Lamb Rogan Josh

Authentic lamb rogan josh step-by-step recipe with video and photos.

Rogan josh is a staple of Kashmiri cuisine and is one of the main dishes of the Kashmiri multi-course meal (wazwan). Roughan means oil in Persian and Urdu, while juš means to “stew” or “braise”. Rogan josh, by this definition, may mean “stewed in oil”. The dish was originally brought to Kashmir by the Mughals, whose cuisine was, in turn, influenced by Persian cuisine. The Indian influence in this dish is evident by the usage of ghee and lots of spices. It is made with red meat, traditionally lamb or goat. In India, rogan josh is often made with goat instead of lamb, since lamb is less widely available than goat meat. However, this dish tastes best when made with good quality lamb.

Rogan josh is not a spicy dish, and unlike other meat dishes from India, onion and garlic are not used. This dish is quite easy to make. Lamb or goat meat is browned in ghee which is seasoned with whole spices. A mix of yoghurt and spices is added and the meat is cooked in the yoghurt mixture on low heat till the meat is soft and falls apart. The red colour of the dish comes from ratan jot (root of Alkanna tinctoria) and Kashmiri chillies. Traditionally tomato is not added to rogan josh. If you want to recreate the authentic rogan josh, do not add tomatoes, which is sometimes used to achieve the red colour. I have not used ratan jot in my dish as this is not widely available – the reddish hue in my dish comes solely from the Kashmiri chilli powder.

My dish follows the Kashmiri Hindu Pandit version of Rogan Josh. Lot of yoghurt is used in this dish. Onion and garlic are not used. Ginger powder is used instead of fresh ginger. Hing is used instead of garlic for the unique pungent taste. The meat is browned before cooking in the yoghurt mixture.

The Muslim version of this dish uses fresh ginger, garlic, and shallot onions. Yogurt is not used in this version. The meat is boiled and not browned. So the end result is quite different from the Pandit version. I will write a post on the Muslim version of Rogan Josh soon.

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LAMB ROGAN JOSH RECIPE VIDEO:

Lamb rogan josh step-by-step recipe with photos

1. Heat ghee in a kadhai or thick bottom frying pan. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, whole black pepper, black cardamom, dry red chilli and hing.

2. Add the lamb pieces and mix well. Fry on medium flame for 5-7 minutes till browned on all sides

3. Add ½ cup water to it and mix well. Reduce the flame to low, cover and cook for a further 10-12 minutes

4. Add the yogurt mixture to the lamb and mix well

5. Simmer on low flame until the lamb is completely cooked