[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":440},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:rogan-josh":3,"recipe:country:india":206},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"pronunciation":8,"countrySlug":9,"region":10,"emoji":11,"summary":12,"intro":13,"story":14,"whyThis":15,"tips":20,"substitutions":27,"variations":44,"serveWith":54,"storage":58,"faq":59,"equipment":75,"baseServings":79,"prepMinutes":80,"cookMinutes":81,"difficulty":82,"course":83,"diet":85,"mainIngredients":89,"ingredients":93,"instructions":153,"nutrition":180,"images":186,"keywords":196,"publishedAt":204,"updatedAt":204,"authorSlug":205},"rogan-josh","Rogan Josh (Kashmiri Red Lamb Curry)","روگن جوش","Rogan josh","ROH-gun JOSH","india","Kashmir Valley","🍖","Kashmir's slow-braised lamb curry: deep red from mild Kashmiri chili, perfumed with ground fennel and dry ginger, and built without a single onion or clove of garlic.","Rogan josh is a lamb braise from the Kashmir Valley whose defining trick is that it gets its colour from chile rather than its heat. Kashmiri red chilies are bright and almost sweet, so two heaped tablespoons stain the sauce a deep brick red while leaving the dish only gently warm. The flavour comes from somewhere most Indian curries never go: ground fennel and dry ginger powder instead of fresh, whole cardamom and cinnamon bloomed in ghee, and yogurt whisked in slowly to build body. In the Kashmiri Pandit version made here there is no onion, no garlic and no tomato at all, which leaves a sauce that is thin, glossy and startlingly clean-tasting next to the heavy gravies people expect from an Indian menu.","The name is Persian: rogan means clarified fat or oil, josh means heat or intensity — together, roughly, meat cooked in its own hot fat. The dish travelled into Kashmir along the same routes that brought Persianate cooking to the Mughal court, and once in the valley it took on ingredients that grow there, above all the long, mild Kashmiri chile that is prized for colour rather than fire.\n\nThere are two genuine lineages, and they disagree about the foundations. The Kashmiri Pandit tradition — Hindu, and bound by a domestic custom of avoiding onion and garlic in ritual cooking — builds the curry on asafoetida, yogurt, fennel and dry ginger, giving a lean, aromatic sauce that tastes of the spices themselves. The Muslim Wazwan tradition, the multi-course banquet cooking of Kashmiri wazas, uses praan (a local shallot), garlic and often more fat, and rogan josh appears there as one dish among dozens served on the shared trami platter. Both are authentic; neither is a corruption of the other. The recipe here follows the Pandit style because it is the more distinctive of the two and because it shows what the spices can do without an onion base propping them up.\n\nThe colour raises the other Kashmiri question: ratan jot, the dried root of alkanet, is steeped in hot ghee to release a deep crimson dye and is what gives restaurant rogan josh in Srinagar its unmistakable shade. It contributes almost nothing to taste, is hard to buy outside South Asia, and is optional here. What is not optional is honesty about what most restaurants sell under the name — a generic onion-and-tomato lamb curry dyed red with paprika, sometimes with cream stirred in. That is a perfectly good curry. It is not this dish.",[16,17,18,19],"The Kashmiri Pandit method, with no onion, garlic or tomato, so the fennel and dry ginger actually taste of something.","A yogurt technique that will not split: whisked smooth, added off the boil, stirred constantly until it tightens.","Clear on where the red colour comes from, and how close you get without ratan jot.","Braise timings for both lamb shoulder and tougher goat, with the cue for when the meat is genuinely done.",[21,22,23,24,25,26],"Buy Kashmiri chili powder, not generic hot chili powder or cayenne. It is a colour spice, and swapping it for something hotter makes the dish inedible at these quantities.","Whisk the yogurt completely smooth before it goes anywhere near the pan, and take the pan off direct heat as you pour it in. Cold lumpy yogurt hitting hot fat curdles instantly.","Use fennel and dry ginger in powder form. Fresh ginger is a different flavour entirely