Looking for that classic curry house style rogan josh? Here you go…
This rogan josh recipe is simply delicious and exactly as I have seen it made at so many popular curry houses!
I have been making this for years and though I love more authentic Indian recipes, there is something about a UK curry house rogan josh.
It’s no wonder this curry house classic is so popular!

Just like the best curry house style rogan josh curries! You’ve got to try this one.
The difference between this and the rogan josh recipe in my cookbooks…
When I wrote my first cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’, I decided to write the curry house recipes to serve four people.
That is really the only difference between that recipe and the one you find below.
This recipe shows how to cook a rogan josh curry as it would be made at most Indian restaurants to serve 1 – 2 people.
If you would like to make this two person curry to serve 4, simply double the recipe but be careful with how much chilli powder you use. That should be added to taste.
The difference between curry house style rogan josh and authentic Kashmiri rogan josh
With more authentic Indian rogan josh cooking methods, this curry needs to slowly simmer for a few hours. It needs to in order for the meat to become tender and to flavour the sauce.
With British curry house style cooking, rogan josh can be whipped up much faster. That said, there is some forward preparation to do.
The idea behind curry house style cooking, like this rogan josh recipe, is to get the curries out to the customers in minutes while still making the curry taste like it has been slowly simmering for hours.
The secret to an amazing rogan josh using curry house methods.
To make cooking faster at curry houses, a base curry sauce is used.
The base curry sauce is great because it can be made in large batches. It freezes really well so you can quickly make your favourite curry in minutes whenever you’re getting the curry takeaway craving.
You can check out my authentic curry house style base curry sauce here.
As I explain in my base sauce recipe, the sauce can be pimped up by adding different meat or vegetable stocks to it but it is usually just made with vegetables, spices and water.
Another secret is pre-cooked meat.
If chefs at Indian restaurants didn’t pre-cook the meat, it would take much longer to get the curries out to the table and your bill would be much higher too. I have a pre-cooked meat recipe here which is perfect for this rogan josh.
What main ingredient should I use in a rogan josh?
Authentic rogan josh originated in the Kashmir region of India where mutton is the meat of choice. ‘rogan josh’ translates as red meat and this curry is famous for the use of red meat and the fact that the sauce is quite red in colour.
At curry houses, however it is all about the sauce.
A rogan josh can be ordered with lamb, chicken, vegetables, prawns, minced meat, panner for example. When you are making this rogan josh curry at home, you can add the main ingredient of your choice too.
In this recipe I use lamb as that is what I prefer but use what you like. You’re making it… make it the way you want.
Step by step photographs of the cooking process…
Wan to make an Indian restaurant style rogan josh that will impress? Go for it!

Fry the garlic and ginger paste in the oil for about 30 seconds to cook off the rawness.

Add the ground spices and stir well.

Stir in the tomato puree followed by a ladle of heated base sauce.
Here is is worth mentions how to add the base sauce.
These curry house curries are built from the bottom up. Ladle a little base sauce in and let it come to a simmer. Add more as needed.
If the pan is looking too dry, add more base. If too saucy, just cook it down. The base sauce has so many veggies in it, it cooks down and thickens very quickly.

Add the meat and ground cashew paste. This is just soaked cashews that are then blended to a paste. It’s a thickener more than anything else.

Stir in the yoghurt a little at a time. Then add the quartered tomato pieces.

