Lamb · Slow cooker adaptation

Latifs Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh BIR

Latif's BIR-style lamb rogan josh built in one pot with bold spicing, cherry tomatoes and a thick sauce hugging chunky 2-inch lamb cubes. Adapted here for the slow cooker so the lamb comes out tender with all the depth of the original bhuna method.

R By Richard · Adapted from Latifs Inspired · Published 10 June 2026
👁 89k source views ❤️ 3.8k source likes
⏱Prep 15 min
🍲Slow cook 6 hr (Low) / 4 hr (High)
One Pot Lamb Rogon Josh (BIR) Indian Restaurant Recipe | No Nonsense Simple Cooking Method For All

Source video by Latifs Inspired on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

This is Latif's Inspired one-pot lamb rogan josh adapted for the slow cooker. Chunky 2-inch cubes of lamb leg are seared with whole garam masala spices, ginger and garlic, then slow-cooked low and slow with chilli powders, Kashmiri chilli, coriander, curry powder, cumin and turmeric. Fresh tomato puree builds the thick BIR gravy, with cherry tomatoes, kasuri methi, garam masala and coriander stirred through at the end. Serve with rice or naan for a proper restaurant-style finish at home.

Slow cooker notes: Original is hob one-pot over ~1 hour. Adapted for slow cooker: brown the lamb with whole spices, ginger and garlic in a pan first (so the whole garam masala blooms and the ginger/garlic loses its rawness, as Latif insists), then transfer to the slow cooker with the powdered spices, tomato puree and water. Cook Low 6 hours or High 4 hours until tender. Stir in cherry tomatoes, kasuri methi, garam masala and fresh coriander in the final 30 minutes on High so the tomatoes just break down. Water reduced from 3 cups hob to 2 cups in the slow cooker because there is far less evaporation. Servings not stated in the source.

Ingredients

Meat
  • 1 kglamb leg, cut into 2-inch cubes, cut into 2-inch cubes
Fats
  • 4 tbspvegetable oil
  • 1 tbsppure butter ghee
Whole spices
  • 4 wholecloves
  • 4 podsgreen cardamom pods, lightly smashed
  • 1 leafbay leaf
  • 2 inch stickcassia bark (cinnamon)
  • 1 tsppanch phoron
Aromatics
  • 2 tbspgarlic, minced or paste
  • 1 tbspginger, minced or paste
Seasoning
  • 1 tspsalt
Liquid
  • 2 cupsboiling water
Ground spices
  • 2 tspchilli powder
  • 3 tspcoriander powder
  • 2 tspgeneral curry powder
  • 1 tspground cumin
  • 0.5 tspturmeric
  • 3 tspKashmiri chilli powder
Tomato
  • 420 gfresh tomato puree (skin and seed in), blended
  • 1 tbsptomato puree (concentrate)
Finishing
  • 10 wholecherry tomatoes, stalks removed (add late)
  • 1 tspkasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between fingers (add late)
  • 0.5 tspgaram masala (add late)
  • fresh coriander, roughly chopped (add late)

Method

  1. Heat the vegetable oil and ghee in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaf, cassia bark and panch phoron and let the whole spices bloom for about 30 seconds.

    ~1 min

  2. Turn the heat down to low. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute or two until the rawness goes. Season with the salt.

    ~2 min

  3. Add the 2-inch cubes of lamb leg and brown them in the spiced oil for 5-6 minutes, stirring so they pick up colour without the ginger and garlic catching.

    ~6 min

  4. Tip the lamb and all the spiced oil into the slow cooker. Add the chilli powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, tomato puree concentrate and the 420 g fresh tomato puree. Pour in 2 cups of boiling water and stir to combine.

    ~5 min

  5. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 4 hours, until the lamb is tender with a little bite. For fall-apart lamb, extend by an hour on Low.

    ~360 min

  6. In the final 30 minutes, stir in the cherry tomatoes, crushed kasuri methi and garam masala. Turn the slow cooker to High if it was on Low and leave the lid on so the tomatoes just soften and burst.

    ~30 min

  7. Stir through a good handful of fresh coriander and serve.

    ~1 min

Frequently asked

Can I use a different cut of lamb?
Latif uses lamb leg cut into 2-inch cubes because it stays juicy and chunky after long cooking. Lamb shoulder also works well in the slow cooker and will go more tender.
How spicy is this?
Latif uses 2 tsp of extra hot chilli powder plus 3 tsp of milder Kashmiri chilli powder, which lands hotter than a Madras. For a medium curry, drop the extra hot chilli to 1 tsp. For vindaloo heat, push it up to 4 tsp.
Do I have to brown the lamb first?
Yes. The whole garam masala spices need hot oil to bloom and the ginger and garlic need cooking out so they are not raw. Skipping the sear leaves the curry flat.
Can I use tinned tomatoes instead of fresh tomato puree?
Yes. Latif blends 420 g of fresh tomatoes skin, seeds and all, but says tinned tomatoes are a common substitute.
What is panch phoron?
A Bengali five-spice blend. Latif uses 1 tsp and notes this is a Bangladeshi touch on the rogan josh.
Extraction notes (transparency): Servings not stated in the source (defaultServings null). Cinnamon quantity given as guidance ("about a 2-inch stick") rather than a firm measure but treated as explicit. Cherry tomato count given as "about a good 10". Slow cooker timings are an adaptation, not from source.