Kashmiri Rogan Josh (Lamb cooked with Kashmiri spices)

Posted: March 12th, 2010
by CulinaryKizzy

Kashmiri Brahmins (the pure vegetarian Hindu sect from India) won’t eat onion or garlic; but can’t do without lamb & fish. While Kashmiri Muslims use onion, garlic, & shallot (pran) in their cooking; Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits) use Asafoetida (Hing) instead of Onions, Garlic or Shallots.
The spices indigenous to Kashmiri cuisine are: ground dried ginger (sonth), ground fennel seeds (badiyan); spices like red chilies, aniseed, asafetida, ginger powder, cumin seed, curd or yogurt.
•The spicing agent is verr, which are thin crisp chapatti-like rounds, which are dried and strung and used bit by bit as required. These are made by pounding together onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, and other spices and patted to dry in shade. If you can't find this, get a Kashmiri garam masala which is readily available at Indian grocer.

Rogan Josh is the most delectable Kashmiri dish made with goat or lamb meat cooked with the intensely fragrant spices. Iti smore of a aromatic than a hot dish, you can make it as hot as you want.

Rogan Josh means 'fiery' but the dish is not really scolville hot; only fiery in appearance made with red onions, Kashmiri red chillies known as Kashmiri ‘Deghi’ mirch (red) and Cock's Comb (Mawal flowers ) for colouring. As a substitute, use smoked paprika.

Serves/Yields: Serves 6

leg of lamb

NOTE: adjust the spices to taste
1 lb goat, lamb or mutton
4 tablespoons mustard or vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
1.5 cups curd or yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri garam masala
2 green cardamom pods, crushed
1-inch cassia bark [cinnamon stick]
3 cloves
1 teaspoon ground dried ginger (sonth)
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds/aniseed (badiyan)
1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder [known as ‘Deghi’ mirch which lends distinctive deep red clolour and is not all that hot; much like paprika]
1 Cock's Comb flower (locally known as Mawal), soaked and water extracted for colouring [substitute; 1 tablespoon smoked paprika]
salt to taste
1 cup water, or as need to immerse meat

Marinate meat in yogurt, Kashmiri garam masala, and oil/ghee for about an hour in the slow cooker.
Combine all the other ingredients in the slow-cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Serve with flatbread or Kashmiri Pilaf.