Rogan Josh

Where does the red colour come from?

From Kashmiri chillies, which are mild and intensely coloured, and traditionally from ratan jot, the bark of alkanet root steeped in hot oil. Neither contributes much heat. That is the point: rogan josh is meant to look fiery and taste aromatic, and the sensation people expect from a red curry simply is not there. Ordinary hot chilli powder used to get the same shade will make it inedible. If your Kashmiri chilli is dull, more of it is safe; more of anything else is not.

Why is there no onion or tomato?

Because the Kashmiri Pandit kitchen omits onion and garlic entirely, and rogan josh belongs to it. Asafoetida stands in for the savoury depth those would have given, fennel and dry ginger carry the aroma, and the curd provides both the body and the sourness that tomato supplies elsewhere. The Muslim Wazwan version does use onion, usually as a paste rather than browned, which is a distinct dish rather than a mistake. What is sold in most restaurants is neither: it is a standard brown onion gravy with Kashmiri chilli stirred in.

How do you keep the curd from splitting?

Three habits between them solve it. Whisk the curd completely smooth beforehand so there are no lumps to seize; add it with the pan off the flame and in stages rather than all at once; and stir continuously for the first minute after the pan goes back on a low heat. Full fat curd holds together far better than low fat. Once the curd has cooked into the masala and the oil has begun to separate, the risk has passed and the pot can be left alone.

What does rogan josh mean, and how hot should it be?

Rogan refers to the fat or oil, and josh to heat in the sense of intensity, so the name describes oil brought to a vigorous cook rather than chilli heat. That shows in the finished dish as a distinct red film on the surface. Aromatically it should be dominated by fennel and dry ginger, with the black cardamom sitting behind them. If your version tastes principally of chilli burn, the chilli was the wrong kind.

Lamb or goat?

Either, and Kashmir uses both. Lamb is fattier and sweeter and gives a richer gravy; goat is leaner, firmer and takes slightly longer to become tender. Bone-in matters more than the choice of animal, since the marrow and collagen do so much of the work in a dish this short on other ingredients. Handle the raw meat on a separate board, and get it into the refrigerator rather than leaving it on the counter while you assemble the spices. A comparison with a fully browned-onion braise such as mutton curry shows exactly how much that one technique changes.

How do you know when it is done?

The spoon test rather than the clock: a thick piece should separate from the bone under gentle pressure, with no springiness left. Because the gravy is pale-looking and thin at the halfway mark, cooks often stop early. It should end thick enough to coat the meat, with red oil visible at the edges of the pot. If it is still watery when the meat is ready, take the lid off and let it reduce over a medium flame for a few minutes.

What should be served alongside?

Plain steamed rice, which is what Kashmir eats with it, or a plain naan if you want bread. A simple vegetable or a salad alongside matters more than it might seem, because the dish itself contains almost nothing but meat and dairy, and a plate of only those two plus rice is a poor day's eating. How to build a balanced plate around a rich main is covered in the clinical nutrition course and, more practically, in our note on the balanced Indian diet plate.