Lamb Rogan Josh Recipe (Authentic Kashmiri Style)
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Lamb Rogan Josh is a Kashmiri-style curry known for its deep red color, warming spices, and tender lamb pieces simmered in a yogurt-based gravy. Unlike many North Indian curries, authentic rogan josh does not use tomatoes or onions; instead, it relies on whole spices, dried red chilies, ground ginger, fennel, and yogurt for flavor. The dish is one of the most iconic preparations from Kashmir and is traditionally cooked in mustard oil, which gives Rogan Josh its signature flavor and depth. Make it in an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker using my easy recipe.
Here are some more Kashmiri recipes that you may like: Kashmiri Rajma Masala, Kashmiri Kahwa Tea, Kashmiri Dum Aloo, and Kashmiri Laal Paneer.
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
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Why You’ll Love This Family Favorite Recipe!
- Pressure cooked, but tastes slow-cooked: The lamb cooks faster, yet the flavors develop deep and rich, just like a long-simmered curry.
- Authentic and traditional: Made the way Rogan Josh is meant to be, aromatic, balanced, and not overly spicy.
- Not the restaurant version: This is true homestyle Rogan Josh, not the heavy, creamy curry often served outside.
- Even better the next day: The spices settle and deepen beautifully, making leftovers incredibly rewarding.
- Comforting and familiar: A curry that feels warm, hearty, and rooted in tradition.
- Pairs effortlessly: Enjoy it with naan, plain rice, or jeera rice without needing anything fancy on the side.
Table of Contents
I am not a big fan of lamb; I prefer goat mutton over it. But Mohit loves to eat it once in a while. After the success of my Chicken Rogan Josh and Mutton Rogan Josh, I thought I would try the recipe with lamb. It’s the same as the mutton version, with lamb pieces replacing the mutton pieces. Try it!
Rogan Josh is a traditional Kashmiri curry. Rogan means “red-colored oil,” and Josh means “hot or boiling.”
Lamb Rogan Josh is a version of this curry made with lamb. It is a fiery, spicy curry flavored with dry ginger and fennel, with oil floating on top.
This curry gets its bright red color from Kashmiri red chili powder and a Kashmiri spice called “Ratanjot,” which is infused with ghee and added to the curry.
This curry can be made in two styles: the Kashmiri Pandit style and the Kashmiri Muslim style.
The pandit-style curry does not use onions or garlic, whereas the Muslim-style rogan josh does.
If you enjoy delicious meat curries, try our Saag Gosht recipe
Ingredients
Lamb – Use bone-in lamb pieces from the shoulder or legs, as they are the juiciest. You can also make the curry using boneless lamb. I got mine from Sam’s Club. You can source it from your trusted source. Use a sharp knife to cut the lamb into smaller pieces.
Whole Spices – This curry uses a variety of whole spices that add distinct flavor when infused with hot ghee or oil. You will need black cardamoms (badi elaichi), cloves (laung), green cardamoms (hari elaichi), black peppercorns (kali mirch), mace (javitri), bay leaves (tej patta), cumin seeds (jeera), and Kashmiri dry red chilies (sukhi lal mirch). Kashmiri red chilies are central to Rogan Josh. They add vibrant color to the curry without making it overly hot.
Spice Powders – The curry is flavored with basic spice powders, including Kashmiri red chili powder, fennel powder (saunf), dry ginger powder (saunth), coriander powder, cumin powder, and garam masala.
Mustard Oil or Ghee – I highly recommend making this curry with ghee or mustard oil for an authentic taste.
Yogurt (Dahi, Curd) – Make the curry base with fresh yogurt.
Saffron is soaked in hot milk and added to the curry to give it a rich flavor and color.
Others – This recipe also uses asafetida (hing) and salt. Skip hing to make it gluten-free.
