb rogan josh online and it is totally different and originates from the Kashmir region of India.

I adapted the original recipe to suit the spice-level preferences of my family, but the overall recipe is an authentic Indian dish. Here is a recipe for a Kashmiri lamb rogan josh. 

Preparation time: 5 minute
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Vegetarian/ vegan: NO
Dairy-free: NO
Gluten-free: Yes, if served without naan bread.

Ingredients for Kashmiri Lamb Rogan Josh

• 800g diced lamb
• 300g full-fat natural yoghurt
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 2-inch chunk of peeled ginger, grated
• 2 cardamom pods
• 3 chillies
• 2 tsp of ground cumin seed (or cumin powder)
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander seeds or ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• Black pepper

All images: Liz Flynn

How to Make Kashmiri Lamb Rogan Josh

1. Put the chillies, the garlic, the ginger, and all the spices into a food processor with a little water and blitz into a paste.
2. Add the oil to a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. When the oil is sizzling, add the lamb and cook for six minutes until the meat is browned.
4. Add the spice paste to the pan and cook for a further five minutes, occasionally stirring to coat the meat.
5. Then, add half the yoghurt to the pan and cook for five minutes constantly stirring, so the meat absorbs the yoghurt.
6. Add the second half of the yoghurt and allow it to come to a boil before reducing the heat.
7. Next, add black pepper and the ground almonds and stir them into the sauce.
8. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by approximately a third.
9. Cover the pan with a lid, then leave to cook on a low heat for approximately an hour.
10. Remove the bay leaves and cardamom pods before serving.
11. Finally, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve with pilau rice and naan bread.

Additional Tips

• To find the perfect wine to accompany your Kashmiri lamb rogan josh, read our article on wine pairings for Indian cuisine.
• You can replace the lamb in this Kashmiri lamb rogan josh dish with either beef or chicken and cook in the same way.
• Add a handful of sultanas for a hint of sweetness and a different texture.

You might also like our recipes for Cheat’s Leftover Turkey Curry, Sweet Potato Saag Aloo, cauliflower and spinach curry, saag bhaji, beef massaman curry, lamb massaman curry, and Lamb Kebabs with Chilli Sauce.