I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Indian food. I used to trek all over the Bay Area just to taste a great masala dosa or special thali. Although I still love the complex and intense flavors of Indian food, it’s hard for me to resist the grains and legumes when I see them on the menu. Now that I’m comfortably settled on the Paleo bandwagon, my Indian eats have been few and far between. That’s why I was so excited to find Melissa Joulwan’s recipe for Paleo Rogan Josh. Rogan Josh is a spicy and aromatic lamb stew that would be uber hard to make if it weren’t for the magic of Penzeys Rogan Josh seasoning. I whipped some up this morning, with some minor tweaks, and it was super easy and delicious.
Time to make Rogan Josh (Lamb Stew)!
Serves 3-4
Here’s what I assembled:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 pound of lamb stew meat, cut into 1.5 inch chunks
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 small onions, coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces of mushrooms, quartered
- 7 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Penzeys Rogan Josh seasoning
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup water
Equipment:
- All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
Method:
I assembled and chopped my ingredients and preheated my oven to 300 F.
I don’t know about you, but despite what the label says, this doesn’t look like ground lamb to me…
I heated the coconut oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat and tossed the lamb with salt and pepper. Once the pot was hot, I seared my lamb chunks in a single layer for about 4 minutes undisturbed on each side.
I removed the browned lamb to a separate plate and added the carrots and onions to the empty pot. When the onions were translucent…
…I threw in the mushrooms along with a dash of salt and pepper.
After the liquid had cooked off, I tossed in the garlic and stirred everything around until fragrant (around 30 seconds). Next, I added lamb back in along with the Rogan Josh seasoning, making sure it was well distributed.
Then, I poured in the coconut milk and water.
The liquid level was about ¾ the way up the meat and veggies. I covered my pot and stuck it in my oven until the meat was nice and tender (about 1.5 to 2 hours). (I like to braise my stews in the oven ‘cause the temperature is constant, the flavors get concentrated, and you don’t have to babysit it).
Wow! This dish is awesome! Next time, I’m gonna double the amount of meat because the pot only yielded about three servings. Also, the spice blend packs some heat, so back off on the seasoning if you can’t take it.
Thanks for the great recipe, Melicious!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Rogan Josh (Lamb Stew)

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 pound lamb stew meat cut into 1½-inch chunks
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large carrots coarsely chopped
- 2 small onions coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces mushrooms quartered
- 7 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons Penzeys Rogan Josh seasoning
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Assemble your ingredients. Chop your veggies and preheat your oven to 300°F.
- Heat the coconut oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Toss the lamb with salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Once the pot is hot, sear the lamb chunks in a single layer for about 4 minutes undisturbed on each side.
- Remove the browned lamb to a separate plate once browned, and add the carrots and onions to the empty pot. When the onions are translucent throw in the mushrooms along with a dash of salt and pepper.
- After the liquid has cooked off, toss in the garlic and stir everything around until fragrant (around 30 seconds).
- Add the lamb back into the pot along with the Rogan Josh seasoning. Stir and make sure everything is well distributed.
- Pour in the coconut milk and water. The liquid level should be about ¾ the way up the meat and veggies. Cover your pot and stick it in your oven until the meat is nice and tender (about 1.5 to 2 hours). (Tip: I like to braise my stews in the oven ‘cause the temperature is constant, the flavors get concentrated, and you don’t have to babysit it)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you do in Instant Pot?
fantastic