Lamb Rogan Josh

Ingredients

• 800 g diced lamb shoulder, cut into 4cm pieces
• 300 ml lamb or beef stock
• Basmati rice or warm naan bread, to serve
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1.5 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2 large onions, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 25 g fresh ginger, grated
• 150 g full-fat Greek yoghurt
• salt
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 bay leaves
• Kachumber salad, to serve

Method

1. Pat the lamb pieces dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt — water means steam, and steam means no browning. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot over a high heat until it shimmers.
2. Brown the lamb in two batches, 4–5 minutes per batch, until deeply coloured on all sides. Don't crowd the pot — all at once and the meat boils in its own juices instead of building that dark crust. Transfer each batch to a plate.
3. Drop the heat to medium. Tip the onions into the remaining oil with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, for 14–16 minutes until they are a deep golden-brown. This is where the depth of the dish lives — rush it and the curry tastes thin.
4. Stir in the grated garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic catch — burnt garlic turns the whole pot bitter. Add the crushed cardamom and bay leaves, then the Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, ground coriander, and ground cumin.
5. Bloom the spices in the oil for 60 seconds, stirring constantly, until they darken a shade and smell properly aromatic. Raw spices taste dusty; bloomed spices taste of themselves.
6. Add the Greek yoghurt one tablespoon at a time, stirring vigorously between each addition so it's fully incorporated before the next goes in. This is the rogan josh trick — slow incorporation prevents splitting and builds a thick, glossy sauce.
7. Return the lamb and any resting juices to the pot, stirring to coat every piece. Pour over the stock — the liquid lets the masala loosen around the meat rather than catching on the base — and bring to a gentle simmer.
8. Cover and cook over a low heat for 55–65 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the lamb pulls apart easily and the sauce has reduced to a deep brick-red. Lift the lid for the last 10 minutes to concentrate the flavour.
9. Fish out the cardamom pods and bay leaves. Taste, season, taste again — adjust the salt and pepper now, not at the table. The yoghurt and long simmer carry the acid, so no finishing squeeze needed.
10. Spoon the lamb over fluffy basmati rice with warm naan alongside, and finish each bowl with a pinch of garam masala drifting over the top.