This vegetarian rogan josh is packed with wholesome ingredients – it’s nourishing comfort food for chilly days. This aubergine and black lentil curry is a great healthy way to satisfy a curry craving.
For dessert try some comforting vegan rice pudding with spiced pears.
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This vegetarian rogan josh curry is pure heaven for vegetarians and it can also be made completely vegan. Black lentils make an excellent form of healthy protein in place of meat and they hold their shape really well without turning mushy. I’ve piled plenty of other chunky vegetables into this veggie rogan josh to ensure that there is an abundance of texture and bite.
This aubergine and black lentil curry is midweek comfort food at its best. This dish is ready in approximately 45 minutes, tastes fantastic and yet manages to remain wholesome. That’s quite an achievement at suppertime.
If you’re in the mood for more curry recipes take a look at my lamb balti and my chicken & lentil curry. Both recipes include suggestions for making vegetarian versions.
Why you’ll love this curry
- It’s quick to make. Vegetarian rogan josh takes a fraction of the time to cook compared to a traditional lamb version, which must be slow-cooked to allow the meat to turn tender.
- It’s made in one pot – minimal washing-up.
- You can make it in advance and reheat it.
- Vegetarian rogan josh can be served as a main course or side dish.
- And it’s low in fat with plenty of healthy protein.
What is Rogan Josh curry?
Rogan josh originated in Kashmiri cuisine and has become very popular in British curry houses. It also goes by the names roghan josh and roghan gosht.
It is traditionally a meat-based curry made with lamb, mutton or goat. However, it’s easy to make vegetarian rogan josh curry. My recipe uses black lentils in place of the meat for protein. This stops it from being just a vegetable rogan josh and makes it fantastically nutritious.
What is rogan josh curry made of?
Alongside bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom and clove, Kashmiri chilli is a key ingredient in this curry. Traditionally, whole dried Kashmiri chillies are de-seeded, soaked in water, and ground to a paste. This gives the curry a distinctive red appearance.
Whether or not an authentic rogan josh is a tomato-based curry is open to debate. The inclusion of tomatoes may well stem from a Punjabi version of the dish as opposed to a Kashmiri one. Similarly, onions and yoghurt appear in some recipes but not others.
My vegetarian rogan josh uses black lentils in place of the meat for protein. It does use onions and Kashmiri chilli powder. Although it uses only a small amount of tomato puree in the gravy, I have added a few wedges of fresh tomato to boost the vegetable content and provide an additional burst of vibrancy, since rogan josh is renowned for being colourful.
Is rogan josh curry spicy?
This curry, from Kashmir, is flavoured with Kashmiri chilli which is typically milder in flavour compared to others. The blend of spices adds a wonderful aromatic base with a hearty tingle of warmth as this dish is eaten. In fact, I would classify this aubergine and black lentil curry as a medium in terms of heat (on a restaurant menu I’d put 2 chilli symbols by it).
Ingredients notes
Black lentils: it’s possible to purchase cooked black lentils either in tins or pouches. It’s also possible and, quite possibly, considerably cheaper, to buy dried black lentils. If using the latter then you must precook them prior to starting this veggie rogan josh curry recipe. Black lentils take several other names including beluga lentils and urid beans.
Kashmiri chilli: traditional rogan josh recipes use whole dried Kashmiri chillis but I’ve taken a shortcut and used Kashmiri chilli powder (from Spice Mountain). Kashmiri chillies add a milder heat and smokier flavour to dishes than typical chilli powder would.
In the absence of Kashmiri chilli, paprika and cayenne pepper occasionally appear in some western rogan josh recipes.
Spices: aside from the chilli, there’s quite a list of spices needed for this black lentil curry but they are easy to find. They include cinnamon, clove, bay leaves, cardamom, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander and turmeric.
Vegetables: it wouldn’t be veggie rogan josh without an abundance of vegetables in it. I’ve included aubergine, red pepper, greewn pepper and chunks of lightly cooked tomato.
Step by step instructions
This veggie rogan josh curry takes around 45 minutes to make in one pan if using pre-cooked black lentils. Full instructions are in my recipe card below, but briefly, here’s the deal:
- Begin by cutting the aubergine into large chunks and frying in oil until browned
- Next, cut the onion in half. Chop one half into thick slices and dice the other half. Fry until soft
- Deseed and slice the peppers and fry for several minutes before adding the aubergine back into the pan
- Peel the garlic cloves and ginger. Chop roughly and blitz along with the tomato puree and water using a stick blender
- Add the spices to the pan, stir and cook until aromatic
- Add the liquid and black lentils and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add a little more water if the sauce gets too thick.
- Quarter the tomatoes, drop them into the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, stir through fresh coriander & yoghurt and serve.
Expert tips
- The black lentils must be pre-cooked before starting this recipe. They will not cook sufficiently in the liquid or the time allocated within the recipe.
- You can cook dried lentils in a saucepan or slow cooker and they can be prepared in advance.
- The yoghurt is entirely optional – a little stirred through at the end can add a devilishly creamy and indulgent finish to this very healthy veggie curry recipe. and temper some of the heat from the spices. Leaving it out will alter the final gravy and heat level.
- To thin the sauce just stir a little extra water through if it gets too thick.