To finish, season with salt to taste and garnish with the dried methi, coriander and chopped red onions.
Here are some more curry house favourites you might like to try!
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Korma
Chicken Madras
Chicken Dhansak
Lamb Vindaloo
Chicken Chilli Garlic
Chicken Patia
Lamb Bhuna
International & UK Orders
How To Make Restaurant Style Lamb Rogan Josh
Ingredients
Instructions
Be sure to stop back by and let me know how you like the restaurant style lamb rogan josh!
My base curry sauce can be used as a base for many different restaurant style curries – spicy to mild – and does a fantastic job with this lamb rogan josh curry.
* The mixed powder used in this rogan josh recipe is a curry house style curry powder. There is a link to my recipe in the above recipe. You could also use a good quality curry powder.
I have just made a batch of your restaurant style curry sauce and can already tell that, using your other recipes, that i will be making some of my favourite take-away dishes. Thank goodness i stumbled on your blog.
I forgot to ask, would it be ok to substitue the lamb for your pre cooked chicken in the rogan josh recipe
Thank you very much Karen. I’m glad you found my site too. Just let me know if you have any queries. ๐
Do you have a recipe for a lamb jalfrieze?
I do but not typed. Try my chicken jalfrezi recipe but use cooked lamb meat. It needs to be cooked first before adding to the recipe or it will be too tough.
Thanks
Dan
Chicken would be fine. In fact I make this recipe with chicken all the time.
Hi Dan,
Do you remove the lamb from its cooking liquid before adding to the new batch of curry sauce?
I always add the lamb with the cooking juices. I’ll revise to make that more clear. Thanks.
Hi Dan,
I luckily came across your website (I googled ‘Restaurant style jogan josh’). This was my first recipe from your site (and of course the curry sauce that goes with it) and I have to say it was worth all the effort. The rogan josh turned out to be pretty much the best we have ever had. I made it using beef by the way but it was really great. I will definitely be using more of your recipes for years to come.
Thanks!
Thank you very much Amna.
I’m really glad you liked the recipe. Keep in touch. ๐
Hi Dan, just like to say that I tried your curry sauce base and made this rogan josh yesterday. The family loved it and described it as ‘amazing’. So this is going in my stored recipe book. I had a wonderful theraputic day in the kitchen making it too. Going to try some of your other recipes very soon, thankyou sooo much, your website is a font of information, I literally stumbled across it and am so glad that i did!!
Hi Kelly
Thank you very much. It’s feedback like that that makes all the blogging worthwhile. I’m really glad you and your family liked the recipe. Keep in touch.
Dan
Hi Dan,
I’d like to make this dish with chicken for some friends that are coming on Saturday. If I pre-cooked the chicken and sauce would it keep ok in the fridge overnight?
I’m thinking I can just warm it through when my guests arrive on Saturday night then?
Thanks.
Hi Sarah
You can definitely make the curry and just heat it up the next day. In fact the flavour is better when kept over night in the fridge. Good luck with your dinner and enjoy!
Dan
Hey there. Firstly – thanks for your website, I love it!
Made this organ josh today, however, and – whilst it smelt and tasted great! – it didn’t look so good. It’s like the sauce split, it looked lumpy, almost like I’d used mince. This was before I’d added the yoghurt… do you know where I might have gone wrong?
Thanks in advance – I’ll keep trying it!
Hi Martha
I’m at a loss with that one. Without having seen it, I don’t know what could have caused it. Looking at the recipe, I can only assume two things. Perhaps you were seeing chunks of cashew? Other than that maybe your curry sauce wasn’t blended until very smooth.
It really shouldn’t have split as there isn’t anything in the recipe that would split besides the yogurt which you hadn’t added.
Sorry I can’t be of more help. I really love that recipe. Glad it tasted good anyway.
Thank you.
Dan
Hey Dan,
From one Dan to another this is awesome and the best Rogan Josh that I have ever tried and tasted. I used the shorter method and no onions. I was looking high and low for my recipie book but could not find it as we moved house and most of the things are still in boxes. Well I then turned to the internet and lo and behold I found your awesome recipie and often can judge on how the recipie is written if it is good or not. So what the heck I took a try and from now on will use your recipie only for Rogan Josh and discard my earlier one.
GOD bless your business.
Regards
Danny
Hi Dan
I have yet to try this dish but I’m just curious. I have your BIR ebook with this recipe and it differs a fair bit. In the ebook version there is tablespoon each garlic/ginger paste and also curry powder and turmeric. Which one is the best one to try?
Thanks in advance
Hi Dave
