Slow Cooker Rogan Josh
Speed - 97%
Simplicity - 95%
Tastiness - 100%
97%
Excellent!
The Robust flavor of this dish from the lamb, which we'll cook to be perfectly tender. A very aromatic dish with very complex and interesting flavors. It's not a very common one, so you may be hearing of it for the first time. But it's easy to make and it'll be a big hit for any family that enjoys South Asian and Eurasian cuisine.
Ingredients
- 1 kilos Lamb Shoulder cut into cubes
- 1 piece Ginger thumb-size, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic rough chopped
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Puree
- 4 pieces Shallots rough chopped
- 1 bunch Cilantro
- 1 bunch Mint Leaves
- 10 pieces Cardamom Pods
- 6 pieces Cloves
- 2 pieces Bay Leaves
- 1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 2 tablespoons Ghee
Instructions
- Combine yogurt, paprika, garam masala, and turmeric powder in a bowl.
- Add in lamb pieces to marinate overnight.
- Puree ginger, garlic, and shallots into a paste.
- Heat ghee in a pan.
- Roast pureed paste until aromatic.
- Add in cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds and continue roasting for another minute.
- Add in tomato paste, and roast for another minute.
- Add in diced tomatoes and marinated lamb pieces.
- Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
This recipe is an adaptation from the authentic Rogan Josh of Persian cuisine, utilizing paprika instead of ground chili peppers. This way I managed to tone down the heat of the dish, making it more palatable for everyone in the family, without sacrificing the dish's distinct aromatic profile. Also, to achieve that deep burgundy color of the authentic preparation(which comes from those chilis), I added in a bit of tomato puree and crushed tomatoes.
Okay, so let's start cooking. Most recipes call for the addition of yogurt near the end of the cooking process. I prefer to use mine as a flavor vessel for my marinade. For those of you wondering why I picked out paprika, turmeric, and garam masala to go into this marinade instead of including all the spices called for, here's why :
- I'll make the most of my ginger, onion, and garlic if I render them into a paste;
- the cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cumin seeds will release its full potent flavor and aroma if it is dry-roasted;
- and the paprika, turmeric, and garam are spice powders which will burn and turn bitter quicker over heat compared to whole spices.
Moving along, I marinated my lamb in this spiced yogurt overnight as lamb meat is tough, consequently needing longer time to take in those flavors. Also, this long marination, allows the paprika and turmeric to impart a bright red stain to the meat when cooked. And of course, yogurt is a natural meat tenderizer.
I chose lamb shoulder by the way for this recipe for two reasons. Shoulder being a tougher cut with more connective tissue, hence a more robust lamb flavor; and choosing a more expensive cut like rack steaks would not be practical knowing that this is meant to be stewed. It'll get tender anyway. You may also use shank which packs even more flavor.
I pureed the garlic, onions, and ginger into a paste. This way they get to lose more of their moisture content when roasted, leaving all their flavor and aroma at their purest state. You may add in a bit of water here to make it easier to process without affecting its potency. They may need a longer roasting time to dry out though.
Take the time to roast your spices, constantly moving them inside the pan to prevent burning. Take your time to do this and you will be rewarded with a more aromatic final dish.
When much of the moisture from them has evaporated, its time to roast those dry spices. Same reason here. Cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaves develop improved aroma when exposed to the right amount of heat. I say right amount, because they can burn and turn bitter with too much.
Next into the pan would be the tomato puree, which I also roasted to develop a deeper color and also to reduce its acidity.
Next would be to add in the crushed tomatoes together with the lamb, including the marinade of yogurt and we're done. All that's left to do is to allow the meat to cook tender in all those flavors for 8 hours in a slow cooker set to low. Today, I used a different slow cooker than usual. I fired up my Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-quart slow cooker. Of course, it performed as normal, and I was happy with the results. I'm a big fan of Hamilton Beach appliances – anything from coffee makers to blenders to slow cookers. They are reliable, and tend to be cheaper than other name brands.
For this dish, I prepared a cucumber raita, and a date chutney which in my opinion perfectly pair with the lamb.
Ingredients
- 1 kilos Lamb Shoulder cut into cubes
- 1 piece Ginger thumb-size, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic rough chopped
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Puree
- 4 pieces Shallots rough chopped
- 1 bunch Cilantro
- 1 bunch Mint Leaves
- 10 pieces Cardamom Pods
- 6 pieces Cloves
- 2 pieces Bay Leaves
- 1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 2 tablespoons Ghee
Instructions
- Combine yogurt, paprika, garam masala, and turmeric powder in a bowl.
- Add in lamb pieces to marinate overnight.
- Puree ginger, garlic, and shallots into a paste.
- Heat ghee in a pan.
- Roast pureed paste until aromatic.
- Add in cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds and continue roasting for another minute.
- Add in tomato paste, and roast for another minute.
- Add in diced tomatoes and marinated lamb pieces.
- Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
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