For Tempering – Ratanjot is traditionally used to give the Rogan Josh curry a deep red color. Ratanjot is a natural plant root traditionally used in Indian cooking to impart a deep red color and subtle earthy aroma. Common in Kashmiri cuisine, it’s especially valued in rogan josh and other slow-cooked meat dishes for rich, authentic color without artificial additives. It is added to hot ghee, where it releases its color. This ghee is then added to the curry. You can skip the tempering if ratanjot is not easily available.
How To Make Rogan Josh Lamb
Preparation
Step 1: Soak 1 pinch of saffron strands in 2 tablespoon hot milk.
Step 2: Lightly crush the following spices in a mortar and pestle.
- 3-4 black cardamoms
- 4-5 cloves
- 3-4 green cardamoms
- 8-10 black peppercorns
- 1 mace
Step 3: Whisk ½ cup of plain yogurt with the following ingredients.
- 3 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3 teaspoon fennel powder
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 1 tablespoon dry ginger powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
Make The Curry
In An Instant Pot
Step 4: Press the SAUTE button on the Instant Pot.
Step 5: Add 5 tablespoon mustard oil or ghee to the pot.
Step 6: Add the following spices once the oil is hot, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- crushed whole spices
- 2 bay leaves
- 4-5 Kashmiri dry red chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Step 7: Now, add 2 pounds (1 kg) of bone-in lamb (cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces) and cook for 5-6 minutes.
Step 8: Add the yogurt mixture and the saffron soaked in milk, and mix well.
Step 9: Add 1 cup of hot water and mix well.
Step 10: Close the Instant Pot lid and set the valve to the sealing position.
Step 11: Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 20 minutes at high pressure. The instant ot will take 12-15 minutes to build pressure and start the timer.
Step 12: Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Step 13: Release the remaining pressure manually.
Step 14: Open the lid.
In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Follow the recipe in a stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle on low heat.
- Reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Temper The Curry (Optional)
Step 15: Heat ¼ cup ghee in a small pan over medium heat.
Step 16: Add a 1-inch piece of ratan jot and cook for a minute.
Step 17: Strain the ghee and add it to the curry. Serve hot with steamed rice or Naan.
Lamb Rogan Josh FAQs
To make it in a Muslim style, with onions and garlic, add ½ cup of chopped red onions and 2 teaspoon chopped garlic after adding whole spices. Cook garlic and onions until the onions are lightly browned. Then follow the rest of the recipe as mentioned in the recipe card.
No, the Kashmiri red chilies give this dish a fiery red color, but they do not make it very spicy.
This curry can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave until hot, then serve.
You can also freeze it for upto a month. Thaw, reheat, and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Lamb Rogan Josh is traditionally served with steamed white rice. It can also be served with phulka, tandoori roti, or khamiri roti.
For a complete Kashmiri spread, serve it with Kashmiri dum aloo and haak saag.
Other Non-Vegetarian Curry Recipes We Recommend
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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, curd)
- 3 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3 teaspoons fennel powder (saunf powder)
- 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 (1 kg, cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces)
For The Tempering (Optional)
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 piece ratan jot
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak saffron strands in hot milk.
- Lightly crush black cardamoms, cloves, green cardamoms, black peppercorns, and, mace in a mortar and pestle.
- Whisk yogurt with chili powder, fennel powder, asafetida, ginger powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, and, salt
Make The Curry
In An Instant Pot
- Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot.
- Add mustard oil or ghee to the pot.
- Once the oil is hot, add crushed whole spices, bay leaves, dry red chilies, and cumin seeds, and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds.
- Add lamb and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Now add yogurt mixture and saffron soaked in milk and mix well.
- Add 1 cup of hot water and mix well.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 20 minutes at high pressure. The instant ot will take 12-15 minutes to build pressure and start the timer.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure manually.
- Open the lid.
In A Stovetop Pressure Cooker
- Follow the recipe in a stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle on low heat.
- Reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Temper The Curry (Optional)
- Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat.
- Add ratan jot and cook for a minute.
- Strain the ghee and add it to the curry. Serve hot with steamed rice or Naan.