Slow cooker lamb rogan josh (using lamb shanks)

Name: Slow cooker lamb rogan josh (using lamb shanks)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 375 min
Yield: 2 -4
Ingredients: 1 onion; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 lamb shanks (or 2 if large, depending on size); 1 tbsp ginger (approx 1in/2.5cm piece); 2 cloves garlic (or 3 if smaller); 1 tsp chili powder (or more or less to taste); 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp ground allspice ( or cloves); 1/4 tsp ground cardamon (seeds from around 5 pods, crushed); 2 tbsp plain yogurt; 4 tbsp yogurt; 4 tbsp water; 2 tbsp tomato paste (tomato puree); 3 tbsp ground almonds (at end)

October 25, 2015 by Caroline's Cooking 40 Comments

Enjoy the delicious aromatic and chili spice of a traditional Indian curry with hands-off cooking. This slow cooker lamb rogan josh is packed with flavor and the meat meltingly tender.

Lamb shanks are definitely a favorite in our house, although they have to be slow cooked which does mean you need to plan a little to have them. However that doesn’t mean they need to take a lot of effort.

Plus, they can take on a range of flavors, whether a classic wine-tomato based braised lamb shanks or Moroccan in my tangia style lamb shanks. These Indian flavor also work really well, and the lamb becomes meltingly tender and flavorful.

This lamb rogan josh is cooked in the slow cooker with only a little preparation at the start, then left to get on with it. The smells filling the kitchen will have you desperate to dive in, but give it time, and you’ll be rewarded with a deliciously flavorful curry that melts in your mouth (while giving it a little spice kick, too). It’s the sort of dish that is perfect for this time of year, as it’s getting colder as it is wonderfully warming.

How to make lamb rogan josh in the slow cooker

This dish takes a tiny bit more preparation than some slow cooker recipes in that I really think you need to pre-cook the onions to get the proper flavor from them, and there’s a spice paste to make up, but these don’t take long and can be done in advance if it suits your schedule better.

The spice paste and sauce is based on a traditional lamb rogan josh, a dish that is fairly common when you go out for a curry in the UK but that I don’t think is really known in the US. It’s a wonderful mixture of flavors that you can spice up or down as you like.

Normally this curry is made with more stewing cuts of lamb meat ie in chunks, but it works really well with lamb shanks as well as they have a great depth of flavor and become so tender.

Partly with cooking it in the slow cooker, you will end up with a bit too much sauce with the lamb than you probably need but don’t let it go to waste – while it is most commonly paired with lamb, you can also use it with chicken or vegetables and it will be great. Using the leftover sauce another day is a great way to enjoy the flavors even more – just cook whatever meat or vegetables you want to have with it, add the sauce and warm through.

How do you serve lamb rogan josh?

I served the lamb rogan josh here with basmati rice and some homemade naan bread but do serve as you prefer. Just make sure you have something that will let you enjoy all the delicious sauce! You really want to be able to mop it up, and balance out the bit of spice kick as well, though as I say you can make it as hot or mild as suits your taste.

This slow cooker lamb rogan josh has such fantastic depth of flavor without needing all that much effort, you would think you had just ordered one of the best Indian takeaways you have ever had and will be so glad of the extra sauce to be able to enjoy the flavors again soon. It’s a great way to have an incredibly delicious meal without too much effort, and I know one we will have again.

If you enjoy traditional Indian flavors, why not try:

keema curry (keema matar), a delicious ground meat and pea curry,
Goan fish curry, where fish is cooked in a spicy coconut sauce,
vegetarian paneer makhani that has a lovely tomato-nut sauce.

All are quick to make!

This delicious lamb rogan josh is made with lamb shanks in the slow cooker. Easy, meltingly tender and incredibly delicious: so full of aromatic Indian flavors.

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4.5 from 2 votes