Slow cooked beef rogan josh in a rich, spicy tomato-based sauce with peppers and onions. It’s cooked in the oven for 3 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender and the sauce is thick and flavourful.
You know how tasty an oven-cooked curry is going to be when you see that lovely dark ring around the edge of the pan.
Admittedly, that might mean a little more elbow grease when it comes to cleaning said pan, but it’s worth it for that thick, luscious, spicy curry.
How to make it – overview
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- We start of by marinading the beef in spices and a little natural yogurt for half an hour. This gives the beef extra flavour and makes it more tender.
- Fry up the beef in ghee or oil, then in the same pan, fry up onions, peppers and spices.
- Next in goes the liquids – we’re using tomato puree (paste in the US), tinned tomatoes and stock. We also throw in a few cardamom pods too.
- Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours, until lovely and tender.
👩🍳PRO TIP Check on the curry a couple of times in the last hour of cooking, Give it a stir and add in a splash if water if it’s starting to look a little dry.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Warm chapati or naan. I’ve got recipes for garlic naan and peshwari naan.
- Boiled rice or pilau rice
- Tomato and onion salad, natural yogurt or raita
The spice level on this curry will depend on the heat level of your chillies. I use fresno or serrano, which are usually on the milder side. You can replace with hotter chillies – such as Thai chillies, or use milder chillies – such as jalapeno (or leave the chilli out entirely).
If you want it milder still, stir in a little double/heavy cream or full fat coconut milk or coconut cream before serving.
🍲 More fantastic oven-cooked curries
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Slow Cooked Beef Rogan Josh
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp natural yogurt
- 1 kg (2.2lbs) braising beef chopped into bite-size chunks
Rogan Josh:
- 2 tbsp ghee or oil
- 2 onions peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper deseeded and roughly chopped
- 3 fresh red chillies finely chopped (I use fresno or serrano)
- ½ a bunch (about 20g/0.7oz) of fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped (chop the stalks too and keep those separate)
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp tomato puree (or paste)
- 600 ml (2.5 cups) beef stock (water plus 2 stock cubes is fine)
- 400 g (14 oz) tin finely chopped tomatoes
- 4 cardamom pods (thread them onto a piece of natural cotton so you can fish them out easier later)
Serve with:
- natural yogurt
- small bunch fresh mint roughly torn
- boiled or pilau rice
Instructions
- Place the ginger and garlic in a bowl, along with the turmeric, cumin, pepper and yoghurt. Mix together, then add in the beef pieces and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.2 tsp minced ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 4 tbsp natural yogurt, 1 kg (2.2lbs) braising beef
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F (fan).
- Heat a large casserole pan over a high heat and add the ghee. When the ghee has melted add the marinaded beef. Lightly brown all over (should take about 8-10 minutes).2 tbsp ghee or oil
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions, red and yellow peppers and chillies. Fry for 5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.2 onions, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 3 fresh red chillies
- Add the stalks from the coriander (cilantro), cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, pepper and tomato puree to the pan. Cook for 5 mins stirring regularly, until the spices release their fragrance.3 whole cloves, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 3 tbsp tomato puree (or paste)
- Add the stock, chopped tomatoes and cardamom. Stir and bring to a simmer.400 g (14 oz) tin finely chopped tomatoes, 4 cardamom pods, 600 ml (2.5 cups) beef stock
- Place a lid on the pan and place it in the oven for 3 hours, until the beef is tender. Check the beef a couple of times during the last hour of cooking and top up with a splash of boiling water if it’s starting to look dry.
- Once cooked, serve the Rogan Josh topped with a spoonful of natural yogurt, some torn/chopped fresh mint and the coriander leaves from earlier (the ones you removed the stalks from).natural yogurt, small bunch fresh mint, ½ a bunch (about 20g/0.7oz) of fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Serve with some boiled rice or pilau rice if you like.boiled or pilau rice
Notes
I would reduce the stock down to 480ml (2 cups), since the liquid doesn’t cook off as much in a slow cooker. Scaling down the recipe You can reduce this recipe down to serve 4 people. Reduce the beef down to 500g (1.1lb), reduce the stock down to 480ml (2 cups), but otherwise you can leave the rest of the quantities and the cook time the same. I like to make this curry to serve 6-8 people, but then freeze half for a quicker dinner another time. Can I make it ahead? Yes, this recipe can be made ahead, then cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan, over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot throughout. Alternatively reheat in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl, loosely covered, stirring a a couple of times, until piping hot throughout. Can I freeze it? Yes, make the recipe, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat, as per the make-ahead instructions above. Nutritional Information is approximate per serving – without rice, based on this curry serving 6 people.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolutely beautiful, love it with beef or lamb. Flavours fantastic. Top tip I place all my dry ingredients for the rogan josh in a jar ready to use. Love it. Thank you
Hello
Please may I just check one of the steps with you….in Step 5, it says use 3 whole cloves…is this actual cloves of cloves of garlic? I found this ambiguous.
Appreciate your input
Cheers
Hi Liz,
Cloves are a spice – you can find them ground or whole – usually in the spice section of the supermarket. This recipe uses whole cloves.
Thanks,
Nik
Very easy to do. And gorgeous. 👌
Hi quick question (btw the recipe and photos look soooo delicious!), could I make this in my pressure cooker and would you have any ideas on timing? Thanks.