Rogan Josh

I love a good curry, especially when using red meat and you cook it for hours and hours so that the meat becomes really tender. Too bad this can only be done when you have lots of time though, not a really quick weeknight meal.

I found this recipe in this book below

I got this book years and years ago for my 21st and it has some really good recipes in it. I haven't cooked too many of the recipes (due to my ever growing cook book collection) but the few I have, have been very good.

Rogan Josh is an aromatic lamb dish hailing from Kashmir. The name is interpreted as either meaning cooked in oil at intense heat, or a meat dish which is red in colour. The red colour is essential to this dish which comes from ground red peppers, or tomatoes. There are many versions of this dish and I really loved this version.

This didn't have too many ingredients for an indian curry which is also a win. Well there are a few spices, but I had most of them in my cupboard anyway.

To serve with the curry I made a traditional indian eggplant recipe which is called Baingan Bhurta, which you basically bake an eggplant until it's soft, then chop up and mix with tomato, onion, green chillies, salt and oil. It worked really beautifully with the Rogan Josh and added a nice freshness to it.

I also saved some of the yoghurt I was using for the curry and mixed that with some mint and coriander and salt.

The toasted almonds on the top gave this a nice textural contrast as well.

Rogan Josh - from Essential Asian

1kg Lamb
1 Tablespoon of Ghee or Oil
2 Medium Onions - chopped
1/2 Cup (125g) Yoghurt
1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
1 Tbs Ground Coriander
2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Cardamom
1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves
1 Tsp Ground Turmeric
3 Cloves Garlic - crushed
1 Tbs Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Tsp Salt
Can of Chopped Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds
3 Teaspoons Garam Masala
Chopped Coriander Leaves to Garnish

1. Cut Lamb into biteable cubes

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook stirring until soft. Then add the yoghurt, chilli powder, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, garlic and ginger. Combine well and then add the salt and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

3. Add the lamb and stir until coated. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until the lamb is tender. Uncover and simmer until sauce is thick.

4. Toast the almonds until they have a bit of colour. Then add the garam masala to the lamb mixture and stir through. Serve the Rogan Josh on rice with almonds and coriander.