Our rogan josh recipe is a delicious slow-cooked mutton dish from Kashmir and is the state’s iconic dish. Rogan josh is one of India’s best and most loved curries and is featured on the menus of Indian restaurants around the country and abroad.
This hearty, rich, spicy, aromatic rogan josh dish — with its blend of heat-generating spices — was traditionally made in winter, though most Kashmiris now eat it throughout the year.
The best rogan josh is made with lamb or mutton shoulder in a delicious and flavourful curry. The traditional slow cooking process produces succulent, falling-off-the-bone tender meat.
For a variation on goat mutton rogan josh, substitute with chicken. Vegetarians can opt for paneer or cauliflower.
We have been asked the question ‘what is rogan josh’ or ‘what is authentic Kashmiri rogan josh’ many times. This thin deep red spicy lamb or mutton dish is of Persian origin and was introduced to Kashmir by the Mughals. The name ‘Rogan Josh’ is derived from Persian words: rogan means clarified butter or oil, referring to the medium in which the meat and spices are cooked; josh means hot, passion, fiery, intense heat, referring to the dish’s typically intense red colour.
There are two versions of Kashmiri rogan josh — Hindu Kashmiri Pandit and Muslim, and there are significant differences between the two. Outside of Kashmir, the two mutton rogan josh recipe versions of have merged and there are many variations, but nevertheless it is interesting to know the distinctive characteristics of each.
The Pandit version does not use garlic and onion, and instead uses dried ginger powder (sonth or sundh), fennel (saunf), asafoetida (hing), and dry spices, and sometimes garam masala at the end.
The Muslim version uses Kashmir pearl garlic and local shallots called praan (with a garlicky flavour).
Pandits use yogurt to give additional body and flavour; the Muslim version does not use yogurt.
The Muslim version uses ghee and animal fat, and the Hindu version also uses ghee and sometimes mustard oil.
Both use dried Kashmiri chillies to impart the deep red colour that is characteristic of this easy rogan josh recipe. Kashmiri chillies are not pungent or fiery, so the colour of the dish is misleading. They add a mild heat, a rich and alluring colour, and an enticing aroma when roasted.
The Muslim rogan josh recipe version uses mawal (dried cockscomb flower) to impart colour, while rattanjot (alkanet root) is used in some Pandit kitchens.
The Muslim version of rogan josh, with onion and garlic, is an integral part of the elaborate and formal feast called wazwan.
Our easy rogan josh recipe is straight from a Kashmiri Pandit home – the Dhars of Srinagar were kind enough to give us complete access to their kitchen to learn how to make rogan josh. The meat is cooked with a selection of spices and aromatics, mixed with yogurt, and cooked till tender for a spectacularly good rogan josh.
Rogan josh is traditionally a thin gravy and hence best had with steamed rice, or, if you prefer, with Indian flatbreads like sheermal, naan, or rumali roti.
For a Kashmiri repast, serve mutton or lamb rogan josh along with yakhni shorba (soup of goat meat, saffron, and yogurt), lal paneer (gravy-based dish of paneer), mundi / munj haak (ganth gobi or kohlrabi cooked in its own juices and lightly spiced), and white rice, ending with kahwa (Kashmiri spiced tea).
Learn how to make mutton rogan josh with step by step pictures and a video recipe with all rogan josh recipe ingredients and cooking method from Yummefy recipes.
Or see all our Mutton Recipes right here!