A Lamb Rogan Josh is a classic Indian takeaway order, and now you can cook it in the slow cooker and it's just 450 calories. This Slow Cooker Lamb Curry has quickly become a firm favourite in our house, and even has a portion of veggies in it. Very little effort and bursting with flavour.
Super tender chunks of lamb in a creamy tomato based sauce with a little kick of heat and a generous portion of spinach. It tastes far more indulgent than it is, and it's a delicious alternative to ordering a curry.
Although the word slow in the title gives it away that it isn't a quick meal in terms of cooking time, it is a quick meal to prepare. This slow cooker lamb curry is the perfect weeknight meal.
Jump to:
Why should you try it?
- Very little preparation required
- Just 450 calories a portion
- A portion of vegetables in it
- Cheaper and healthier than a takeaway
- A new way to enjoy lamb
What you will need
- Lamb - We used lamb fillet and cut it up, but you can buy ready diced lamb from the supermarket.
- Spinach - To add a green boost at the end. You could use kale instead though, or even add some frozen peas.
- Tomatoes - We used a good quality plum tomatoes as these have slightly less metallic taste than chopped tomatoes. If you use cheap tinned tomatoes, they tend to be too watery.
- Shallots - These add a slight sweet taste to the curry - a normal onion will still work fine.
- Garlic and ginger - The base of any curry. You can use the jars of lazy ready crushed garlic and ginger to save yourself some time.
- Greek yogurt - Makes the sauce a little creamier and cools it down a bit. You could use single cream if you prefer.
- Stock - We used a vegetable stock, but a beef or chicken stock will also work. Try to use a low salt stock.
- Spice blend - We used a mix of ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, garam masala and chilli powder. You can also add cinnamon and paprika if you wish.
Step by step
One: Heat the butter in a pan and then add the lamb. Gently cook for a couple of minutes, until browned.
Two: Put the shallots, garlic and ginger in to the pan with the lamb and gently cook for 3 minutes.
Three: Add the spices, stir and cook for one minute.
Four: Add the stock and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
Five: Pour the lamb mixture in to the slow cooker, put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. 10 minutes before it is finished, stir through the spinach and replace the lid. Before serving, stir in the Greek yogurt.
Six: Serve with rice.
It's time that we get those slow cooker out and let them do the work for us. They cook meat like lamb perfectly, as the slow cooking time allows it to get really tender, and it takes on all the flavour of the herbs and spices that you have thrown in there too.
What lamb to use
We just bought a lamb fillet and cut it in to chunks as it's cheaper, however you can buy chunks of lamb at the supermarket or butchers to save you a little bit of time, which is really what slow cookers are all about.
If you love lamb curries, then give them a try in the slow cooker and you will never make it another way again. The meat just falls apart.
Where does it originate from?
A rogan josh, although popular on Indian menus, is actually of Persian origin and basically translates to cooked in oil at intense heat. It is a lamb based dish cooked in a gravy type sauce that is packed with onion, ginger, garlic, yoghurt and aromatic spices. It is a little bit creamy too, so it really have everything you could want from a curry.
We always bang on about having a good selection of dried herbs and spices in your kitchen, so this slow cooker lamb curry is the perfect opportunity to put them to good use. If you have a good selection, then you don't need to buy much else to make this.
What to serve this with
Some kind of carb is a must to go alongside a slow cooker lamb curry I think. This time we went with rice as it's simple and hard to get wrong. I like to make this yellow rice with curry, which is really easy because it's just rice boiled with turmeric in the water.
It adds some extra flavour, without extra calories, and adds a pop of colour too. You could add some cumin too. We have a slightly more in depth Turmeric Rice recipe to.
Why not go double carbs and make some of our Easy Homemade Flatbread that is perfect for mopping up all that delicious rogan josh sauce from the bowl. Make a big batch and they store well in the freezer.
FAQs
As this is a homemade curry, it is a healthier alternative to ordering a takeaway. You can control exactly what goes in it and make sure it is lower in salt. It has a generous portion of spinach and lamb is a great source of iron.
You don't have to, but we really recommend it as it adds such a depth of flavour. It only takes a couple of minutes and it is worth it.
Basically, you want to trigger the Maillard reaction. It is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavour. You don't have to though, and you can just throw everything in to the slow cooker and leave it if you are really short on time.
Yes, this curry freezes really well. We regularly batch cook this dish and then portion it out in to takeaway type containers to put in the fridge for easy weeknight meals. You can even freeze it with some rice, or just cook that from fresh.
It will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. Alternatively you can keep this in the fridge for 2 days.
Yes, you can swap the yoghurt for coconut instead, and it would make this dairy free. It adds some delicious extra flavour that you don't get from the yoghurt too, but it does change the nutritional information.