and will make it taste like an ordinary north Indian curry.","Brown the lamb in batches with room around each piece. Crowded meat steams grey and the sauce ends up tasting boiled.","The finished sauce should be thin and glossy, not thick. If it looks like a restaurant gravy you have reduced it too far — loosen it with hot water.","Bone-in shoulder or neck beats boneless leg. The collagen from the bones is what gives the sauce its body in a dish that has no onion to thicken it.",[28,32,36,40],{"original":29,"swap":30,"note":31},"Kashmiri chili powder","2 tbsp sweet paprika + 1 tsp cayenne","Gets you most of the colour and roughly the right heat. Deggi mirch, sold in most Indian shops, is closer still.",{"original":33,"swap":34,"note":35},"Ratan jot (alkanet root)","Leave it out","It is a colouring agent with negligible flavour. Without it the curry is a slightly less intense red and tastes exactly the same.",{"original":37,"swap":38,"note":39},"Lamb shoulder","Bone-in goat, or beef chuck","Goat is arguably more authentic and needs 30 minutes longer. Beef chuck works as a braise but is not a Kashmiri dish at that point.",{"original":41,"swap":42,"note":43},"Asafoetida (hing)","Nothing, or a small pinch of garlic powder","Hing supplies the savoury allium note that stands in for the missing onion and garlic. If you use garlic powder instead, you have quietly moved toward the Wazwan version.",[45,48,51],{"name":46,"description":47},"Wazwan-style rogan josh","The Kashmiri Muslim version: start by frying sliced praan or shallots and garlic in mustard oil until deep brown, then proceed as below. Richer, sweeter and closer to what is served at a Kashmiri wedding feast.",{"name":49,"description":50},"Yakhni-adjacent white version","Skip the chili entirely and build the same braise on yogurt, fennel and cardamom alone for a pale, fragrant lamb curry. That is closer to yakhni, the other great Kashmiri lamb dish, and it shows how much the chile is doing purely for colour.",{"name":52,"description":53},"Restaurant-style with tomato","Add a base of browned onion and puréed tomato before the meat for the thicker, sweeter curry most menus mean by rogan josh. Not Kashmiri, but it is what many people are actually looking for.",[55,56,57],"Plain steamed basmati — Kashmiris eat far more rice than bread, and the thin sauce is meant to soak into it.","A simple cucumber or radish salad with salt and lime to cut the richness.","Naan or roti if you prefer bread, though it will not mop a thin sauce as well as rice does.","Rogan josh improves overnight — the fennel and cardamom settle and the sauce tightens around the meat. Keep it 3–4 days refrigerated in a sealed container and reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water; a hard boil can make the yogurt-based sauce grainy. It freezes well for 3 months, which is one reason to make a double batch. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat slowly, then check the seasoning, since salt reads flatter after freezing.",[60,63,66,69,72],{"question":61,"answer":62},"Is rogan josh spicy?","Not very, despite the colour. Kashmiri chilies are chosen for their deep red pigment and mild heat, so the two tablespoons in this recipe produce a rich brick-red sauce with only gentle warmth. If you substitute ordinary chili powder or cayenne at the same quantity it will be brutally hot. The heat you can control freely; the colour is the part that defines the dish.",{"question":64,"answer":65},"Why did my yogurt curdle in the curry?","It went in too cold, too fast, or into a pan that was too hot. Whisk the yogurt until it is completely smooth and pourable first, pull the pan off the heat, then add it a spoonful at a time while stirring constantly, letting each addition disappear before the next. Full-fat yogurt is far more stable than low-fat. If it does split, a vigorous whisk and a few minutes of gentle cooking usually pulls it back together.",{"question":67,"answer":68},"What is ratan jot and do I need it?","Ratan jot is the dried bark of the alkanet root, steeped in hot fat to release a strong crimson dye. It is what gives rogan josh in Kashmir its signature colour and it contributes essentially no flavour. It is genuinely optional — Kashmiri chili powder already gives