Rogan means either oil in Persian or red and josh means passion or heat therefore translating to cooking in oil at a intense heat. The lamb is fried in oil with asafoetida to add a little onion essence and the flavour enhanced with the bittersweet taste of cardamom. Kashmiri chilli powder is used to give a warming glow to the dish through its wonderful deep rouge tinge and its mild heat to the soft tender chunks of lamb all held together in a gentle soothing sauce created from a curd gravy.
It is thought that the Kashmiri Muslims adapted this dish by adding onions and tomatoes which completely changes the basis of this light lamb stew to a heavier richer dish and it is essentially this version of the Rogan Josh that is served in UK restaurants today. My recipe is a modern day version of the traditional dish as cook the lamb in a pressure cooker, which means it is a very quick dish to create, but is full to the brim with all those spices that make it really authentic. This is much lighter then a traditional Punjabi lamb dish and very quick to prepare. Served with plain Basmati rice to mop up the deliciously smooth, vibrant, red sauce!
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