Slow Cooker Beef or Lamb Rogan Josh Recipe
Make a medium, aromatic Rogan Josh in curry-house style with one Rogan Josh kit and beef chuck or lamb shoulder. You build the sauce on the hob, slow-cook until tender, then finish with the second sachet on the stove.
How this recipe works
These curries start with browning and building the sauce in a pan, then cook low and slow until the meat is tender. You finish with a short simmer on the hob so the sauce and finishing spices come together — the slow cooker cannot do that final step on its own.
Ingredients
To buy
- 1 complete Rogan Josh Curry Club Kit (Sachets 1 and 2)
- 400–500g beef chuck or boneless lamb shoulder
- 1 large onion, finely chopped or thinly sliced
- 400g chopped tomatoes or passata
- Optional: 1–2 tbsp plain yoghurt or cream; fresh coriander
- Rice and/or naan to serve
From home
- 2–3 tbsp neutral oil or ghee
- 50ml water in total, including water for the spice paste
In the Rogan Josh kit
- Spice Pouch 1: Base Curry Spice Blend
- Spice Pouch 2: Rogan Josh Finishing Spice Blend
- Optional Extra Kick: Whole Dried Kashmiri Chilli
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Large frying pan or wok
- Saucepan for reducing the sauce if needed
Before you start
- Use fully thawed meat and start cooking promptly.
- Cook on LOW or HIGH, not the WARM setting.
- Keep the lid on during the main slow cook.
- Choose a cooker suited to the batch and follow its required fill level and minimum-liquid instructions.
- Beef: use chuck or another cut sold for long braising, trimmed of hard fat, cut into roughly 3–4 cm pieces.
- Lamb: use boneless shoulder, trimmed of excess surface fat, cut into roughly 3–4 cm pieces.
| Meat | LOW | HIGH |
|---|---|---|
| Beef chuck | 7–9 hours | 4–5 hours |
| Lamb shoulder | 6–8 hours | 3½–5 hours |
Cook until the meat yields easily to a fork. Actual time depends on your cooker, cut and batch size — extend cooking if the meat is still tough.
Method
Brown the meat
- Brown the meat in batches with 1 tbsp oil and transfer straight to the slow cooker.
- Do not brown meat for storage and cook later — transfer to the cooker as you go.
Cook the onion
- Cook the onion in the remaining oil for 10–12 minutes until soft, golden and sweet.
Build the paste
- Lower the heat. Add 'Sachet 1: Base Spice Blend' with 2–3 tbsp of the measured water; stir and cook for 60–90 seconds.
- Add a splash more from the measured water if needed to prevent sticking.
Reduce the tomatoes
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 6–8 minutes until noticeably thickened.
- Add the remaining measured water, scrape up the pan juices and transfer the hot sauce to the cooker. Stir to coat the meat.
Slow-cook
- Cover and slow-cook until the meat is tender: beef LOW 7–9 hours or HIGH 4–5 hours; lamb shoulder LOW 6–8 hours or HIGH 3½–5 hours. Keep the lid on. Towards the end, skim excess surface fat if needed.
Finish on the hob
- If the sauce is watery, lift out the tender meat and reduce the sauce in a saucepan, stirring regularly. Return the meat. If the sauce is already thick enough, finish meat and sauce together in the pan.
- Add 'Sachet 2: Finishing Spice Blend' and simmer gently for 3–5 minutes.
- If using yoghurt, take the pan off the heat, mix a little hot sauce into the yoghurt, then stir into the curry. Cream can be stirred in at the end. Rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Larger batches
To cook more, multiply all ingredients and kits in proportion, not just the meat or water. Use an appliance suited to the batch size.
About Rogan Josh
A rich, warming curry house classic with deep tomato flavour, aromatic spices, and medium heat.
Make it with Curry Club
The Rogan Josh kit contains the spice blends used in this slow cooker recipe.