This simple and tasty Whole30-friendly Rogan Josh (a.k.a. Rogan Gosht) is a flavorful curried meat stew inspired from one of my favorite Indian dishes. It tastes fantastic with lamb, goat, or beef stew meat!
After reading John “Doc” Willoughby’s article “Deep Flavor, No Browning Required” in the NYT, I’ve decided to forgo pre-searing meat when I cook stews. According to the article, the way to “cold start” a stew is to skip the normal searing of meat in hot oil and replace it with a gentle warming of the protein in some fat, aromatics, and spices. No sputtering oil or grease burns AND you still get a delicious, flavorful dish? Awesome.
The other day, I decided to test out this method with my Rogan Josh recipe. How’d it turn out? The final dish was yummy and flavorful and nobody missed the browned bits (or the greasy mess).
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ghee (or coconut oil)
- 2½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder or beef chuck roast, cut into 1½-inch cubes
- 2 onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons of Rogan Josh seasoning
- ½ cup full fat coconut yogurt or coconut milk
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 300°F with the rack in the middle.
Melt the ghee in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat. Add the lamb, onions, carrots, Rogan Josh seasoning, salt, and pepper to the pot.
Stir the mixture constantly for 5-8 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant.
Next, mix in ½ cup of water and the coconut yogurt. Increase the heat to high to bring the contents to a simmer.
Place the lid on the pot and place the stew in the oven for around two hours or until the lamb is fork tender.
Remove the stew from the oven and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over Simple Cauliflower Rice or along with roasted vegetables.
Leftovers can be kept in a sealed container for up to four days in the fridge or up to four months in the freezer.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Rogan Josh (Indian Lamb Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
- 2½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder cut into 1½-inch cubes (can also use cubed beef chuck roast)
- 2 onions coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons Rogan Josh seasoning
- ½ cup full-fat coconut yogurt or full-fat coconut milk
- 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F with the rack in the middle.
- Melt the ghee in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat. Add the lamb, onions, carrots, Rogan Josh seasoning, salt, and pepper to the pot.
- Stir the mixture constantly for 5-8 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant.
- Next, mix in ½ cup of water and the coconut yogurt. Increase the heat to high to bring the contents to a simmer.
- Place the lid on the pot and place the stew in the oven for around two hours or until the lamb is fork tender.
- Remove the stew from the oven and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over Simple Cauliflower Rice or along with roasted vegetables.
- Leftovers can be kept in a sealed container for up to four days in the fridge or up to four months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can this be done in the Instant Pot?