Lamb Rogan Josh

Since discovering a new Indian restaurant that I love, I've been wanting to try to make Indian food at home again. Years ago, I made bland chicken curries I didn't love and was a little hesitant to try a random recipe. But I did. It was wonderful!

I supposed you could also use beef stew meat to make this. We loved the lamb. This made 4 - 6 servings. I served it over rice and with some wonderful aloo paratha (a naan--which is a flatbread--stuffed with potatoes and peas) from that Indian restaurant I loved. It was a wonderful meal. I will definitely make it again and again and again.

Lamb Rogan Josh
adapted from Food and Wine

1/4 c olive oil
2 lbs lamb or beef stew meat, cut into 1" pieces
kosher salt
2 onions, thinly sliced (about 3 c)
2 T fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T plus 1 t curry powder
1 t turmeric
1/2 t cayenne pepper (optional---the curry powder provided enough spice for us so I omitted)
2 bay leaves
1 14-oz can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 c plain whole milk yogurt
2 c water (1/2 - 1 c water if using a slow cooker)
1 t garam masala
cilantro leaves, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron casserole dish (Dutch oven does just fine). Season the stew meat with salt and cook over high heat in batches, stirring occasionally until the meat is browned, about 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Add the onions to the pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, turmeric, cayenne (if using), and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, yogurt, and water and bring to a boil. Season with salt. Return the lamb and any accumulated juices to the pot. Cover an simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender about 2 hours (you may want to check it around a hour and half). Stir in the garam masala and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice and naan.

Slow Cooker variation: Follow the recipe as follows until you get to returning the meat to the pot. Instead, dump the boiling tomato/yogurt mixture into the slow cooker with the meat. Cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Add a little more water if the meat looks dry.