About the Recipe
If Kashmir had a state dish, it would have to be the Rogan Josh, a curried meat dish traditionally made with lamb or goat meat. It was brought to India by the Mughal Kings, whose cuisine was influenced by Persian food. Rogan Josh gets its characteristic color from Kashmiri red chili powder which is a variety of chili that relatively low on the spice scale. “Rogan” means red is Kashmiri and Clarified butter or Oil in Persian.
The meat is braised in aromatics and spices till it becomes fall off the bone tender. This means it is browned first using oil or ghee and then cooked till tender in a liquid broth. I have used the Instant Pot to speed up the cooking process for this Indian Whole30 dish. Rogan Josh is usually served on all festive occasions as part of a multicourse Kashmiri meal called wazwan. You can read more about the origins and different versions of Rogan Josh here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogan_josh . I have adapted the original recipe to make it whole30 compatible but there is no compromise on the taste. The original recipe cooked by the Kashmiri pandit community uses yogurt and asafetida which are both not compatible. I have instead used onions and ginger-garlic paste to provide the flavor needed. In the notes section, I have provided insights on how to make it the original way if you are not doing the Whole30.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Bone-in Goat or Lamb meat ( The shoulder or leg cuts work best )
- Whole Indian Spices ( 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp black cardamom seeds)
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder ( Replace with a mix of Paprika and Cayenne if you don’t have this)
- 2 tsp fennel powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- Oil or Ghee
- Salt
Recipe
Put Instant pot in saute mode and add oil or ghee. To the cooking fat, add the whole spices – cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom. Let the seeds splutter and the remaining spices brown. Now add 1 finely chopped onion and ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes.
Time to add the meat – pat it dry before adding to speed the browning process . Caramelize the meat well, you will have to let it brown on one side well before tossing or stirring to get all sides evenly browned. This step is key in the braising process. The kashmiri red chili powder should be added now along with a quarter cup of water. Mix it up furiously for a few minutes before adding the remaining spice powders – fennel powder , ginger powder and salt along with a cup of water.
Seal the IP and cook on manual pressure for 10-20 minutes. The cooking duration depends on the cut of the meat used. If you are unsure about how long to pressure cook it for , you can start with 10 minutes and then cook more if needed. Let the meat sit in the IP till the pressure releases naturally. Open the lid and add the garam masala on top. Serve with a side of cauli rice and greens if you are doing the whole30. If not, plain rice is perfect to eat this with. Either ways, enjoy every morsel of this delicious meal as it will certainly with leave you asking for more.
Notes
If you are not doing the whole30 and would like to cook the original version of the Rogan Josh, here are the tweaks you would make
- For the ingredients , you will omit the onion and ginger garlic paste, instead you will use half a cup of yogurt and a 1/4 tsp of asafetida ( hing)
- In step 1 of the recipe, add the asafetida along with the Whole Indian Spices ( see the step numbers on the recipe card)
- In step 4 of the recipe, after you add the red chili powder to the meat, add the yogurt. The yogurt should be at room temperature and beaten well before you add it
Check out Whole30 versions of other traditional Kashmiri recipes on our blog
Salmon and Radish Curry – https://masalapaleo.com/salmon-and-radish-curry/
Spicy Meatballs Curry – https://masalapaleo.com/spicy-turkey-meatball-curry-whole30-gluten-free/
Kashmiri Rogan Josh/ Mutton Curry
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Bone-in Goat or Lamb meat
- Whole Indian Spices 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp black cardamom seeds
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder Replace with a mix of Paprika and Cayenne if you don’t have this
- 2 tsp fennel powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- Oil or Ghee
- Salt
Instructions
- Put Instant pot in sauté mode and add oil or ghee. To the cooking fat, add the whole spices – cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom. Let the seeds splutter and the remaining spices brown.
- Now add 1 finely chopped onion and ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few minutes
- Time to add the meat – pat it dry before adding to speed the browning process . Caramelize the meat well, you will have to let it brown on one side well before tossing or stirring to get all sides evenly browned. This step is key in the braising process.
- The kashmiri red chili powder should be added now along with a quarter cup of water. Mix it up furiously for a few minutes before adding the remaining spice powders – fennel powder , ginger powder and salt along with a cup of water
- Seal the IP and cook on manual pressure for 10-20 minutes. The cooking duration depends on the cut of the meat used. If you are unsure , you can start with 10 minutes and then cook more if needed. Let the meat sit in the IP till the pressure releases naturally.
- Open the lid and add the garam masala on top. Serve with a side of cauli rice and greens if you are doing the whole30. If not, plain rice is perfect to eat this with.
Notes
- For the ingredients , you can omit the onion and the ginger garlic paste, instead you will use half a cup of yogurt and a 1/4 tsp of asafetida ( hing)
- In step 1 of the recipe, add the asafetida along with the Whole Indian Spices
- In step 4 of the recipe, after you add the red chili powder to the meat, add the yogurt. The yogurt should be at room temperature and beaten well before you add it
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