Pandit style Rogan Josh served with Homemade Naan

Sunday is when I like to cook for my family. A well deserved lunch followed by a nap, well, sometimes. Instead of eating a  heavy cream or fat based rogan josh in a restaurant, I chose to cook some at home and relish it with some homemade naan. Ah, sounds blissful doesn’t it?! 😉

I stumbled upon this  Pandit style recipe from a Kashmiri chef, who also owns a restaurant in Australia. One look at the recipe and I knew I got what I was looking for :). This recipe is so easy and sure a winner! However, I encourage you to save some for the next day to relish it MORE!

Ingredients for Pandit style Rogan Josh

Adapted from “Thoughts from Ajoy”

1kg mutton (with bone), cut into desired size

2tbs  vegetable oil

1-inch cinnamon stick

2–4 whole black cardamoms

4–6 whole green cardamoms

6–8 cloves

1tsp peppercorns

1tsp fennel seeds

1tsp ground asafoetida

1½ tsp dry ginger powder

salt, to taste

1½ tbs Kashmiri chillies, ground

2 cups whole-milk yoghurt, beaten

Ground Marinade

½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp green cardamoms
½ tsp  black cardamoms
¼ tsp  cloves
½ tsp  black peppercorn
½ tsp  fennel seeds
½ tsp  Kashmiri chillies

• Marinate mutton with all the ground spices and set aside for about 15-30 minutes.
• In a heavy-based saucepan heat the vegetable oil and  add cinnamon and black and green cardamoms.
• Then add the cloves and peppercorns and increase heat.
• Add the fennel seeds and marinated meat and mix. Cook until meat is caramelised.
• Add the asafoetida and the ground ginger and cook for 1 minute.
• Add salt and the Kashmiri chillies and fold into the meat.
• Finally, fold the yoghurt into pan till it thoroughly coats the meat.
• Cover the pan and cook for about 1 hour, or until the meat is cooked and the rogan (red oil) comes to the surface. Serve hot with naan or steamed Basmati rice. Serves 4.

I adapted the recipe for homemade naan using only yeast form here. I used the skillet or tawa method. Naan is best when had hot, otherwise it may go hard or rubbery. You could also substitute the refined flour with wheat or any gluten free flour.

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