a deep red — and it is hard to find outside South Asian shops, so leave it out without guilt.",{"question":70,"answer":71},"Why is there no onion or garlic in this recipe?","Because this is the Kashmiri Pandit version, and that community traditionally avoids onion and garlic in home and ritual cooking, using asafoetida for savoury depth instead. The Kashmiri Muslim Wazwan version does use praan, a local shallot, and garlic. Both are authentic rogan josh from the same valley, cooked by different communities, and the difference is a genuine cultural fault line rather than a matter of preference.",{"question":73,"answer":74},"Can I make rogan josh in a pressure cooker?","Yes, and it is common in Indian kitchens. Do everything up to and including the yogurt stage in the open cooker, then seal and cook for about 15 minutes at pressure for lamb, 20–25 for goat. Release the pressure, check the meat pulls apart, and simmer uncovered for a few minutes to bring the sauce back to the right consistency, since pressure cooking leaves it looser than a slow braise.",[76,77,78],"Heavy casserole or Dutch oven with a lid","Whisk","Mortar and pestle or spice grinder",4,20,95,"medium",[84],"main",[86,87,88],"gluten-free","halal-friendly","nut-free",[90,91,92],"lamb","yogurt","ghee",[94,99,102,106,109,113,116,118,123,127,129,132,135,138,141,145,147,150],{"ref":90,"qty":95,"unit":96,"name":97,"group":98},900,"g","bone-in lamb shoulder or neck, in 5 cm pieces","For the braise",{"ref":92,"qty":79,"unit":100,"name":101,"group":98},"tbsp","ghee, or mustard oil for a sharper Kashmiri edge",{"qty":103,"unit":104,"name":105,"group":98},2,"piece","black cardamom pods, bruised",{"qty":107,"unit":104,"name":108,"group":98},5,"green cardamom pods, bruised",{"ref":110,"qty":111,"unit":104,"name":112,"group":98},"cinnamon",1,"cinnamon stick",{"ref":114,"qty":103,"unit":104,"name":115,"group":98},"bay-leaf","bay leaves",{"qty":79,"unit":104,"name":117,"group":98},"cloves",{"qty":119,"unit":120,"name":121,"note":122,"group":98},0.25,"tsp","asafoetida (hing)","buy gluten-free hing if that matters — most compounded brands contain wheat flour",{"qty":103,"unit":100,"name":124,"note":125,"group":126},"Kashmiri red chili powder","a colour spice, mild — do not substitute cayenne one for one","For the spicing",{"qty":103,"unit":120,"name":128,"group":126},"ground fennel seed (saunf powder)",{"qty":130,"unit":120,"name":131,"group":126},1.5,"dry ginger powder (sonth)",{"qty":133,"unit":120,"name":134,"group":126},0.5,"ground turmeric",{"ref":91,"qty":136,"unit":96,"name":137,"group":126},250,"full-fat plain yogurt, whisked completely smooth",{"qty":111,"unit":104,"name":139,"optional":140,"group":126},"ratan jot (alkanet root), a small piece",true,{"qty":142,"unit":143,"name":144,"group":126},500,"ml","hot water",{"qty":130,"unit":120,"name":146,"group":126},"fine salt",{"qty":133,"unit":120,"name":148,"group":149},"garam masala","To finish",{"qty":111,"unit":151,"name":152,"optional":140,"group":149},"pinch","saffron threads soaked in 1 tbsp warm water",[154,158,162,166,171,176],{"title":155,"text":156,"tip":157},"Brown the lamb","Pat {qty:lamb} of lamb thoroughly dry and season lightly with salt. Melt 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat and brown the meat in two or three batches, leaving space around each piece, until the surfaces are properly coloured rather than grey. Set the meat aside on a plate with any juices.","Dry meat browns; wet meat steams. Pat it dry again between batches if liquid collects.",{"title":159,"text":160,"tip":161},"Bloom the whole spices","Add the remaining ghee to the same pan over medium heat, then the black and green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves and cloves. Fry for about 40 seconds, until the cardamom pods puff slightly and the kitchen smells sweet and resinous, then add the asafoetida and let it sizzle for five seconds only.","Asafoetida burns fast and turns acrid. Five seconds is genuinely all it needs.",{"title":163,"text":164,"timerSeconds":165},"Make the red base","Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the Kashmiri chili powder, fennel powder, dry ginger and turmeric with 3 tablespoons of water so they form a loose paste rather than scorching in bare