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.
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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.
Steps to prepare this lamb curry
This dish takes a tiny bit more preparation than some slow cooker recipes in that for one, I really think you need to pre-cook the onions to get the proper flavor from them. There's also a spice paste to make up. But neither of these 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. They have a great depth of flavor and become so tender after the long cook, which also gets the flavor into them.
Extra sauce!
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. You'll be glad to have 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.
- Chana masala, a vegan chickpea curry with a tomato base.
All are quick to make! Plus get more Indian recipes in the archives.
I'd also recommend a couple Indian cookbooks which show the great diversity of Indian cooking (affiliate links) - Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking and Floyd's India.
Slow cooker lamb rogan josh (using lamb shanks)
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 lamb shanks or 2 if large, depending on size
For the spice paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger approx 1in/2.5cm piece
- 2 cloves garlic or 3 if smaller
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or more or less to taste
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamon seeds from around 5 pods, crushed
- 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
For the base sauce
- 4 tablespoon yogurt
- 4 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste tomato puree
- 3 tablespoon ground almonds at end
Instructions
- Roughly dice the onion then heat the oil in a skillet/frying pan and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it has softened and is just starting to brown. Transfer the onion to the slow cooker, or set aside if preparing in advance.
- Finely grate the ginger and garlic then mix with the rest of the spice paste ingredients (chili, cumin, coriander, turmeric, allspice or cloves, cardamon and yogurt). Rub the paste over the lamb shanks and put them in the slow cooker on top of the onions.
- Mix together the base sauce ingredients (yogurt, water and tomato paste) and pour into the slow cooker - I prefer to pour it to the side to keep the spice paste on the lamb rather than running off too much but it's not so important.
- Turn on the slow cooker to low and cook for around 6-8 hours.
- Once it has finished cooking, stir in the ground almonds and serve. You can either serve the whole lamb shank for a large serving, or remove the meat from the bone and serve just the meat in the sauce.
Nutrition
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Try these other comforting dishes:
Beverages
- Drunken Pumpkin Spice Latte by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Mexican Atole by Curious Cuisiniere
Main Dishes and Soups
- Braised Venison with Plums by Food Lust People Love
- Butternut Squash Chili by Amee's Savory Dish
- Butternut Squash Risotto with Pears and Sage by The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Carbonnade Flamande by Tara's Multicultural Table
- Classic Italian Meat Sauce by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Creamy Cauliflower Broccoli Cheese Soup by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Curry Debal by Palatable Pastime
- Turkey Chipotle Chili by The Complete Savorist
Desserts
- Apple Pear Crisp by The Freshman Cook
- Bananas Foster by Pies and Plots
- Fudge Pudding Cake by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Honeycrisp Apple Tart by The Redhead Baker
- Pumpkin Cheesecake in Pumpkins by Desserts Required
- Warm Cardamom and Coconut Rice Pudding by Fearless Dining
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David g
While the flavor was good, the sauce was soupy. Not sure how to fix this, Also, I would let the lamb shanks marinate overnight with the rub.
Ps we cook Indian frequently.
Caroline's Cooking
Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor. I'm afraid the thicker sauce is something that can happen with a slow cooker just by nature of how it cooks, and some of it may depend on your lamb as well as some can be leaner than others. One option is to take the lamb out and set it aside once it is cooked and then reduce the sauce a little on the stove to evaporate off some of the liquid.
And yes, you certainly could marinate the lamb shanks first - certainly if I was cooking on the stove, I would, but given the length of time in the slow cooker I think there's probably less noticeable difference (but it wouldn't hurt if you have time!)
Renee
I absolutely love this recipe! I have made it many times, mainly in my instant pot, but once also in my crockpot. We love it every time. I'm actually making this for supper tonight and using a bone-in leg of lamb, so I'm curious to see the difference, but already smells awesome.
Caroline's Cooking
So glad to hear you have been enjoying it!
