In praise of Kashmir: Rogan Josh

In my lifetime, I have made many versions of what is commonly referred to as lamb "curry." Of them all, this Kashmiri Rogan Josh is the new undisputed champion.

To me, the genius of Indian cuisine is the way it highlights the role aroma plays in whetting our appetites. While other cuisines, notably French and Japanese, have taught us that we eat with our eyes, Indian cuisine reminds us that we also eat with our noses. In fact, compared to our schnoz, the tongue is deaf and mute as a taster. Something like 90% of our ability to taste comes from our olfactory senses, which is why we can't taste much when we have a cold.

This version of Rogan Josh is probably the most aromatic dish I have ever placed under the old sniffer.

Each inhalation of its heady aroma reminds me of all that we have learned about the Kashmiris these past 2 weeks. I cannot avoid thinking about Kashmir's central position on the ancient Spice Route that flowed between China, India, and the Middle East. The combination of fennel and ginger brings to mind Chinese star anise, while cinnamon and smoky black cardamom brings me squarely back into the Malabar coast of southern India.

I do not exaggerate when I say that no dish is more emblematic of Kashmiri cuisine than this recipe for Rogan Josh. It features the favorite meat of the Kashmiris, mutton and lamb, and it is braised in yogurt, in the fashion typical of the region. In addition to the spices I already mentioned, the dish includes ample amounts of Kashmiri chili powder, which contribute its scarlet color, gentle heat, and the name of the dish, as rogan literally means "red."

This recipe for Rogan Josh comes from the Hindu Brahmin community, or pandits, of Kashmir. It is a dish that undoubtedly often found its way onto the tables of the family of Jawaharlal Nehru, who was of Kashmiri lineage, as well as that of his daughter, Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi. True to what we learned in my post on the Kashmiri kitchen, this Hindu version of Rogan Josh uses asafetida, a pungent tree resin, instead of garlic and onions.

In fact, you won't find any of the members of the "Indian mirepoix" of onions, garlic and fresh ginger in this recipe. Neither will you find any of the spices and herbs commonly used in "Indian cooking," like cumin, coriander, black mustard seeds, turmeric or cilantro.

If you are accustomed to the heavy, cream laden dish that goes by the name "rogan josh" in almost every Indian restaurant, you will be as surprised as I was by the complexity and subtleness of the version presented here. I hope you enjoy it as much as N and I did.

This is my last post on Kashmir, her people, and their cuisine. I hope you have enjoyed reading this series as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I had fun becoming acquainted with the people of Kashmir through learning about some of the tasty treats that bring them joy.

All of you who have supported Pim's Menu for Hope II campaign with your donations to UNICEF should be proud of yourselves. You have made a difference in the lives of the survivors of the earthquake that struck the Kashmir region of Pakistan and India. I just learned that we have raised over $15,000!

There are still a few hours left to buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win the Kashmiri Cooking Kit (pictured below) or any of the brilliant gifts that my fellow food bloggers have donated to the Menu for Hope II campaign. To help you decide which gift tickles your fancy, check out Pim's visual menu with pictures of all the prizes and links to their full descriptions.

I wish you all the best of luck. Cheers!

Edited on Dec. 30th: I forgot to mention when I posted this that my recipe for Rogan Josh is my contribution to Meenakshi's (of Hooked on Heat) inaugural edition of "From My Rasoi." The theme this month is appropriately "winter" and I cannot think of a better dish to take the chill off.

Rogan Josh

(adapted from Madhur Jaffrey)

2 lbs. (1 kg) boneless lamb leg or shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
2-3 t Kosher salt
¼ c vegetable oil
3 black cardamom pods*
1 piece cinnamon stick, 1-inch
3 cloves
pinch asafetida*
4 t Kashmiri chili powder* (or 3½ t paprika and ½ t cayenne)
3 c plain whole milk yogurt
1 T fennel seeds, ground to a powder in spice mill or mortar & pestle
2 t ginger powder
3 c water
¼ t garam masala*

Thoroughly season lamb with salt (I advocate salting all meats the night before, which allows the salt time to fully penetrate the meat and results in a juicier product).

Over medium-high flame, heat a heavy bottomed pot (such as Le Creuset) large enough to hold lamb pieces in one layer. Add oil. When hot, add black cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. After a few seconds, add asafetida, then a second later add the meat (using tongs, lift spices onto top of meat to prevent them from burning). Brown meat for 5-8 minutes, turning pieces only occasionally as each side caramelizes (pictured left).

Add chili powder and about a cup of the yogurt, stirring well to prevent the chili powder from burning. Add the rest of the yogurt and stir well. Cook (still over medium-high heat) for about 10 minutes, until liquid has all been cooked off, being careful to stir well during the last few minutes. It is ready for next step when you can readily see the bottom of the pan after you stir.

