Kashmiri · Indian Cuisine

Roganjosh

Name: Roganjosh
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 kg bone-in lamb, shoulder or leg, cut into large pieces on the bone; 5 g salt, approximately 1 tsp, to taste; ¾ cup mustard oil; 5 g whole cloves, approximately 8–10; 3 g black cardamom pods, approximately 2–3 pods, lightly crushed; 2 g cinnamon stick, one 5cm piece; 2 g dried bay leaves, 2 leaves; 20 g Kashmiri red chilli powder, mild, provides color as much as heat; 10 g dried ginger powder, sonth; 5 g fennel powder, saunf powder; 5 g garam masala, added at the end; 200 g full-fat yogurt, whisked smooth and at room temperature; 200 ml water; null ratan jot (alkanet root), a small piece, optional but traditional — infuse in hot oil before adding spices

Kashmir's Most Iconic Lamb Curry — Deep Red, Deeply Aromatic, No Tomatoes

indianroganjoshkashmiri lamb currywazwankashmiri red chillibone-in lambmustard oilno tomato curryfestival dishkashmiri cuisineratan jot

Jump to Recipe

The color of a proper Roganjosh stops you. It is a deep, saturated brick-red, the kind of red that looks lit from within, and it comes not from tomatoes (which have no place here) but from the particular brilliance of Kashmiri red chilli and, in the traditional method, from ratan jot, the dried root of alkanet that bleeds a deep carmine into hot oil. The name itself points to this: "rogan" means fat or oil in Persian, and "josh" means heat, intensity, ardor. This is a dish of hot, colored oil and the lamb that cooks slowly within it.

Roganjosh belongs to the Wazwan — the great ceremonial feast of Kashmir, a multi-course spread that can run to thirty-six dishes, prepared by hereditary cooks called Wazas over two days for weddings and celebrations. Within the Wazwan, Roganjosh holds a place of honor. The Waza version uses bone-in lamb from the shoulder or leg, cooked low and slow until the meat pulls from the bone and the gravy reduces to something almost syrupy with spice.

What this dish delivers is warmth with complexity: the heat of chilli tempered by the coolness of fennel, the brightness of dried ginger, the deep bass note of black cardamom. There are no onions in the most traditional Kashmiri Muslim version (the Kashmiri Pandit version differs). The yogurt goes in slowly and is coaxed into the sauce rather than dumped in.

The practical key: smoke your mustard oil until it reaches its smoking point, then let it cool slightly before adding spices. This step tames mustard oil's sharpness and transforms it into something mellower and more complex.

At a Glance

Yield

4 servings

Prep

20 minutes

Cook

1 hour 30 minutes

Total

1 hour 50 minutes

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

4 servings

2¼ lbbone-in lamb, shoulder or leg, cut into large pieces on the bone
⅞ tspsalt, approximately 1 tsp, to taste
¾ cupmustard oil
2⅓ tspwhole cloves, approximately 8–10
¼ ozblack cardamom pods, approximately 2–3 pods, lightly crushed
⅞ tspcinnamon stick, one 5cm piece
¼ ozdried bay leaves, 2 leaves
3¼ tbspKashmiri red chilli powder, mild, provides color as much as heat
1¼ tbspdried ginger powder, sonth
¼ ozfennel powder, saunf powder
1⅔ tspgaram masala, added at the end
7 ozfull-fat yogurt, whisked smooth and at room temperature
⅞ cupwater
—ratan jot (alkanet root), a small piece, optional but traditional — infuse in hot oil before adding spices (optional)

Method

1
Smoke the mustard oil. Pour the mustard oil (200 ml) into a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Heat over high heat until the oil begins to smoke visibly — you will see a faint haze rise from the surface. This is the smoking point. Hold it there for 30 seconds, then remove from heat and allow to cool for 3–4 minutes. This process removes the raw pungency from the mustard oil and transforms its flavor.
2
Infuse ratan jot (if using). Return the cooled oil to medium heat. If using ratan jot, add the small piece now and let it infuse for 1–2 minutes until the oil turns a deep reddish-orange. Remove and discard the ratan jot before proceeding. This step is what gives the most traditional Roganjosh its distinctive color depth.
3
Bloom the whole spices. Add the cloves (5 g), black cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaves (2 g) to the oil. Let them sizzle and bloom for 60–90 seconds until fragrant. The black cardamom will puff slightly.
4
Sear the lamb. Increase heat to high. Add the lamb pieces in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Sear without moving for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Good browning here builds flavor that carries through the entire dish. Season with salt during searing.
5
Add the spice powders. Reduce heat to medium. Add the dried ginger powder (10 g), fennel powder (5 g), and Kashmiri red chilli powder (20 g) directly to the lamb and fat in the pot. Stir continuously for 2 minutes, coating the meat thoroughly. The mixture will be dry and fragrant. The chilli powder will begin to deepen the color of everything it touches.
6
Add yogurt. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the whisked yogurt, one large spoonful at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition to incorporate it into the spiced fat before adding the next. Do not add the yogurt all at once or it will curdle in the hot oil. Stir continuously until all the yogurt is incorporated and the sauce looks cohesive and glossy, approximately 5 minutes.
7
Slow cook. Add 200ml water. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, checking every 20 minutes and adding a splash of water if the sauce reduces too quickly. The lamb is ready when it is completely tender and pulls easily from the bone, and the gravy has thickened to a deep, glossy red.
8
Finish. Remove the lid, increase heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 3–4 minutes to tighten the sauce if needed. Add the garam masala (5 g), stir through, and cook for a final 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick before serving.