The ebook version is the best. I had to change some of the recipes on my blog so that they are not identical to those in the ebooks.
Hope this helps.
Dan
When I added the spices to the hot oil near the beginning of the recipe,, the result was to immediately have a thick, caramelized, burnt-smelling goo in the bottom of the pan. Is this the desired result? Did I heat the oil too high, and could a lower sizzle have been achieved? I should point out the finished product also looked and tasted somewhat caramelized, but at the same time was pretty good (I didn’t have fenugreek leaves, but made do without). Would it have been better otherwise?
Hi Nate
Your pan was too hot! It should not have caramelized! You need to be careful with spices as they will burn quickly. The fenugreek will give the curry a completely different taste. It’s subtle as we use leaves which are not as strong as powder but you will still taste it.
Keep it up. You’ll get there.
Thanks
Dan
Wow โ the closest Iโve had to Restaurant style curry! I made a base sauce from another website which didnโt provide any recipes to use it in โ so I ended up here. Just made a Rogan Josh following this recipe but adding said base sauce and fresh chilliโs โ the cashew paste is a really nice touch. I will definitely be giving the other recipes a try. 10/10!
Thanks Paul
Glad you liked the recipe even with a different sauce. ๐
Dan
Have been frustrated with my efforts to produce BIR type curry for some time… I found this website and the BIR ebook and holy sh*t!! I just made the best chicken rogan josh.
I didn’t want to bother pre-cooked meat and sauces, so took a while trying things differently until finally I gave it a shot. Followed your recipes to a T and so glad I did.
Cheers!
Now to make naans…
Hi Jim
So good to hear. Really glad you liked the recipes!
Thanks
Dan
What a ton of work! It resulted in an AMAZING Rogan Josh. Even my husband said it would be worthy of any restaurant. But a simplified version would be required unless I already had a supply of curry sauce and Garam Masala on hand, It is hard to find good Indian recipes that don’t use the yellow curry powder from the jar. I hate that stuff. Now that I have found your site, I might end up making more Indian dishes and have to make the big batches of sauce and Masala (and garlic/ginger paste too!) to have on hand after all!
Hi Dan . In the above recipe is the lamb cooked before going into the sauce or just browned? Can this also be cooked slowly in the oven?
Thanks,
Peter
Hi Peter
This recipe is done the Indian restaurant way so the meat is added cooked after using my pre-cooked meat recipe. That said, this is only done for speed. You could definitely slow cook the curry using raw or browned meat and cooking until it is really tender.
Thanks
Dan
Is there cooking and simmering times for this recipe
Hi Carlo
As this is a restaurant style curry, it should only take 10 minutes to make once you have done the preparation (base curry sauce, pre-cooked meat etc). Longer stewing time won’t hurt but it isn’t required as all the work is done before making the finished dish. Hope this helps.
Dan
I just made this and mine has turned out really bland , with no flavours I don’t understand as I followed the recipe to a T?
Hi Jon
The recipe can vary depending on ingredients. Use the recipe as a guide but feel free to adjust the spices to your own taste. Add more paprika or whatever until you are happy with the flavour.
In Indian restaurant, the chefs don’t even use measures. They simply add a bit of this and that until it looks and tastes right. Good luck in future.
Dan
I really want to try this curry the read up is amazing but my daughter has nut allergies. Does it change the taste much without the nuts? Thanks. Never managed to dine a decent curry to make at home
Hi Kirsty
It will be fine without the nuts. Just leave them out. There are so many other ingredients you won’t miss them.
Thanks
Dan
Hi can these recipes be frozen for later use
Thanks
John
Hi John
Yes! They can be frozen for up to three months without losing much flavour.
Thanks
Dan
Hey there just started creating your recipe and was just checking if slow cooking in the oven would work?
I recommend doing it as the recipe but you could definitely place the finished curry in a low oven for a while. The flavours will develop and it will taste great.
Thanks
Dan
HI,
Could you put the lamb straight in the curry and cook it out for for a few hours rather then make it in the stock? Or maybe make the sauce and put it in a slow cooker for the day?
Hi Danirl
You sure could. I do it often. The most important thing is that the lamb is tender.
Thanks
Dan
Wondering if possible to make a large batch of the base sauce and bottle it in sterilised jars to share with my children. Would it keep?
Hi Kel
To be honest, I’ve never tried. I usually just freeze it. It keeps in the fridge for three days.
Thanks,
Dan
HI Dan
I made this last night, very tastey, altho I couldnt get any yoghurt so used a little cream instead, does the yoghurt add much to the final flavour?
Cheers
Steve
Hi Steve
