Rogan Josh
Strength: medium 
Time to prepare: 60 minutes, plus marinading time
Hob/oven time: 25 minutes
Special equipment: blender (any type)
Serves: 4
Using an authentic combination of braising and slow cooking, the Spyced Rogan Josh is a comforting classic Kashmiri dish, which balances the warmth of cinnamon with gentle heat from high-grade Kashmiri chilli powder.
About Rogan Josh
Britain loves Rogan Josh; during the time I have been working in the spice industry, this has been the blend most frequently requested by customers. But where does it hail from? The Moghul conqueror Tamerlane invaded Kashmir in the 15th Century bringing with him a team of architects, painters, calligraphers and cooks. It is said he encouraged his cooks to work together with local Kashmiri chefs to learn from and adapt their recipes. It was Tamerlane’s chefs who adopted the Kashmiri flavours, cooking styles and techniques involved in producing the original Rogan Josh, and who went on to make the dish famous, taking it with them on their onward travels.
Curry Trivia
The name Rogan Josh is Persian in origin, with Rogan meaning ‘cooked in oil’ and ‘Josh’ meaning ‘hot’ or ‘passionate’.
Recipe
You will need:
650g – 700g diced lamb leg (or chicken thigh if you prefer).
(OR 2 blocks of paneer or tofu, cubed)
120 ml yogurt
5 peeled garlic cloves
2 medium onions (approximately 300g), chopped roughly
5cm piece of ginger, chopped
1 tin tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp vegetable oil (or ghee)
salt
Optional: Fresh coriander
To serve: Plain white rice, a kachumber salad (see bottom for recipe) and a good dollop of yoghurt or raita.
How to cook
- Mix the yoghurt, tomato puree, approximately 1/3 of the Spyced Rogan Josh blend and 1 tsp salt in a medium sized bowl before adding the lamb or paneer/ tofu and stirring well. Let this marinate covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or as long as you can – try marinating overnight for even more flavour).
- Blend the onion, ginger, garlic and tinned tomatoes.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil or ghee in a large deep pan, add the blended mixture and the rest of the spice blend. Cook this on a medium heat for 10 minutes (keep stirring as it will bubble and splash).
- In a separate large pan, heat the remaining ghee or oil until hot, then brown the lamb/ paneer/ tofu all over.
- Add the onion mixture to the lamb and simmer on low until tender (around 15 minutes). (For paneer or tofu, set aside the paneer or tofu and continue to cook the curry in its original pan for at least ten minutes to allow the flavour to intensify).
- Check the seasoning; it might need more salt than you think! Add the coriander if using and serve with rice and kachumber salad (recipe below).
Kachumber salad recipe: Finely chop equal amounts of cucumber, red onion and tomato. Then add some chopped coriander, lemon juice, salt and a shake of cayenne before giving it a good stir.
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