Mutton Rogan Josh

Let’s admit it, a good mutton curry is everyone’s favorite. If given a choice between chicken and mutton curry a majority of the people will definitely go for the latter one. Mutton rogan josh is an Indian delicacy that is native to Kashmir but renowned around the world for its exceptional flavors. It is a delectable and flavourful lamb curry that originated in the Persian region but over time has found its way around the world. 

What is Mutton Rogan Josh?

Mutton rogan josh is distinguished by its thick, aromatic, flavourful red sauce and tender meat. The recipe is mostly attributed to the Kashmir region but folklore says that it was brought about and popularized by the Mughals. The name translates into mutton in fiery clarified butter. Rogan translates into clarified butter or oil in Persian, which is how the meat is cooked while Josh refers to the fiery hot deep red color of the dish. The lamb curry is slowly cooked with a selection of fragrant spices in clarified butter. The most important of the spices are the Kashmiri peppers as it gives the dish its distinct red color while keeping it milder in heat compared to other Indian curries. Despite its name and color alluding to extreme spiciness, the dish is not a fiery hot curry and remains a common and popular dish in Northern India. 

Notable Ingredients at a Glance

Mutton – Lamb or goat meat is traditionally used in this dish. Try looking for tender meat. The meat has to be tender for this recipe to work properly. If it is not available, you can substitute it with chicken. You will need 500 gms (about 1 pound) of meat, cut into small pieces.

Onions – Either red or yellow onions will work fine. These need to be coarsely chopped.

Curry Leaves – Curry leaves will add to the aroma of the dish.

Tomatoes – You will need big juicy ripe tomatoes, finely chopped. 

Ginger & Garlic paste – Aromatic ingredient. 

Spices – Coriander powder, if you are grinding fresh coriander at home, that would be the best coriander powder you’d ever get. Even better than the ones you get at the market. Cumin powder, gain if you have whole dry cumin at home, Grind some of it up. Fennel seed powder, Garam masala, and Turmeric, you will need a tablespoon for the marinade and another for cooking.

Whole Spices – Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves (Cloves add spiciness to the dish. Therefore add them carefully according to your taste), and Bay leaves are the whole spices required in this recipe. 

Coriander leaves– Adds fresh aroma to the dish. 

Oil – Mustard oil is mostly preferred for this recipe. Other vegetable oils won’t impart the same taste as mustard oil. 

How to prepare Mutton Rogan Josh

We need to marinate the meat first. The marination process starts by adding the mutton into a bowl along with a teaspoon of turmeric and a bit of salt for an hour.

In a wide and deep heavy-bottomed pan, add the mustard oil and heat it up on medium flame until it starts smoking. 

Add in the whole masalas which are bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. After 30 seconds add the chopped onions and let it brown for 3 to 5 minutes. 

At this point, you can add in the curry leaves. Also, add the ginger and garlic pastes. Stir for a minute and add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, and Garam Masala. Stir everything in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes or until the raw smell goes away. All of this is done on medium or medium-low flame depending upon your pan. 

Add in the salt and the tomatoes and stir well. Cook the tomatoes on medium flame without a cover until they become pulpy. You can also just cover the pot for 2 to 3 minutes and check intermittently. The tomatoes cook faster when the pan is covered.

Now add the mutton, stir the gravy and bring it to a boil. Cover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the mutton is tender. Some water will be released from the mutton. Check the consistency of the gravy and decide if you want to add more water to it depending upon the desired thickness. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Naan bread, paratha, or rice.

Some expert tips for preparing Mutton Rogan Josh.

• If you couldn’t find the most tender mutton for this dish, you can pressure cook the mutton to make it tender. In that case, you can make the entire dish in the pressure cooker itself.
• Add Kashmiri red chili powder for it’s authentic color, for which it is famous. 

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