Vegetarian Rogan Josh with Black Lentils & Aubergine

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.

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.

Why you’ll love this black lentil curry

• 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.
• 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.

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).

Key ingredients

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.

How to Make Vegetarian Rogan Josh

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:

1. Begin by cutting the aubergine into large chunks and frying in oil until browned
2. Next, cut the onion in half. Chop one half into thick slices and dice the other half. Fry until soft
3. Deseed and slice the peppers and fry for several minutes before adding the aubergine back into the pan
4. Peel the garlic cloves and ginger. Chop roughly and blitz along with the tomato puree and water using a stick blender
5. Add the spices to the pan, stir and cook until aromatic
6. 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.
7. Quarter the tomatoes, drop them into the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes.
8. 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

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.

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 spicy main meals 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. 

Why not sign up to receive LittleSugarSnaps newsletters to hear when new recipes are published? You’ll get a free welcome e-book with my top baking tips and 5 favourite cake recipes. Or stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.