Yes, if you didn't want to make your own spice mix, then you could use a couple of heaped tablespoons of really good quality curry paste. Stir it in to the lamb when you are frying it.
Yes, if you wanted to make the whole meal in the slow cooker, then you can add a drained tin of new potatoes. It saves having to make some rice to go with it.
I would say that this is a fairly mild curry, however that would depend on how much spice you can handle. We have only added a little bit of chilli powder, but feel free to add more or don't use any.
Extra tips
- Serve with turmeric rice - simply add a teaspoon of turmeric to the water when simmering the rice.
- We have added spinach to this dish, however you could use other greens such as kale, cabbage or shard.
- We used a lamb fillet and cut it in to chunks, however you could save time by buying chunks of lamb from the supermarket or butcher. You could even swap the lamb for beef or chicken.
- You can make this a little more indulgent by using single cream rather than the 0% yogurt that we used.
- If you wanted to cut back on some of the meat, you could halve the lamb and then add some mushrooms and red lentils.
- Make sure to cut all the chunks of lamb to the same size (about 4cm cubes) so they cook evenly.
- You could pull the chunks of lamb when cooked, to make kind of a pulled lamb curry, however we like the tender chunks of lamb.
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Recipe
Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 350 g lamb fillet, cut in to chunks
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 shallots, diced
- 1 tablespoon Fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 0.5 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder (more if you like it spicy)
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- 200 g Chopped tomatoes canned
- 4 cup Spinach
- 3 tablespoon 0% Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Firstly, heat the butter in a pan and then add the lamb. Gently cook for a couple of minutes, until browned.
- Put the shallots, garlic and ginger in to the pan with the lamb and gently cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the spices, stir and cook for one minute.
- Add the stock and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour the lamb mixture in to the slow cooker, put the lid on and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. 10 minutes before it is finished, stir through the spinach and replace the lid. Before serving, stir in the Greek yoghurt.
- Serve with rice.
Notes
- Serve with turmeric rice - simply add a teaspoon of turmeric to the water when simmering the rice.
- We have added spinach to this dish, however you could use other greens such as kale, cabbage or shard.
- We used a lamb fillet and cut it in to chunks, however you could save time by buying chunks of lamb from the supermarket or butcher. You could even swap the lamb for beef or chicken.
- You can make this a little more indulgent by using single cream rather than the 0% yogurt that we used.
Rachel
This is my choice of food, it looks amazing and I can literally smell it right now x
Charlotte Braithwaite
I have a slow cooker got it last Christmas but have never used it.
It would be amazing to try out this dish as my first use for it.
Thanks for sharing hun
Charlotte x
Naomi S
This is what I usually order when we get an Indian and it's always so greasy and I feel so guilty after. I will give it a try next weekend, and hopefully it will give me my takeaway fix in a healthier way. I really need to do something about my weight :(
Lisa
This has gone in the slow cooker with the timer on for dinner tonight. It already smells amazing.
Tandy I Lavender and Lime
Lamb rogan josh is one of my favourite curries.
Ana
It looks delicious and spicy but I can't eat spicy food! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks
I love lamb and I adore a delicious slow cooker meal that welcomes you with the beautiful smell of dinner when you walk in the door! This is perfect!
Louise
This looks so yummy and super easy to make, we normally order in a curry on a Friday or Saturday night so maybe next week I'll make this instead x
Rhian Westbury
Things always taste quite different when you use a slow cooker, sounds lovely.
Shane
I've honestly never heard of this dish but it looks simply delectable! Will have to pin it to make soon :)
Chloe Ciliberto
Mmmmm I love rogan josh. My favourite type of curry. I'm yet to use my slow cooker but after seeing all of your recipes and how easy it is I'm pulling it out tomorrow and having a go. x
Ashley
I've never actually cooked lamb myself at home - but I could totally manage in the slow cooker!
Fashion and Frappes
I am super intrigued about using a slow cooker - its quite recently that I heard of it. I am definitely going to be making Rogan Josh soon but usually in India we make it with goat meat which is so hard to get in the UK but I am going to try!
Aish Padihari
I grew up eating this and its still my favourite. Love the way you have presented the dish from my country.
Kay
Omg yummy
This is what I order usually:) tysm
Valerie
I think the flavor combos look yummy. I love lamb.
Christine Dodd
Rogan josh is one of my favourites so I should give this one a try
Charli Bruce
Rogan Josh is something we order whenever we get an Indian as it's my daughters favourite! I shall definitely be trying out this recipe to see how it holds up, plus my slow cooker needs a little bit of love x
Emma @ Adventures of a London Kiwi
A Rogan Josh is a properly autumnal treat meal - I'm bookmarking this!
Terri Mitchell
I have never done lamb in the slow cooker before, but I usually find it too chewy,so perhaps this will help? Looking forward to more recipes from you Dave.