I love Indian food, though I didn’t always. Back in the day, Mom had to practically force it down my throat. Today, however, it’s a totally different story. Whether it’s the Mom version or one of the ten curries I try and cram onto my plate when I hit the Indian lunch buffet, my mouth is always happy. Despite the love, I never really made much of it for myself. As my researching revels how easy all of it actually is to prepare, I have to wonder what has been holding me back all these years. And the same holds true for this lamb rogan josh.
But upon reflection, my answer? Laziness. Sloth. Lack of inspiration.
No more.
The Pandora’s box of Indian cooking as burst open in my kitchen, and there’s no going back.
The first dish in what I’m sure will be a battle for the top spot after the next three weeks is over is this one.
I was texting with L just as I was about to start cooking the Rogan Josh, and she asked if I was cooking Persian food this week. At the time I thought it an odd question, though it turns out that she was indeed right. Rogan Josh was brought to India by the Persians during the reign of the Moghul Empire and has since been adopted as one of the signature dishes of the Kashmir region of northwest India.
There were a bunch of recipes that I liked for this and, since I couldn’t decide, I sort of melded them together and, running with the Persian theme, added a few twists of my own. Naturally.
Lamb Rogan Josh
Ingredients
- 1 pound lamb stew meat
- 1" ginger root
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 yellow onions approx 1 1/2 cups
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 cloves
- 5 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2" cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ⅛ tsp cayenne
- ½ cup tomato puree
- ½ cup water
- 14 oz garbanzo beans, drained 1 can
- 2 TB coconut oil
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- ½ cup cilantro, fresh, chopped to serve
- 2 cup basmati rice, cooked to serve
Instructions
- In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add 1 onion, the garlic, ginger. Puree.
- In a medium bowl, place the lamb and the onion/ginger/garlic slurry. Toss well and coat evenly.
- In a deep saucepan over high heat add 1 TB coconut oil and sear the lamb until brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- To the same saucepan, add the remaining oil. Add the bay leaf, cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick. Fry lightly for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Thinly slice the second onion and add to the pot. Add the paprika, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Sauté about 3 -4 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the lamb, all the lamb marinade, water, tomato puree and garbanzos. Cover and cook about 45-60 minutes until the lamb is cooked and tender.
- Serve with cilantro and rice.
