Arindam’s Mutton Rogan Josh

My dear friend, Arindam Mukherjee, is a fantastic cook and when he shared the recipe of Mutton Rogan Josh that he cooks, I thought why should I be the only one to benefit from it?  So here is Arindam’s tried and tested recipe of mouthwatering Mutton Rogan Josh. Here’s a picture of Rogan Josh cooked by Arindam.

Mutton Rogan Josh cooked by Arindam

A typical Rogan josh consists of pieces of lamb or mutton braised with a gravy flavored with garlic, ginger, and aromatic spices (cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon), and in some versions incorporating onions or yogurt  After initial braising, the dish may be finished using the dampukht or the slow cooking technique. Its characteristic deep red colour traditionally comes from dried flowers or roots of Alkanna tinctoria (rattan jot) and from liberal amounts of dried, deseeded Kashmiri chilies (Lal Mirch). These chilies, whose flavor approximates that of paprika, are considerably milder than the typical dried cayenne pepper of Indian cuisine. The recipe’s spice emphasizes aroma rather than heat. Saffron is also part of some traditional recipes.

There are significant differences in preparation between the Hindu and Muslim dishes in Kashmir: Muslims use praan, a local form of shallot, and petals of maval, the cockscomb flower, for colouring (and for its supposed “cooling” effect); whereas Hindus eschew these, along with garlic and onions, but may add yogurt to give additional body and flavour

While the traditional preparation uses whole dried chilies that are de-seeded, soaked in water, and ground to a paste, non-traditional shortcuts use either Kashmiri chili powder (available in Indian stores) or a mixture of paprika (predominantly) and cayenne pepper, adjusted to taste. (Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe calls for a 4:1 ratio of paprika to cayenne.)  An updated version served in Sanjeev Kapoor’s restaurants uses white and black cardamom, anise, and bay leaves

Many western interpretations of the dish add tomatoes to the sauce. This is especially common with ready-made pour-over cooking sauces to the point where the dish may be considered tomato-based. The authenticity of including tomatoes is disputed: some authors state that tomatoes are not part of the traditional dish or of traditional Indian cuisine and should not be included. However, other authors have specifically referred to rogan josh as a dish based around meat and tomatoes, while others have identified tomatoes with a Punjabi version of the dish as opposed to a Kashmiri one

Cover image credits: By gahdjun – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3033005

[source: Wikipedia]

Ingredients

• Mutton medium pieces, preferably raan and chaap: 1 Kg
• 5 cloves
• 5 green Cardamoms
• 2 Large Black Cardamoms
• I stick Cinnamon (1 inch)
• 1 piece star anise
• 1 Bay leaf
• Garam Masala powder: 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Oil: 150-200 ml
• Ghee: 100 ml
• Ratanjot root: 4-5 sticks
• Curd: 500 gms + 100 gm for mutton marination
• Saunf (Fennel) powder: 2 teaspoon
• Saunth (Dried Ginger) Powder: 2 teaspoon
• Jeera Powder: 2 Teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Kashmiri Mirch powder: 2-3 teaspoon
• Powdered Hing: 2 teaspoons

Method

Serving Suggestions

Mutton Rogan Josh is best paired with steamed plain rice with a dollop of ghee.