Maggie
I'm getting a slow cooker delivered tomorrow. I cant wait to try this recipe. I will let you know how I get on
Caroline's Cooking
Great! Hope you enjoy.
Paul
I'm giving it a shot on one of the first cold days this winter, and at least from a prep standpoint it's sooooo easy! I had a little prepared rogan josh spice that I added to the mixture to give even more depth, so will see how it goes. Thanks for bringing a bit of Indian flair to the USA!!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Paul, glad you found the prep nice and easy. I agree it's perfect for a colder day, hope you enjoy!
Hayley
Hi Caroline,
My daughter in intolerant to almonds, can I substitute for a different nut or just leave them out?
Caroline's Cooking
Hi Hayley, I'd suggest grinding up a few cashews instead, since they are probably the closest in taste and I think it would be good to still have something for texture and flavor, but maybe use a little less. Hope you enjoy!
Alex
I'm making this as I type and I followed the recipe exactly except for adding an extra tbls of yogurt to the paste to make it spread easier. It smells wonderful.
Most of the time I briefly pan sear meat before it goes into the slow cooker. Is there a reason that this step is not included in the instructions? Thanks.
Caroline's Cooking
I hope you enjoy it Alex! Pan searing the meat before you put it in the slow cooker is generally done for flavor but this dish really doesn't need it as there are so many spices etc. Also it's easy for the yogurt to penetrate and tenderize the meat if it's not seared.
Goats and Greens
I love lamb shanks, it would be wonderful to have a new shank recipe -- especially an Indian one -- in my repetoire.
Caroline's Cooking
Thank you, I hope you enjoy this one!
Stef
Wow that looks fantastic! I like that you have made it with lamb shanks too, a nice twist and looks perfect!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Stef!
Angie
This sounds amazing! If only I could get lamb shanks anytime I want! Maybe lamb chops can substitute? My husband would love this very much. I'm saving this recipe, thanks! 🙂
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Angie, yes they can be a little harder to find. If you can't get I would use stew meat/shoulder instead as it's going to be slow cooked, you want a less lean cut and using chops would almost be a waste! Hope you manage to try!
Loretta
Good heavens lamb rogan josh in a slow cooker? I'm going to have to try this out for sure. I was in the UK last week visiting with my Mom and sisters, and I made a lamb rogan josh for them, it was delicious! So where do you get your lamb shanks from? I don't think they are readily available in supermarkets? I too think the flavors would intensify if cooked in a slow cooker, I can almost smell it from here. Well done!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Loretta. I sometimes get lamb shanks in our meat delivery (we get a monthly box) or I also see them now and again at Wholefoods - I usually get them if I see them as you are right, they are not always available, but if there's a meat counter there is a higher chance. Yes the slow cooker does really help intensify the flavor, it's delicious!
Farhana
Hi, i noticed theres no salt in your recipe, is that on purpose? Im making this now cant wait for the results!
Caroline's Cooking
It wasn't particularly, just more it would be something you add to taste and I'd suggest you probably don't need much. Hope you enjoy!
Alexandra Abraham
I added a level teaspoonful of salt to the yoghurt sauce, and it was just enough to enhance the flavours without being dominant. Slightly overdid it with the chillies - I had no ground chilli, so used flakes. Pow! Reduced the sauce, and served with pilau rice, and raita... Gosh, it was delicious! Thank goodness for slow cookers! (I'm sure it would be great done in a low oven for a good 3 to 4 hours, though, too, if you don't have a slow cooker...) This is a 'must repeat' dinner party dish, to be sure - steady on the chillies though!
Caroline's Cooking
So glad to hear you enjoyed! And yes indeed, I have it on my 'to do' list to add instructions for oven version as well.
Maggie
Amazon fresh is where I get my lamb shanks
Tara
Wow, that looks really amazing, this is a recipe that I have to try!!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, Tara, it is really tasty!