Rogan Josh

1Preparation

1. Pat the lamb pieces very dry with kitchen paper.
2. Whisk the yogurt until completely smooth and let it come to room temperature.
3. Mix the Kashmiri chili with 3 tbsp water to a paste.
4. Grind the fennel seeds finely if whole.

2Cooking

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot, add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 1 min timer
2. Add the lamb in two batches and brown it on all sides.

   🔥 high heat⏱ 10 min timer
3. Return all the lamb to the pot, add the asafoetida then the Kashmiri chili paste and stir for 1 minute until the meat turns red.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 1 min timer
4. Lower the heat and add the yogurt a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly, until it is absorbed and oil starts to show at the edges.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 6 min timer
5. Add the ground fennel, ground ginger, salt and hot water and bring to a boil.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 3 min timer
6. Cover and simmer gently until the lamb is tender and comes away from the bone easily.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 75 min timer
7. Uncover, sprinkle with the garam masala and cook until the sauce thickens and red oil rises to the surface.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 7 min timer

3Serving

1. Serve hot in a deep dish with basmati rice or naan.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: pouring in cold yogurt all at once over high heat, which makes it curdle. Add it gradually over low heat while stirring.
• Kashmiri chili gives strong colour with moderate heat; swapping in regular hot chili powder makes the dish far too fiery.
• You can cook it in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes instead of 75.

🔁 Substitutions

• Lamb: bone-in veal, cooked a little longer.
• Kashmiri chili: 2 tsp sweet paprika with ¼ tsp cayenne.