Rogan Josh with onion , Garlic and Mawal

Rogan Josh with Onion , garlic and Mawal 

I always like trying out different versions of one dish but when there are two distinct versions of the same dish then it is time to make both of them and guess what each version  can hold its own. A few weeks back I had made Rogan Josh as a tribute to the Kashmiri Pandit style of cooking. 

Quite naturally I was eager to make the other version used by the Muslim community in Kashmir but there was one big glitch. This other recipe has to use Mawal aka dried cockscomb flower and I was not sure I would get it in Calcutta. All I can say is I was worried for nothing. I had a faint faith in my New Market and I was hoping that I would get it there. So when Pritha and I went ingredient shopping I went to my old shopkeeper and my problem was solved. He gave me the prim and proper mawal and told me that it is different from ratan jot which is used by many for Rogan josh but is not the original stuff. God Bless this ancient market of Calcutta.

Ah I knew I had to make this delightful delicacy. I even got delightful lamb from New market and treated my friend Anusree before I left for Mumbai for 3 months. This leaving of my own city always make sme feel depressed. Its a whole other thing that my green husband doesn't touch any meat but I guess I love my city an emotion I was made aware of only post marriage.

Anyway back to the recipe. I followed the Waza Brother's recipe and here it goes :-

1 kilogram lamb
1 tbsp garlic paste
100gm clotted ghee / 1 cup of melted ghee
Salt as per taste - I required 2 tsp
8 green cardamom
4 cloves
1 tsp ground black pepper
A fat pinch of saffron soaked in little water
1 cup of Mawal aka cockscomb flower steeped in 1 cup of boiling water
1/2 tsp turmeric
1.5 tbsp Kashmiri Chili powder
1.2 litres of water
3 onions

Wash the meat well and bring the water and meat to a boil in an open pressure cooker and take out the scum that forms and then add salt and garlic paste and turn the heat down to the lowest possible flame and put the lid on and let the pressure build up on its own. After the first whistle switch off the gas-stove and let the steam come out on its own.

In the meantime heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry the chopped onions and then cool it down and blend it. Bring the mawal and the water to a boil and then cover and leave it. Soak the saffron in a bit of water.

Now open the pressure cooker and take out the meat. Bring the stock to a boil.    

In the same pan in which you have fried the ghee heat the rest of the ghee and temper the cloves and when they splutter switch off the gas and add 1 tbsp water and cover it.

Now add the crushed cardamom to the boiling stock and lower the heat and add the meat, onion paste, turmeric and the ghee with the cloves and then bring it to a boil and boil on medium heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes  add the Kashmiri chili powder, strain the Mawal water and add it and then and saffron soaked in water. Simmer for sometime and serve with hot plain rice.

Rogan Josh (No onion no garlic)

Rogan Josh (No onion no garlic) 

Tribute to the Kashmiri pandits 

I was rummaging through my folders for a delightful recipe for gosht and I decided on some Mutton Rogan Josh. Now I have these recipes collected a good 10 years ago. A 16 year old me knew that I would one day want to cook all of them. Over the years out of the many collected Kashmiri dishes I have stuck to 3 of them but I realized I must try my hands on the forgotten ones and hence my decision to make Rogan Josh. What put me in a dilemma at first where these two recipes for Rogan Josh that I had. One used onions and garlic and cockscomb flower and the other didn't use any onion or garlic and used curd.

I immediately searched the internet for more information on Rogan josh and thankfully there is a very nice article on Wikipedia which clearly states that the Kashmiri Pandits make it sans onions and garlic and uses curd to cut down the heat while the other version uses onions and garlic and sues cockscomb flower.  To be fair I went through some of the recipes given and most recipes use way too many spices. To be fair both my recipes were simple and I decided to stick to them because I personally feel the same spices used for all curries mars the distinct taste. I chose the recipe used by Kashmiri Pandits , well at least the recipe I have on my hands because meat without garlic and onion has always fascinated me.

Before I move on to the recipe I have a confession to make. I do not enjoy  mutton unless and until it has a melt in the mouth texture but in way should it be too soft and disintegrate with the gravy. Over the years I have tried two methods of achieving this soft delightful texture. I abandoned my former method of slow cooking for 3 hours on low heat with a faster method which also involves slow cooking but uses a pressure cooker and saves time and fuel. As someone who switched I have to say it yields the exact same result but you must use the lowest heat possible even with the pressure cooker.

So here goes the recipe.

Serves 4 to 5

1 kg of goat meat from the legs
1 teacup of whisked curd (cups which hold 200 ml liquid)
3/4th  cup of mustard oil (cup which holds 200ml of liquid)
5 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
3 cups of water
2 tsp dried ginger powder
2 tsp aniseed powder
4 to 5  green cardamom roasted and crushed
1 tbsp ghee
Pinch of saffron soaked in water
Salt as per taste - I needed 1.5 tsp
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp kashmiri chili powder

Start by marinating the meat in the curd and leave it aside for 1 hour. Now heat the oil in a large wok and bring it to smoking point , lower heat and add the meat and immediately turn up the heat to seal the juices and keep frying and stirring for 2 minutes and then add the cloves , asafoetida  and cumin seeds and keep stirring till the oil separates and then add 1 cup of water , Kashmiri red chili powder , turmeric , salt and sugar and mix well and then simmer for 10 minutes.

Now take a big pressure cooker and put the meat in it. Add 2 cups of water , the dried ginger powder and aniseed powder, close the pressure cooker and cook on the lowest heat possible till the first whistle. Immediately turn off the stove after the first whistle and let the steam come out on its own.

Once it is ready open the lid and check the meat with a fork if the meat falls apart then take out the meat and put the gravy in the wok and bring to a boil adding the green cardamom , saffron dissolved in water  and ghee and then simmer for 10 minutes and add the meat and mix well and serve with hot rice .

In case the meat is not tender enough for you after you open the lid of the pressure cooker put the gravy and meat together in the wok and add the cardamom, saffron dissolved in water  and ghee and bring to boil and simmer for 7 minutes to 10 minutes. There you have melt in the mouth beautiful Rogan Josh .

Watch this space for the other version of Rogan Josh which is coming very soon for you