Roganjosh

Roganjosh has always been my favorite meat dish for a very long time. Over the years my family and friends have suffered over my insistence of having this dish featured on food menus whenever we have gone dining and even having it on a buffet for parties organized by me. The intense aromas and a taste to die for have made this dish a piece de resistance of the kashmiri cuisine. What is even more interesting than this dish maybe the fact that its origins are Persian and it was bought to Kashmir by the Moghuls who made Kashmir their winter capital.
There are two main theories to the origin of the name Roganjosh. The first one credits the name to its Persian origins wherein Rogan means clarified butter or oil and Josh means Intense. It is simply put a meat based stew cooked in clarified butter over intense heat. The second theory states the name to be a Kashmiri version meaning red meat (Rogan means red in Kashmiri and Josh is the anglicized version of Gosht meaning Meat).
Different versions of this dish exist throughout the country and even in Kashmir where it has been perfected there are two distinct versions on how it is made. The Kashmiri brahmins(hindu caste) eat meat (as opposed to other hindus in the country barring the Saraswat Brahmins of Goa) and make this dish without garlic and onions which they do not use in their cooking. They flavor the dish using fennel (very distinct to Kashmiri Hindu cooking) and asafoetida. The Kashmiri muslims use lots of onion, garlic and also the dried flower of the cockscomb plant commonly known as Maval in Kashmir. Maval provides the dish its distinct bright red color. Maval surprisingly is in itself a substitute for Ratan Jot (Alkanet Root) which was the preferred ingredient to impart color not only to Roganjosh but also Tandoori chicken during the Moghul period. This is now becoming rare and substituted by Maval petals in Kashmir as this flower is indigenous to the state and in other parts of the country artificial food colors are used.
I chanced upon Ratan Jot sometime back in Hyderabad and immediately bought it. This was the perfect time to use it. My version tries to mix both the kashmiri muslim and hindu coking styles by adopting the use of onion, garlic, fennel & asafoetida. It surely tastes good and is great for a nice winter evening served with some pulao.
Other Indian chicken/meat gravy items on my blog that one can read are as under:

Murg Dahi Dhania Korma from North India
Murg Peshawari from Punjab

Murg Patiala from Punjab

Butter Chicken from Punjab
Chicken Tikka Masala
Murg Korma from North India

Chemmeen Mapas (Prawn Curry with Coconut milk) from Kerala

Chetinaad Kozhi Kozhambu (Chetinaad Style Chicken Curry) from Tamil Nadu

Mutton Chops Kozhambu from Tamil Nadu

Hyderabadi Anjeer Murgh (Chicken in figs gravy) from Andhra Pradesh

Murg Kairi

Roganjosh


Ingredients:
Lamb /Mutton, leg or shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes - 1 Kg
Garlic Paste - 3 Tblsp
Ginger Powder (Sonth) - 2 Tsp
Brown Onion Paste - 1/2 Cup
Yogurt - 1 Cup
Cumin powder - 2 Tsp
Red Chili Powder - 2 Tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 Tsp
Green Cardamom - 2 pods
Black Cardamom - 2 Pods
Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
Cloves- 4
Bay Leaf - 1
Kashmiri Degi Mirch - 1 Tsp
Ratan Jot,crushed - 1/2 Tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - a Pinch
Fennel Powder - 1 Tsp
Ghee - 5 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Mix together sonth (dry ginger powder), garlic paste, chili powder, degi mirch, coriander & cumin in a large bowl.
2. Add the Meat pieces and mix well to coat all pieces evenly. Allow to rest for atleast 6 hours or preferably overnight in a refrigerator.
3. Heat ghee ina large saucepan. Add Asafoetida and cook for a minute.
4. Add in the cardamom pods, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon to the pan. Fry for a minute.
5. Add the meat pieces and sear well for 3 minutes. Add in the onion paste and fennel powder and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add half a cup of water and cook for 5-7 minutes on high flame, reduce the flame, cover and simmer till all water has evaporated (30-45 minutes).
7. Stir in whisked yogurt slowly and mix well. Keep stirring from time to time to ensure meat does not stick to the base of the pan.
8. Add in the Ratan jot and salt. Stir well and cook till meat is tender.
9. Serve hot with rice.

Posted in: Curry,Indian Cooking,Kashmiri Cuisine,Lamb,Mutton,North Indian Cuisine