Lamb Rogan Josh

Lamb Rogan Josh is one of my all time favourite dishes and one that I either use lamb or beef with. Up until recently I always made this dish using a Pataks paste, which is really good actually, especially if you are in a hurry. But after the inspiration of Rick Stein’s India I now make this from scratch and must add that I have altered the amount of chilli to my families taste so if you want hotter than this then double the amount of chilli powder, but beware!

Rogan Josh is a Kashmiri dish that originated in Persia where Rogan means ‘oil’ and Josh means ‘hot’, but actually Rogan can also mean ‘red’ which is about right as this dish is very red and rich and spicy from the red Kashmiri chillies.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 40g ghee
• 5cm piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 dried Kashmiri chilli torn
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised in a pestle and mortar
• 4 cloves
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 15gm/ 3 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
• 15gm/ 3cm ginger, finely grated
• 1 tbsp Mirchi/Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp toasted ground fennel seeds, plus 1/4 tsp extra to finish
• 4tbsp tomato purée
• 750g boneless shoulder of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and cut into apptox 3cm dice
• 1 tsp salt
• 300ml water
• 125g natural yogurt
• 50ml double cream

To finish

Sprinkle with a handful of roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Preparation method:

Put the ghee in a large casserole dish over a medium heat. When hot add the whole spices and fry for a minute then add the onion and fry until soft and golden then add the garlic and ginger and fry for about a minute then add the ground spices (reserve a little garam masala and fennel) and fry for about 30 seconds, stir in the tomato purée add the lamb and the salt and give the lamb a good stir to make sure it is all nicely coated, then pour in the water and bring to a simmer cover and reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently for an hour or so when the lamb is tender. This can also be put in the oven on a low heat if you need the room on the stove. Before serving stir in the yogurt and cream, season with the extra garam masala and fennel then scatter the chopped fresh coriander over.

Enjoy!

Tip

As I said at the beginning if you want it hotter then add extra chilli powder or add a couple of chopped fresh green chillies when adding the garlic and ginger. I found that this was hot enough though. Also make sure you use natural yougurt and double cream as this doesn’t seperate when added.