Simple Rogan Josh

by neltnerb in Cooking > Main Course

2158 Views, 6 Favorites, 0 Comments

Simple Rogan Josh

IMAG0670.jpg
This delicious dish is based on lamb and is traditionally a fairly mild yogurt based sauce. However, by adding enough indian green chiles, it can be made as spicy as desired.

This particular recipe was gifted to me by the owner of an indian grocery store in Boulder, CO. There's only one, so go there to reward him!

The photo has two of his homeade samosas, basmati rice with cardamom, two cashes rolls, and the rogan josh made from roast lamb.

Roast a Boneless Leg of Lamb

IMAG0643.jpg
IMAG0644.jpg
IMAG0646.jpg
IMAG0647.jpg
IMAG0648.jpg
IMAG0649.jpg
IMAG0650.jpg
IMAG0652.jpg
First, roast a leg of lamb with indian seasonings. You want to do this by first cooking at high temperature (500F) to make the fat crispy, and then lower the temperature to 200F for about an hour to bring up the internal temperature.

Seasoning is done by unwrapping the leg, and spreading the Rogan Josh spice paste, garlic and ginger paste, and olive oil in the inside of the leg. Next, the leg is folded back together, laid on the pan fat up, and coated with a bit more olive oil and Rogan Josh spice paste. Cut the fat at even intervals.

When the lamb is cooked throughout, remove and let stand for 20 minutes. Cut up into bite sized cubes.

Saute' Onions, Peppers, and Spices to a Light Brown.

IMAG0653.jpg
IMAG0654.jpg
IMAG0655.jpg
IMAG0656.jpg
IMAG0657.jpg
IMAG0658.jpg
IMAG0660.jpg
IMAG0661.jpg
IMAG0662.jpg
IMAG0663.jpg
Take a handful of red onions (frozen works well and are pre-peeled), a handful of hot chiles (to taste), and chop up into a paste. The amount should be about 1/4 of a large yellow onion in volume per pound of lamb. In my case, the leg was 2.5 pounds, so I used about 6-7 of the tiny red onions along with a dozen hot chiles.

Saute' the paste in about 1tbsp of ghee per pound of meat (I used about 2.5 tbsp), and after the onions are brown (don't saute' too long), add about another 2-3 tbsp of ginger/garlic paste per pound of meat (I used a lot for mine). Let that cook a bit to bring out the garlic and ginger flavors, and then add about 1/2 tbsp of the Rogan Josh paste per pound of meat. I used about double that because I like mine spicier.

Add Lamb and Yogurt, Simmer Down.

IMAG0664.jpg
IMAG0665.jpg
IMAG0666.jpg
IMAG0667.jpg
IMAG0668.jpg
IMAG0669.jpg
IMAG0670.jpg
After the spices are prepared, add the lamb pieces and coat evenly. Simmer for a short time to allow the flavor to soak into the lamb. Add about a half cup or so of yogurt per pound of meat, until you reach the desired consistency. Initially the mixture will appear slightly separated and a pale brown color. Continue simmering to boil off excess moisture. This will leave the lamb extremely tender and flavorful, and will make a sauce of rich milkfats and indian spices. This might take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on how much yogurt you add.

At this point, the Rogan Josh is ready to eat. Best served with basmati rice (usually prepared with cardamom), naan, samosa, poori, and indian sweet for dessert. Mango lassi is also highly recommended and simple to prepare.