Rogan Josh

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.2 kglamb shoulder or leg, on the bone, in large pieces

Fat

• 150 gghee, or mustard oil

Whole spices

• 4black cardamom pods
• 6green cardamom pods
• 1cinnamon stick
• 6cloves
• 2bay leaves

Ground spices

• 3 tbspKashmiri chilli powder
• 2 tspground fennel, saunf
• 1 tbspdried ginger powder, sonth
• 1 tspasafoetida, a pinch dissolved in water
• 1 tspgaram masala
• salt

Also

• 300 gfull-fat yoghurt, whisked smooth
• 1 tspratanjot, alkanet root, optional
• 500 mlwater

To serve

• plain rice
• or Kashmiri roti

Directions

1. Cut the lamb into large pieces on the bone, because the bone gives the gravy its body. Heat the ghee in a heavy pot until it is properly hot. Use far more fat than seems reasonable.
2. Add the whole spices and let them sizzle for 30 seconds. Brown it properly in batches. Mix the Kashmiri chilli powder with a few spoonfuls of water into a paste. Wetting the chilli into a paste before it meets the hot fat is essential.
3. Add the paste to the pot and stir it into the fat. Cook it for 2 to 3 minutes until the fat turns brilliant red and separates.
4. Add the asafoetida dissolved in a little water, then the fennel and dried ginger powders. Whisk the yoghurt completely smooth and take the pot off the heat before adding it. Add the yoghurt off the heat and a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly, or it splits into curds and the gravy is grainy.
5. Return it to a low heat and keep stirring in one direction until it is fully incorporated. Add the water, bring it to a bare simmer, and cover. Cook on the lowest heat for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours until the lamb is falling from the bone.
6. Keep it at a bare simmer throughout. If using ratanjot, warm it in a spoonful of ghee until the fat turns crimson, then strain the coloured fat into the pot and discard the root.
7. Add the garam masala at the end and rest it 15 minutes. Serve with plain rice, which is the Kashmiri pairing, and let people spoon the gravy over.

Technique

• Ratanjot is sold in Indian shops and is used purely for colour.
• Kashmiri chilli is mild and very red, and ordinary chilli powder gives heat without the colour.
• Mustard oil is traditional and must be heated to smoking first to take its raw pungency off.

Substitutions

• Paprika mixed with a little cayenne, in place of Kashmiri chilli.
• The Muslim version, made with browned onion paste and garlic.

Variations

• The wazwan version, with onion and garlic.
• Made with goat, which is common.
• Without ratanjot, relying on chilli for colour.

History

Kashmiri braise carried from Persia by Mughal cooks; its red comes from Kashmiri chilli and alkanet root, not from heat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rogan Josh?

Rogan Josh is a main from India: kashmiri lamb curry stained red with mild Kashmiri chilies. Kashmiri braise carried from Persia by Mughal cooks; its red comes from Kashmiri chilli and alkanet root, not from heat.

How long does Rogan Josh take to make?

Rogan Josh takes 20 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Rogan Josh?

Yes, within limits. Paprika mixed with a little cayenne, in place of Kashmiri chilli. The Muslim version, made with browned onion paste and garlic.

What is the most important thing to get right in Rogan Josh?

Add the whole spices and let them sizzle for 30 seconds. Brown it properly in batches. Mix the Kashmiri chilli powder with a few spoonfuls of water into a paste. Wetting the chilli into a paste before it meets the hot fat is essential.