Mutton Rogan Josh is a signature dish of Kashmiri Cuisine. Here meat is cooked with spices and yogurt. The use of Kashmiri red chillies gives a nice red colour to the curry. It derived the name from Persian words, Rogan means “oil”and Josh means “intense heat”, so Mutton Rogan Josh means mutton cooked in oil at intense heat.

Rogan Josh goes well with Sheermal, Naan, Chapati, Rice, Biryani and Raita. It came to this country from Persia with the Mughals. Then gradually became a popular Indian cuisine. Rogan Josh is rich with clarified butter, aromatic with spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom, deep red in color because of Kashmiri local spice ‘Ratonjoat. It is the original natural food colouring that gives the famous Kashmiri dish Rogan Josh its signature red colour.

It is one of the main dishes of the Kashmiri multicourse meal (the wazwan). Kashmiri Muslims prepare it with onion and garlic while the Kashmiri Pandits use only dry ginger, fennel powder and yogurt to make it. I have made the Kashmiri Pandit’s version of the same without onion and garlic and it turned out delicious. Some authors believe that tomatoes are not part of the traditional Rogan Josh recipe and should not be included. However, other authors have specifically referred to rogan josh as a dish based around meat and tomatoes. Here I have not used tomato, preferred to go with traditional version with curd. Though to save time, did not apply slow cooking method to make this dish. I cooked in pressure cooker, but if you can, make this dish through slow cooking method. The aroma and taste, both of this dish will be good.


Ingredients
- Mutton -500 grams (cut into medium pieces)
- Oil-1/4 cup (Preferably mustard oil )
- Dry Ginger Powder(Saunth) - 2 teaspoon
- Asafoetida or Hing-1 pinch
- Cinnamon or Dalchini -1 inch
- Cloves or Laung -5
- Green Cardamom or Choti Elachi- 4
- Black cardamoms-2
- Kashmiri red chilli - 4
- Kashmiri red chilli powder-2 teaspoon
- Fennel seeds -2 teaspoon
- Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoon
- Ghee or Clarified Butter -2 tablespoon
- Ratonjot - 2 tablespoon
- Garam Masala Powder - 1teaspoon
- Bay Leaf-1
- Salt to taste
- Yogurt - 2 teaspoon
- Saffron - 1 pinch
- Water -2cup
Instructions
- Dry roast red chilies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds in a pan. Add in a grinder, grind well to make a fine powder.
- Add this powder in a bowl, add garam masala powder, red chili powder, dry ginger powder, mix well using little water.
- Add a pinch of saffron in a bowl, add curd and mix well.
- Crush cinnamon, green and black cardamom, long in a mortar pestle.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan, add crushed garam masala and a pinch of hing.
- Add mutton pieces, mix and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add Rogan Josh masala paste,mix and cook on low flame.
- Add curd saffron mixture, mix well and cook on low flame.
- Stir continuously on low flame until oil gets separated.
- Add warm water, let it bring to boil, once water will started boiling,transfer the dish into a pressure cooker. Cover with lid and cook on low flame.
- After 8-10 whistle, switch off the gas. Once air gets released completely, open the lid.
- Heat ghee in a small pan, add Raton jot, stir in low flame until colour appears.
- Pour this ratonjoat mixed ghee into the gravy through a strainer.
- Cook for another 5 minutes on low flame.
- Serve hot with naan, pulao, kashmiri pulao etc.