Red lamb curry with bone-in chunks and marrow bones in a glossy chilli gravy, served in a white bowl on a dark table. — Photo: Spice Eats · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Indian & South Asian · Lunch · Dinner

Rogan Josh

Name: Rogan Josh
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 125 min
Cuisine: Indian & South Asian
Ingredients: 600 g boneless lamb leg, fat trimmed, cut into 3 cm cubes; 3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 1 1/2 tbsp mustard oil or rapeseed oil; 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 tsp ground fennel seed; 1 1/2 tsp ground dried ginger; 6 pods green cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 2 pods black cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 4 whole cloves; 1 piece (5 cm) cinnamon stick; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp salt; 2 cups plus 2 tbsp water; 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Rogan Josh (روغن جوش)

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

A deep red Kashmiri lamb curry, slowly braised in yogurt with fennel, dried ginger and mild Kashmiri chilli until the meat is spoon-tender. This lighter version uses lean trimmed lamb leg and a modest amount of oil.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 105 min
Total: 125 min
Serves: 4

Medium
Gluten Free
High protein
Low Carb

14%

Per serving287kcal14% of a 2,000 kcal day

34gProtein

7gCarbs

13gFat

2gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 10% · Fat 42% · Protein 48%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

600 gboneless lamb leg, fat trimmed, cut into 3 cm cubes
3/4 cup200 gplain low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp20 gmustard oil or rapeseed oil
2 tbsp12 gKashmiri chilli powder
2 tspground fennel seed
1 1/2 tspground dried ginger
6 podsgreen cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 podsblack cardamom pods, lightly crushed (optional)
4whole cloves
1 piece (5 cm)cinnamon stick
2bay leaves
1 tsp6 gsalt
2 cups plus 2 tbsp530 gwater
1/4 cup10 gfresh coriander leaves, chopped (optional)

Steps

1
Trim any visible fat from the lamb and cut it into 3 cm cubes.
2
Whisk the yogurt with the ground fennel and ground ginger until smooth; set aside at room temperature.
3
Mix the Kashmiri chilli powder with 2 tbsp of the water to make a paste.
4
Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat; if using mustard oil, heat it until it just smokes, then let it cool for 30 seconds.
5
Add the green and black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
6
Add the lamb in two batches and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch, returning all the meat to the pot.
7
Stir in the chilli paste and cook for 1 minute, coating the meat.
8
Turn the heat to low and add the yogurt mixture a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly so it does not split.
9
Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the sauce darkens and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
10
Add the remaining water and the salt, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 75–85 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lamb is very tender and well above 71 °C / 160 °F inside.
11
Uncover and simmer for about 10 minutes more to thicken the sauce to a rich red gravy.
12
Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, taste for salt and scatter with coriander if using.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use boneless chicken thighs instead of lamb and cut the covered simmer to about 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through.
For a dairy-free version, replace the yogurt with an unsweetened plain coconut or soy yogurt, stirring it in slowly over low heat.
If you can't find Kashmiri chilli powder, mix 1 1/2 tbsp sweet paprika with 1/2 tsp cayenne for a similar colour and mild heat.
Swap the lamb for chickpeas and cubed potatoes for a vegetarian take, simmering until the potatoes are tender.

Storage

Cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a covered container and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot all the way through. It can be frozen for up to 3 months, though the yogurt sauce may look slightly grainy after thawing; a good stir while reheating helps.

Make ahead

This curry tastes even better the next day, so you can cook it fully a day ahead, cool it quickly and refrigerate, then reheat until steaming hot. You can also trim and cube the lamb and whisk the spiced yogurt the night before, keeping both covered in the fridge.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: MilkMustard

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (345 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	287 kcal	83 kcal
Protein	34.2 g	9.9 g
Carbohydrates	7.2 g	2.1 g
of which sugars	3.9 g	1.1 g
Fiber	1.8 g	0.5 g
Fat	13.3 g	3.9 g
of which saturated	3.6 g	1 g
Sodium	718 mg	208 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.