Skinnymixer’s Slow Cooked Rogan Josh features in the Takeaway section of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.

This is one of those curries where a little patience pays off BIG time.

Beef or lamb is marinated in yoghurt, lemon and spices, browned until beautifully caramelised and then slowly cooked in a rich, deeply spiced tomato sauce.

My sister declared this quite possibly the best curry I’ve ever developed, so expectations are high!

Better still, you can cook it in your Thermo cooker, slow cooker, on the stovetop or in the oven.

What You Will Need

For the complete quantities, see the recipe in SkinnyAsia 2.

For the marinade:

Chuck or gravy beef OR lamb shoulder
Greek yoghurt of choice
Fresh lemon juice
Coriander
Cumin
Turmeric
Salt

For the spice mix:

Green cardamom pods
Whole cloves
Dried bay leaves
Cinnamon
Ground coriander
Ground cumin
Ground fennel
Cumin seeds
Fennel seeds
Smoked paprika
Sweet paprika
Black pepper
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper

For the curry:

Olive oil
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Brown onion
Ghee or butter
Passata
Stock Concentrate
Tomato paste

To finish:

Ghee or butter
Garam masala
Fresh lemon juice
Fresh coriander

Ground Fennel vs Fennel Seeds

You’ll notice this recipe uses both ground fennel AND whole fennel seeds.

Ground fennel disperses throughout the curry, giving the sauce a warm, sweet and aromatic flavour.

Fennel seeds provide little bursts of flavour and another layer of texture and aroma.

If you can’t find ground fennel, simply grind fennel seeds into a fine powder using a spice grinder, mortar and pestle or your Thermo cooker.

Toasting the Spices

Heating the spices before adding the remaining curry ingredients helps bring out their fragrance.

Whole spices such as cardamom, cloves and cinnamon remain in the curry as it cooks.

You may want to keep an eye out for them when serving!

Choose the Right Cut of Meat

Slow cooking needs a cut that can handle time.

For beef, use:

Chuck
Gravy beef

For lamb, use:

Lamb shoulder

Cut the meat into approximately 3 cm or 1.2 inch pieces.

These cuts become beautifully tender during slow cooking, unlike leaner cuts that can become dry.

Don’t Skip the Final Ingredients

Once the meat is beautifully tender, stir through:

Ghee or butter
Garam masala
Fresh lemon juice
Fresh coriander

Adding these at the end gives the finished curry richness, fragrance and freshness.

Taste before serving and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Four Ways to Cook It

Choose whichever method suits your day.

THERMO COOKER
Slow Cook for approximately 3 hours, or use the alternative standard cooking method provided in SkinnyAsia 2.

SLOW COOKER
Cook on LOW for 6–8 hours, removing the lid for the final 15 minutes.

STOVETOP
Cook gently, covered, for approximately 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally.

OVEN
Cook covered at 160°C or 320°F fan-forced for approximately 1½–2 hours.

Whichever method you choose, the real test is always the same:

Is the meat beautifully tender?

Dietary & Recipe Variations

DAIRY FREE
Use dairy-free Greek-style yoghurt and dairy-free butter as required.

SUPER SKINNY
Skip browning the meat and omit the oil. Halve or omit the butter added at the end.

VEGETARIAN
Use baby potatoes and cauliflower instead of meat, then add chickpeas towards the end as specified in SkinnyAsia 2.

LOW FODMAP
Use lactose-free yoghurt, omit the garlic and replace it with garlic-infused olive oil. Use spring onion greens instead of brown onion and compliant Stock Concentrate.

HALVED / DOUBLED
For a double batch, use the slow cooker, stovetop or oven methods.

What to Serve with Rogan Josh

We love serving this with:

Steamed rice
Cauliflower rice
Palak Raita from SkinnyAsia 2

Add naan or another Indian side if you’re turning it into a bigger feast.

Get the Recipe

The complete Slow Cooked Rogan Josh, including Thermo cooker, slow cooker, stovetop and oven methods and dietary variations, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.

From the Testing Team

Krisha G. – This is amazing. Very late to testing, however its delicious. I could not get lamb shoulder to butcher myself, so I went with boned lamb roast from aldi. I scaled up to 2.5kg of meat and adjusted all measurements up accordingly. Bloody beautiful.
Cooked in the slow cookersince lunch, school concert, then finally back home at 2030hrs, so very late for us. Super to full our hungry bellies
Jess A.– All I can hear is “mmmmm” “mmmmm!!!!” So yea. I’d say it’s good. lol Honestly it is though. Cooked beautifully in the TM7 using chuck steak.
Val W. – I had this in the slow cooker all afternoon. What a fabulous meal we had tonight. I didn’t have spinach so I didn’t make the raita recipe. Instead, I served it with the Quick Mango Chutney, Greek yoghurt, Cucumber slices and papadums.
Amanda E. – Well that was delicious!!!!!!!! So so good! Normally I’d do the slow cooked method for something like this, but I had heaps to do today, so did slow cook in the TM. 2.5hrs total and the meat was perfect!
Chantell L. – I regret to inform you that your Beef Rogan Josh has set an impossibly high standard for all future dinners
Karen S. – This was one of these best curries I’ve ever cooked at home. I guess that makes it the most “English” of Indian curries. It was sooooo good. This will be absolutely on my regular roster
Nadine D. – We had this for dinner tonight. After Step 6 I put everything into the pressure cooker for 40 mins medium pressure, quick steam release. It was so tender. My husband had 2 serves and we still have a lot left, thinking of making pies with the leftovers.
Alisha D.– Delicious full of flavour and after the first few steps it was just a waiting game! 2hrs slow cooker mode TM7
Kaz M. – 2hrs in the oven at 160deg in cast iron with lid.. OMG YUM!!!

Some other Slow Cooked Thermomix recipes you might love:

Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?

SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.