Add fennel and ginger powders and stir and cook for a minute. Add water, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer gently over medium-low to low heat for at least 2 hours, until tender (a wooden skewer will pierce the meat easily, with no resistance). It may take as long as 4 hours, depending on the variety of lamb used (more water may be needed for longer cooking). The sauce should be thick and velvety. If it is too thin, turn up the heat to reduce. If too thick, add more water.

Rogan Josh is better if allowed to sit either at room temperature for a couple of hours or refrigerated over a night or two. Just before serving, reheat and stir in the garam masala.

Excellent if served with traditional Kashmiri accompaniments like saffron Basmati rice and a vegetable, such as haak, long-cooked collard greens in mustard oil.

* All of these more difficult to find spices, which are crucial to achieving the authentic flavor of Rogan Josh, will be given to the lucky winner of my Kashmiri Cooking Kit. If you are not the lucky winner, you should be able to order all of them online through Kalustyan's.

Food|and Drink|Menu for Hope II|Kashmir|Recipes

Comments

[radish]

these series have been fantastic, thank you for writing them. i, in fact, will give this recipe a go, after i pay a visit to my local indian grocer and get more spices as i've run out of so many... as a sidenote, one of my favorite kitchen items is my masala spice storing device given to me by my best friend. happy holidays!

[Kalyn]

I have enjoyed reading these so much. (Now if you could just arrange for me to be the winner - but I already mentioned that didn't I?) Seriously, even if I don't win I am happy to be able to contribute, and also happy to find another online source for Indian spices.

Just curious, since you offer paprika and cayenne as a sub for the kashmiri chile powder, would hot hungarian paprika be an acceptable substitute? I order that from Penzeys and like it a lot in dishes like goulash. This dish sounds like something I would love.

[Brett]

radish, I'm glad you've been enjoying these posts. They've been a bit of a departure of my usual writing, since I've had to do a lot of research. Aren't the masala boxes great! I've always wanted to get one and this fundraiser was a good excuse to finally buy one, so I picked one up for myself, too.

Kalyn, of course I can't arrange for you to win, but I do wish you lots of luck in the raffle! If you don't win, I bet that the hot Hungarian paprika would be a great substitution.

[cookiecrumb]

xxx

[Tania Sahay]

If you really enjoy Kashmiri food then you will be happy to learn that Authentic Kashmiri Roganjosh, Gushtaba, Rista and many other delicacies are available at the first and only authentic Kashmir Restaurant in Singapore at 52 Race Course Road(Tel 62936003). This awesome food with lovely aroma is sure to entice the foodies !! Kashmir restaurant also serves some of the best tandoori kebbabs and mouth watering north indian dishes.

Worth recommending !!!

[shuja]

was looking for kashmiri recipies to email to a friend and came across this!
who told you THAT is rogan josh?!
yoghurt and asafetida in yoghurt! well yeah!
we don't get asafetida in kashmiri for starters.
and rogan, my dear, means 'colour' not 'essentially red'.
rogan josh is simply cooked meat drawing on subtle flavours of a very few spices mainly fennel,cardmom and saffron, cooked slowly and the colour comes from cocks comb.
thats it!
better check your sources before claiming the 'lineages' of dishes. it doesnt need linking it with nehrus to make it sound sexier.
blimey! the cheek!

[Abbas]

I can tell you that the last guy who posted this comment is Kashmiri, how do I know? His name is Shuja and that's a common Kashmiri last name. You can tell who is Kashmiri, just by their names.

The last commenter also revealed the secret of "Rogan Josh" which is saffron in milk, and not yogurt, and that gets added towards the end. Oh and you should know how to handle saffron properly because you can't just throw it in the sauce.

Also, the recipe does not comes Hindu Brahmans, even an idiot knows Brahmans are mostly vegetarians and this dish call for lamb or beef. It's a Muslim dish, made with a very Muslim ingredient, LAMB which happens to be a sacrificial animal for, surprise surprise, Muslims. After the Muslims get done with Hajj, they slaughter a lamb and hence start our Eid celebrations. And Muslim Kashmiris in general love to cook Rogan Josh around Eid. Also the Mughals are the ones that brought this dish into limelight, long before Nehru was born. Get your facts straight dude.

Also Rogan mean "Color/Paint" and Josh here is taken in context of "Heat", which is not its literal meaning. Though literally it means, "Energy/Passion".

[Ipshita]

Ummm, I like the recipe. Its not bad at all and quite authentic. Abbas, the dish actually finds its roots in the Kashmiri Brahmins. The lack of onions and garlic in the original recipe will bolster this. Even bengali brahmins have mutton (not lamb, there is a difference) but without onions and garlic. So mutton finds a place even among the ancient brahmins. the preparation though, is different.

[Waza]

The Rogan Josh gets it color primarily from ground Kashmiri Red Chilli powder.Check out the recipe of Authentic RoganJosh on my blog at:

http://tgtm.blogspot.com