It does. It add a lot of flavour and it a lot different to cream. Sounds like it tasting good anyway. Might try that.
Cheers,
Dan
I thought it might, will use it next time…
Wow, I can’t believe how good this came out. I made the base curry, large version and it fillrd a five litre pot and on its own tasted great. Then I made the rogan josh sauce and I don’t know where the Indian chef came from but this has turned out to be the best rogan josh I have ever tasted. Dan your recipe is the best.
Thank you very much Neil! Really glad you liked the recipe.
Dan
Wonderful curry
Thank you Emma. ๐
Dan
Dan, spent the afternoon with a six pack of Guinness and the ingredients to make your base, omg the smell is fantastic. Tomorrow I shall be taking a stag at your chicken madras……can’t wait….merry Xmas from a Brit in Houston! What ever happens tomorrow, thanks for a great afternoon today!
Thank you Mick! How did it go?
Cheers,
Dan
wow, just wow ๐
Thanks Mark!
Dan
Yo Yo Dan!
Can I use butter instead of ghee?
HiAaron
Clarified butter would be best as it won’t burn. You could use butter but it will brown and the flavour will be different. You could also use vegetable or rapeseed oil.
Dan
Hi, I am making this but with hogget lamb which needs to be cooked long and slow. Is it possible to put the curry in the slow cooker at stage five and add the yogurt later, before serving?
Cheers.
Hi Alyssa. It sure is. Sounds fantastic!
Dan
Having got the book followed the recipe for rogan Josh to the letter it tasted nothing like a restaurant curry .I would like to see you make this curry as published and be judged on it .the mixed powder,garam masala,cooking stock and basic sauce had vitualy the same spices so you end up with too much coriander and Cummings giving it a bitter taste .hope you accept the challenge. J.almond withernsea
Hi Jack
Thanks for purchasing my book. I’ll take on that challenge anytime! It is one of the curries I make at most of my demos. I’ve passed it around for people to try and as a result, I end up selling a lot of books. So there must either be something you are doing wrong or you just don’t like the spice mixture. As I say in my book, you can and should adjust recipes to your own taste. I have watched this curry be made by so many chefs. Actual measures are never used. They just dip their big spoon in the spices and add them. I would like to help you get it right. If the cumin is making it too bitter for you, cut back on it next time. The spices in the base sauce are quite insignificant as it is watered down so much. They are there more for colour than anything. Did you cook on high enough heat? The base sauce should cook down quickly and caramelise to the pan adding more flavour. The recipes in my book are all authentic curry house dishes. Where are you? I’ll let you know when I am demoing in your area. Thanks, Dan
I made this at the weekend. as I have just bought your book, there was a real depth to the flavours.
I am going to make the Chicken chilli garlic next.
Thanks for the great selection of recipes
Hi Ben
Thank you very much for purchasing my book. I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes. Much appreciated.
Dan
Hi Dan,
Just bought your book and I’m trying out some of the recipes. I’ve started off with making the base curry sauce (gravy). I followed your large batch recipe but just did a third to begin with. However, the I’ve just blended it with the addition of the extra water and it is very bitter. Is this expected or have I overcooked the spices? This is my first attempt at Indian food so I’m a complete novice!
Thanks!
Matt
Hi Matt
Sorry to hear that. Thank you for purchasing my book. it does sound like you might have burnt the spices which will make them bitter. Especially the cumin. It might also be that you don’t like the fenugreek. It does taste really bitter to some. Try leaving it out next time and see if that helps.
Thanks,
Dan
Thank you Dan, just thank you
Thank you Steve!
Dan
hi Dan,
I watched your video for Rogan Josh, I was reading the ingredients as you added them. One was for mixed powder, I looked and looked but I couldn’t find what you meant by that. What is mixed powder?
Hi Angie
Thanks for getting in touch. Here is a link on how to make it. If you can’t be bothered, just use a really good quality curry powder instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0GI_UkY2YQ
Thanks,
Dan
Man U r the bees knees, can I come round Tuesday please…
everything I make from here is awesome!!!!!!
Don’t bother with takeaway anymore, always hit and miss in Aus….. thank you….
Thank you!
Thank you very much Matt!
Dan
Hi,
I’m looking to make this recipe, is cashew butter the same as cashew paste?
Thanks,
Ignore that, just read the ingredients list closer ill make it myself thanks
Omg! I love your recipes!! Butter chicken – The best ever and now this Lamb Rogan Josh. I canโt wait to try a Balti and Iโve always loved Chicken Biryani so hoping thereโs a recipe ๐
Hi Ngaire
Thank you very much. I’m really happy you are enjoying the recipes. I do have a chicken biryani recipe in my blue book “The Curry Guy Easy”.
Thanks,
Dan