Rogan Josh or Roghan ghosht/Classic Lamb Curry is a flavorful and very aromatic meat curry of Kashmiri origin. It is usually made with lamb or goat, and it is one of the most special signature dishes from the Kashmir region.
Roghan or "roughan" means clarified butter or oil in Persian or Urdu and josh comes from the word "juš" which means to "stew or braise", or "boil" because the root word is "jušidan" which means to boil. The word ghosht means meat, hence the name, "Stewed Meat or Roghan Josh"! The beautiful color for the traditional curry comes from the alkanet or ratan jot flowers and dried Kashmiri chillies. Deseeded Kashmiri chillies are milder in taste and lend a beautiful color and flavor to the curry.
This is a classic slow cook recipe and making it is pretty simple, and the best part is that it is also a very healthy low-fat dish given the use of fresh lean leg of lamb. This is a no-fuss method - involving just one pot and your skill and patience and as a stirrer of a wooden spoon!
Classic Lamb Curry/Roganjosh
Recipe
Ingredients:
• I stick cinnamon
• 5 pods cardamom
• 3 cloves
• Around I kilo of leg of lamb - chopped into bite-sized chunks. (I bought the stew cuts of
lamb)
• 2 tsps each of garlic, ginger paste.
• 2 teaspoons salt.
• 1 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
• 3 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 dessert spoons of plain natural yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon of red Kashmiri chilli powder (for color. You can use paprika instead too)
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chilli powder (I probably used more because I like it spicy)
• 2 medium onions - finely chopped
• 1 can of a tin of peeled plum tomatoes chopped up or a can peeled chopped tomatoes
• 2 - 3 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 cup water
• Cilantro leaves finely chopped for garnish
Steps:
First, pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the pot and heat on high until very hot. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Throw in the finely chopped onions and stir fry until the pieces start to go soft and translucent.
Next, throw in the ginger garlic paste and sauté, and keep stir frying till raw smells goes away.
Now add in the ground spices, and salt to taste and keep frying - the mixture should be dry-ish - this procedure is called "dry frying" or "pot roasting". Fry till the heady and heavenly aroma of the roasting spices waft through the house.
Next, add in the chunks of lamb and keep stir frying. You should stir-fry for around 5 mins on high heat until the meat has fully browned.
Now add in the tinned tomatoes. Stir it well and cook for few minutes.
Next, add in a couple of dollops of plain yoghurt. Stir it well, and then put the flame on high to bring it to a boil.
Then put the lid on, and immediately transfer to the lowest possible flame burner, and then go off and do something else for half and hour. Come back after half hour - take the lid off and give it a stir.... and then, put the lid back on and let it simmer for another half hour.
Repeat this for around one and half hours - and you will notice that the consistency of the mixture is a bit thicker - and the colour is bit redder/browner.
At this point it's done! Taste it in order to see if any more salt or chilli powder needs adding - and make sure that the lamb pieces are tender - not chewy! Then sprinkle a generous handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves and mix it well.
Let it rest with the lid on for 5 minutes and it's ready to serve!
Now wasn't that so easy! You can serve it with plain rice, jeera rice and phulkas or naan. Enjoy!
This dish is best served with naan or rice accompaniment (or both) and a side salad of chunky cucumber, tomato, onion and carrot with a dash of lemon or vinegar. Very hasty and tasty - and very easy to make.
Notes:
Canned tomatoes can be replaced with 3 regular diced tomatoes and 1and1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste. The tomato paste also lends a good color to the curry.
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