- If you are concerned that this black lentil and aubergine rogan josh may be too fiery for your tastes, then consider toning down the chilli powder and garam masala the first time you make this recipe.
Frequently asked questions
It’s very easy to turn this veggie rogan josh recipe vegan: simply replace the yoghurt with a non-dairy yoghurt (plain) that is suitable for cooking with or a splash of coconut milk.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge (covered) for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Yes, this black lentil rogan josh can be made in the slow cooker:
1. Follow the instructions on the recipe card to step 3 then put all ingredients (except the yoghurt and whole tomatoes) into the slow cooker.
2. Set on medium heat and leave to cook for 3-4 hours, topping up with more water if necessary.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes and cook for another 30 minutes then stir through the yoghurt and serve.
Serving suggestions
- Serve this black lentil curry with a scoop of yoghurt, a few leaves of fresh coriander and a light dusting of Kashmiri chilli powder.
- Or try some homemade raita alongside it.
- It’s great as a main course served with naan bread or pilau rice.
- Alternatively, this vegetarian rogan josh makes a tasty side dish to accompany a meat-based curry such as lamb balti.
- No room for pudding? How about a cosy rum masala chai or a chai latte martini?
Variations
- Use mushrooms in place of the aubergine.
- Swap the lentils for black beans or chickpeas if you struggle to find black lentils.
- Fry some cubes of paneer and tumble them into the pot 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
More Indian-inspired recipes to try
Have you made this black lentil and aubergine rogan josh recipe? I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know how you got along by leaving a comment or rating below – it would mean so much to me if you do.
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📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Rogan Josh with black lentils and aubergine
Ingredients
- 325 g/ 11 ½ oz Black lentils (pre-cooked) (or 120g/ 4 oz dried lentils – cook prior to starting the recipe)
- 1 white onion
- 1 Red pepper (capsicum)
- 1 Green pepper (capsicum)
- 2 Tomatoes
- 325 g/ 11 ½ oz Aubergine (eggplant)
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 15 g/ ½ oz Fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 300 ml/ 1 ¼ cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground coriander (cilantro)
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- ½ teaspoon Ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon Salt Adjust up/ down according to taste
- 4 Cloves
- 1 Cinnamon stick (10cm)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3 Green cardamom pods
- 1 Dried kashmiri chilli optional
- 15 g/ ½ oz Fresh coriander (cilantro)
Optional
- 3 tablespoon Plain yoghurt (I used Greek) (or use non-dairy alternative)
Instructions
- Please note: this recipe calls for pre-cooked lentils to be added in step 6, so if you are using dried lentils you need to cook them until soft before starting this recipe – this is your first step (recipe times are calculated on the basis of the lentils already being cooked).
- Begin by cutting the aubergine into large chunks and frying in 2 tablespoon oil until browned (5-8 minutes) – toss frequently. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Next, cut the onion in half. Chop one half into thick slices and dice the other half. Fry until softened (about 5 minutes).
- Deseed and slice the peppers, add to the pan and fry for several minutes before adding the aubergine back in.
- Peel the garlic cloves and ginger. Chop roughly and blitz along with the tomato puree and water using a stick blender.
- Measure the herbs, spices and salt into the pan, stir for 1 minute until aromatic.
- Add the liquid and black lentils and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add a little more water if the sauce gets too thick.
- Quarter the tomatoes and drop into the pan. Cook for 10 more minutes. By then all vegetables should be tender and the gravy not to loose.
- Once cooked, stir through the fresh coriander & yoghurt (if using), then serve with basmati rice or naan bread with a little extra yoghurt and coriander on top.
Notes
- The black lentils must be pre-cooked before starting this recipe. They will not cook sufficiently in the liquid or the time allocated within the recipe.
- You can cook dried lentils in a saucepan or slow cooker and they can be prepared in advance.
- The yoghurt is entirely optional – a little stirred through at the end can add a devilishly creamy and indulgent finish to this very healthy veggie curry recipe. and temper some of the heat from the spices. Leaving it out will alter the final gravy and heat level.
- To thin the sauce just stir a little extra water through if it gets too thick.
- If you are concerned that this black lentil and aubergine rogan josh may be too fiery for your tastes, then consider toning down the chilli powder and garam masala the first time you make this recipe.
Nora
Love, love, love this recipe.
My hubby is a recent convert to vegetarian food, and dishes like this make it so much easier to forget meat.
Jane Saunders
Hi Nora, thanks for your lovely message, I’m thrilled that you’ve enjoyed it – I think curry is an easy way to not miss meat.
Abi
We loved it.
Watch out! I used black lentils (urad dal) but they didn’t all fully cook so I about cracked my teeth on them. I should have used a different lentil. We loved it tho.
Jane Saunders
Glad you enjoyed it – can I check if you cooked your lentils before adding to the recipe or did you add them uncooked? The recipe calls for the lentils to be pre-cooked, so that might help explain your lentil trouble. Think I may just make this clearer at the very start of the recipe to be on the safe side.
Aena Rizvi
I was on the hunt for a new vegetarian dish and this one is just perfect! It tastes even better than it looks, just a great recipe all-round!
Jane Saunders
So pleased you enjoyed it.
Jo
My mouth is watering!
Jane Saunders
Thought you might like this!