If mutton rogan josh is one of your favorite mutton recipes, then today is your lucky day because I have the best mutton rogan josh recipe for you which can give the best restaurant a run for its money! You are in for a treat!
Mutton rogan josh is a classic recipe which you will find in every fine dining Indian restaurant. This dish has its origin at the beautiful valley of Kashmir and is a signature recipe of Kashmiri cuisine. The sensational flavor is the sole reason for mutton rogan josh to be so popular and well-loved across all regions now!
There are various stories behind the name of this dish being rogan josh. You can quickly google it if you are interested; but I must inform you that once you make mutton rogan josh for your family, it’s guaranteed to become your family favorite and will turn into a staple mutton recipe at your home.
Classic rogan josh is always made with mutton; you can use either goat or lamb. You will also find chicken rogan josh recipe on restaurant’s menu these days but that’s not the traditional one. I personally feel that the flavor profile of rogan josh suits more to the red meat than chicken.
But I haven’t tried making chicken rogan josh yet; I will wait until I make and taste it on my own to share my final verdict on it. For now, it’s all about mutton rogan josh and I couldn’t be happier about it! This recipe is an absolute mood-booster!
Mutton rogan josh gravy has the vibrant red color which is the distinct characteristic of the recipe. If you can get hold of Kashmiri whole dry red chilli, then nothing like it! Soak them in hot water for 30 minutes or 1 hour until they are soft.
Then drain most of the water and grind it to make a smooth chilli paste with minimal water. Your Kashmiri chilli paste is ready; if you are using this, then please skip the Kashimiri chilli powder mentioned in my recipe below.
Since I didn’t have whole dry Kashmiri red chillies at hand, I used store-bought Kashmiri red chilli powder. Kashmiri chilli powder is added primarily for that fantastic red color of the gravy and not for heat.
Mutton rogan josh is not a spicy preparation. In fact it is more on the milder/sweeter side thanks to the second important spice without which a rogan josh will never become an authentic rogan josh! And that is fennel powder which has a very sweet & unique undertone of flavor.
The combination of Kashmiri chilli powder and fennel powder is mind-blowing and that’s what makes this mutton rogan josh a very special recipe which is a must have in your recipe repertoire!
If you are looking for a spicy mutton recipe, then check out my slow-cooked mutton curry recipe! If you haven’t made mutton rogan josh before, I insist you make it this weekend and fall in love with Indian food all over again! Enjoy!
- Goat or lamb – 1 kg, curry cut
- Salt – 2 tsp
- Yogurt/curd – ½ cup
- Mustard oil – ½ cup
- Bay leaves – 2
- Black peppercorn – ½ tsp
- Black cardamom – 2
- Cardamom – 5 to 7
- Cloves – 6 to 8
- Cinnamon sticks – 2-inch stick
- Onion – 4, large, thinly sliced
- Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
- Hot water – 3 cups
- Kashmiri red chili powder – 2 tbsp
- Fennel powder – 2 tsp
- Ginger powder – ½ tsp
- Take the mutton pieces in a large bowl and add salt & yogurt/curd to it. Mix everything thoroughly so that each mutton pieces is evenly coated with yogurt and let it marinade for an hour.
- Heat a large wok and add the mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, temper it with bay leaves, peppercorn, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Fry them until fragrant, for about a minute.
- Add the sliced onion and sauté until the onion turns golden brown, about 15 minutes on medium-high heat. Keep stirring the onion to avoid sticking.
- Next add the ginger and garlic paste and cook them for couple of minutes.
- Now add the marinated mutton pieces and stir them well to mix with onion mixture. Sauté the mutton on medium-high flame for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mutton pieces are browned nicely on all sides. If you see too much water is releasing, crank up the heat and continue stir frying.
- While the mutton is frying, mix Kashmiri red chili powder in water. One all the mutton pieces are nicely browned, pour the Kashmiri chilli mixture over the mutton. Also add fennel powder & ginger powder and cook for another 10 minutes on medium high heat until oil starts to release.
- Now pour hot water over the mutton, cover the kadai and let the mutton cook for 45 minutes on low heat. Please note that 45 minutes is a ballpark number; based on the quality of your mutton the final cooking time needs to be adjusted. Cook until the meat is tender and have almost fall-off-the-bone kind of texture.
- Your mutton rogan josh is ready! Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves a serve with plain white rice. Enjoy!
Can this recipe be used in a crock pot all day cooking method so it can be slowly cooking while away at work?
Yes it can be done in slow cooker as well!