fat. Return to low heat and fry for 2 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens and the ghee at the edges runs bright red.",120,{"title":167,"text":168,"timerSeconds":169,"tip":170},"Add the yogurt slowly","With the pan off direct heat, add the whisked yogurt one large spoonful at a time, stirring constantly and letting each spoonful fully disappear into the paste before adding the next. Once it is all in, return to low heat and cook for 5 minutes until the mixture tightens and you can see fat separating in little red pools at the edge.",300,"This is bhunao. Do not shortcut it — the separation of fat is the signal that the spices are cooked out and no longer raw.",{"title":172,"text":173,"timerSeconds":174,"tip":175},"Braise the lamb","Return the meat and its juices to the pan and turn everything so each piece is coated in the red masala. Pour in the hot water and the salt, bring to a bare simmer, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 75–90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so.",5400,"If you are using ratan jot, warm it separately in 2 tablespoons of ghee until the fat turns crimson, discard the root, and stir the coloured ghee in during the last 10 minutes.",{"title":177,"text":178,"timerSeconds":179},"Check and finish","The lamb is ready when a piece gives completely to a spoon and slides off the bone with no resistance. Stir in the garam masala and the saffron water, taste for salt, and adjust the sauce with hot water until it is thin, glossy and just coats a spoon rather than clinging to it. Rest off the heat for 10 minutes before serving with rice.",600,{"calories":181,"protein":182,"carbs":183,"fat":184,"fiber":103,"sodium":185,"estimated":140},540,43,9,37,890,[187,190,192,194],{"src":188,"alt":189},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Frogan-josh\u002Fhero.jpg","Deep red Kashmiri rogan josh with bone-in lamb pieces in a glossy thin sauce, served beside basmati rice",{"src":191,"alt":189},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Frogan-josh\u002Fhero-16x9.jpg",{"src":193,"alt":189},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Frogan-josh\u002Fhero-4x3.jpg",{"src":195,"alt":189},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Frogan-josh\u002Fhero-1x1.jpg",[197,198,199,200,201,202,203],"rogan josh","kashmiri curry","lamb curry","kashmiri chili","fennel","yogurt curry","braise","2026-08-19","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":207,"total":298,"page":111,"limit":438,"hasMore":439},[208,235,264,292,316,341,365,387,409,416],{"slug":209,"title":210,"nativeName":211,"romanized":212,"countrySlug":9,"region":213,"baseServings":79,"prepMinutes":214,"cookMinutes":215,"restMinutes":215,"difficulty":82,"course":216,"diet":219,"mainIngredients":221,"images":224,"keywords":228,"publishedAt":204,"updatedAt":204,"authorSlug":205},"aloo-paratha","Aloo Paratha (Punjabi Potato-Stuffed Flatbread)","ਆਲੂ ਪਰੌਂਠਾ","Aloo paranthaa","Punjab",35,30,[217,218],"bread","breakfast",[220,88],"vegetarian",[222,223,92,91],"potato","flour",[225],{"src":226,"alt":227},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Faloo-paratha\u002Fhero.jpg","Blistered whole-wheat aloo paratha torn open to show spiced potato filling, with yogurt and mango pickle",[229,230,231,232,222,233,234],"aloo paratha","stuffed paratha","punjabi breakfast","indian flatbread","tava","atta",{"slug":236,"title":237,"nativeName":238,"romanized":239,"countrySlug":9,"region":240,"baseServings":79,"prepMinutes":241,"cookMinutes":242,"restMinutes":243,"difficulty":82,"course":244,"diet":245,"mainIngredients":246,"images":251,"keywords":255,"publishedAt":263,"updatedAt":263,"authorSlug":205},"butter-chicken","Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)","मुर्ग़ मक्खनी","Murgh makhani","Delhi \u002F Punjab",25,45,240,[84],[86,88],[247,248,249,250],"chicken","tomato","butter","heavy-cream",[252],{"src":253,"alt":254},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbutter-chicken\u002Fhero.jpg","Butter chicken pieces in a glossy orange tomato-cream sauce with a swirl of cream and cilantro",[256,257,258,259,260,261,262],"butter chicken","murgh makhani","indian curry","delhi","moti mahal","tandoori","makhani 