Kashmiri Rogan Josh

Ingredients

• 1 kg lamb or mutton, bone-in, cut into medium pieces, washed and patted dry
• 200 g plain full-fat yogurt, whisked until smooth, at room temperature
• 6 tbsp mustard oil or neutral oil (ghee also works)
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 5 cm
• 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or a mild red chilli powder)
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds, dry-roasted and ground
• 1 tbsp ground ginger (saunth)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 500 ml hot water
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped, to finish

Instructions

1. Whisk the yogurt with the Kashmiri chilli powder, ground fennel, ground ginger, coriander, turmeric and salt until smooth. Mix in the lamb and leave it while you prepare the rest, at least 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. If using mustard oil, heat until it just starts to smoke lightly, then lower the heat for a few seconds to mellow the smell.
3. Add the green and black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Stir for 20 seconds until fragrant, then add the hing.
4. Add the sliced onions with a small pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for 1 minute, until the raw smell goes.
6. Add the lamb with all its marinade. Turn the heat to high and stir constantly for 8 to 10 minutes, until the meat has changed colour and the oil begins to separate at the edges.
7. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the hot water and bring to a boil, scraping up anything stuck to the base.
8. Cover, reduce to the lowest heat and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until the lamb is tender and pulls easily from the bone. Add a splash of hot water if the sauce gets too thick.
9. Uncover and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes if the sauce is thin, until it coats the meat and a red oil layer shines on top. Stir in the garam masala.
10. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then scatter with fresh coriander and serve hot.

Tips

• Keep the yogurt at room temperature and whisk it well. Cold or lumpy yogurt can split when it hits the hot pot.
• Stir constantly when the marinated lamb first goes in. This step builds the deep colour and helps the yogurt cook into the sauce without curdling.
• Kashmiri chilli gives colour more than heat. If you only have hot chilli powder, use 2 teaspoons and add a little paprika for colour.
• Bone-in meat gives a richer sauce. A pressure cooker cuts the simmering time to about 30 minutes after the sealing step.