ROGAN JOSH: MUTTON (GOAT) CURRY FROM THE BEAUTIFUL KASHMIR VALLEY
By GM for The Planet Food
Kashmir is often described as ‘Jannat’ (Urdu word for ‘heaven’). While I, unfortunately have not had an opportunity to visit this beautiful land of meadows and five lakes. But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t had the occasion to gorge on its wonderful cuisine. I have to say, when I think Kashmiri cuisine, the first thing that pops to my mind is winter food (owing to the richness of the food especially the abundance of ghee/ clarified butter), and the easiest thought is Rogan Josh.
While there is a lot of talk about where and how this aromatic rich meat curry originated in the northern most hemisphere of India, interestingly Rogan Josh has found its way into the menus and kitchens of restaurants across the length and breadth of the country and, in many restaurants, overseas too. Mutton is a very interesting meat and works in the exact reverse fashion as compared to its aquatic counterparts. While fish and more so, prawns taste much better (and stay juicier), with lesser time on the gas, mutton tends to get tastier with the more time you can invest cooking it (alternating between low and medium flame).
In my version of the Rogan Josh, I don’t use tomatoes, and hence do not adapt to the anglicised tomato meat gravy, but I do concoct it from the Kashmiri Muslim and Hindu Pandit style of cooking. The red colour in my dish is created from Kashmiri red chilli powder, in place of the traditional ingredient called ‘Mawal’ or ‘Rattan jyot’ (cockscomb flower), as used by the locals in this exotic dish. Since the gravy itself is quite heavy with the rich slow cooked meat and oils, most people prefer having it with simple steamed rice. I however have to say that it does taste much better when combined with a plain or garlic naan.
Recipe:
Time: 90 Minutes
Serves: 4
Ps: Marinating the mutton may not be traditionally Kashmiri, but I find that it tenderizes the meat especially when left overnight in the fridge
Ingredients
Mutton (goat meat): 1 Kilogram cut into curry pieces (I like my meat with bones, but you can use boneless pieces also)
Mustard Oil: 4 Tbsp
Yogurt: 1 ½ cups beaten
Ghee: 1 Tbsp
Black Pepper cons: 10-12 (grind half and keep separately)
Cloves (lawang): 4
Green cardamoms (chhoti elaichi): 8
Fennel/ Saunf powder: ½ Tsp
Turmeric powder: 1 Tsp
Onion paste: 2 Tbsp (I use paste as the gravy looks and tastes better with the onion blended in well)
Fresh Ginger – 1 inch piece finely chopped
Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder: 4 Tsp
Saffron: 1/2 Tsp mixed in 2 Tbsp warm water
Water: cups 3
Salt: As per taste
Instructions:
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Using half of the yogurt, marinate the mutton in a bowl with salt, pinch of red chilli powder, 3-4 drops of oil and yogurt, cover it with cling sheet set it in the fridge overnight
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Now to cook the dish, heat 3-4 Tbsp oil in a big Kadhaai and once it has fumes leaving the kadhaai, add the onion paste into the kadhaai
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Once the onions start turning pink, add the bay leaves, cloves and cardamoms
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In about 30 seconds, add the ginger and then in a minute, add the garlic and red chilli powder, Turmeric powder, black pepper corns and fennel seed powder
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In a few seconds add the mutton to the kadhaai and mix well with the spices
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Sauté the mutton well till it has a few brown patches and pour in the ghee
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Now add the pepper powder
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Slowly pour the remainder portion of the yogurt, one spoon at a time into the kadhaai and blend in with the spices and mutton
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Now add the water and put cover the kadhaai with a lid and keep the flame low
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After every few minutes, stir the dish very gently (don’t tear the mutton pieces), ensuring the mutton and spices do not burn or stick to the bottom of the Kadhaai
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Cook on medium then low flame, till the meat is tender and oil has separated
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Add salt and mix gently and cook for another 2 minutes then blend the saffron into it and put the lid back on and turn the flame off and leave for 2-3 minutes
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Remove the lid as your Rogan Josh is ready to eat
Serve with lachha paraathas