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masala",{"slug":293,"title":294,"nativeName":295,"romanized":296,"countrySlug":9,"region":297,"baseServings":79,"prepMinutes":298,"cookMinutes":271,"difficulty":272,"course":299,"diet":301,"mainIngredients":302,"images":305,"keywords":309,"publishedAt":263,"updatedAt":263,"authorSlug":205},"dal-tadka","Dal Tadka (Yellow Lentils with Sizzling Tempering)","दाल तड़का","Dāl taṛkā","North India",10,[84,300],"soup",[220,86,88],[303,304,248],"lentils","garlic",[306],{"src":307,"alt":308},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fdal-tadka\u002Fhero.jpg","Bowl of creamy yellow dal topped with a sizzled ghee tempering of cumin, garlic and red chiles",[310,311,303,312,313,314,315],"dal tadka","yellow dal","tadka","tempering","dhaba","indian vegetarian",{"slug":317,"title":318,"nativeName":319,"romanized":320,"countrySlug":9,"region":321,"baseServings":322,"prepMinutes":241,"cookMinutes":323,"difficulty":272,"course":324,"diet":326,"mainIngredients":327,"images":331,"keywords":335,"publishedAt":204,"updatedAt":204,"authorSlug":205},"gajar-ka-halwa","Gajar Ka Halwa (North Indian Carrot Milk Pudding)","गाजर का हलवा","Gājar kā halwā","Punjab, Delhi and the North",6,65,[325],"dessert",[220,86],[328,329,92,330],"carrot","milk","cardamom",[332],{"src":333,"alt":334},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fgajar-ka-halwa\u002Fhero.jpg","Bowl of deep orange carrot halwa topped with fried cashews, pistachios and raisins, glossy with ghee",[336,337,338,339,340,330,92],"gajar ka halwa","carrot halwa","indian dessert","winter sweet","punjabi",{"slug":342,"title":343,"nativeName":344,"romanized":345,"countrySlug":9,"region":346,"baseServings":322,"prepMinutes":242,"cookMinutes":347,"restMinutes":243,"difficulty":348,"course":349,"diet":350,"mainIngredients":351,"images":353,"keywords":357,"publishedAt":204,"updatedAt":204,"authorSlug":205},"hyderabadi-biryani","Hyderabadi Kacchi Biryani (Dum-Cooked Mutton and Saffron Rice)","حیدرآبادی بریانی","Hyderabadi kacchi gosht ki biryani","Hyderabad, Telangana",70,"hard",[84],[87,88],[90,352,91,279,92],"rice",[354],{"src":355,"alt":356},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fhyderabadi-biryani\u002Fhero.jpg","Open pot of Hyderabadi biryani showing saffron-streaked basmati over bone-in mutton with fried onions and mint",[358,359,360,361,362,363,364],"hyderabadi biryani","kacchi biryani","dum biryani","mutton biryani","basmati","saffron","deccan",{"slug":366,"title":367,"nativeName":368,"romanized":369,"countrySlug":9,"region":370,"baseServings":79,"prepMinutes":215,"cookMinutes":271,"restMinutes":371,"difficulty":348,"course":372,"diet":373,"mainIngredients":374,"images":375,"keywords":379,"publishedAt":204,"updatedAt":204,"authorSlug":205},"masala-dosa","Masala Dosa (Fermented Rice Crepe with Potato Masala)","ಮಸಾಲೆ ದೋಸೆ","Masale dose \u002F masala dosai","Karnataka and Tamil Nadu",960,[218],[220,86,88],[352,222,279,92],[376],{"src":377,"alt":378},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fmasala-dosa\u002Fhero.jpg","Golden crisp masala dosa folded over yellow potato filling, with coconut chutney and sambar alongside",[380,381,382,383,384,385,386],"masala dosa","dosa","south indian breakfast","fermented batter","urad dal","potato masala","udupi",{"slug":388,"title":389,"nativeName":390,"romanized":391,"countrySlug":9,"region":392,"baseServings":79,"prepMinutes":80,"cookMinutes":271,"difficulty":272,"course":393,"diet":395,"mainIngredients":396,"images":399,"keywords":403,"publishedAt":204,"updatedAt":204,"authorSlug":205},"pav-bhaji","Pav Bhaji (Mumbai Mashed Vegetables with Buttered Rolls)","पाव भाजी","Pāv bhājī","Mumbai, Maharashtra",[394,84],"street-food",[220],[222,397,398,248,249],"cauliflower","peas",[400],{"src":401,"alt":402},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpav-bhaji\u002Fhero.jpg","Bowl of red pav bhaji topped with melting butter, raw onion and coriander, with buttered toasted rolls alongside",[404,405,315,406,407,408,249],"pav bhaji","mumbai street 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sambar with shallots, aubergine and drumstick in tamarind lentil broth, curry leaves on top",[417,434,425,435,436,437,288],"toor dal","south indian","lentil stew","curry leaves",24,false,1787360064012]