ROGHAN JOOSH ( Kashmiri Wazwan Cuisine )

Number of servings : 6

Ingredients :

Mutton or ribs : 1kg
Garlic
Cloves peeled
Black cardomom : 2 - 3 pieces
Green cardomom whole : 3 - 4 pieces
3 pieces of cloves
Cinnamon about 2 inches : 3 pieces

For the Kashmiri chilli paste :
8 Dried Kashmiri chillies, stalks and seeds removed

For the Rogan josh paste :
6 pran or Kashmiri shallots peeled and chopped

Ghee : 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil : 1/2 cup

For the color :
Dried mawal flowers : 50 gms
Saffron crushed with a mortar and pestle : 8 strands

Turmeric powder ground :1/2 tsp

For the garnish :
Green cardomom ( pod seeds finely ground ) : 1 peeled
Salt to taste

METHOD :

1. Heat 1 litre of water and boil the mawal flowers until you have a bright red color and the water is down to 1/2 cup of liquid.

Drain and reserve this liquid.

2. Put 1 Kg of mutton or ribs (champh) in 2 litres of room temperature water and boil it on a low flame for 5 minutes.

Strain the mutton out and discard the remaining water. This helps to soften and clean the mutton.

3. Put 2 litres of water and the strained mutton into the same stock pot with the garlic, black and green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt.

4. Boil this for 30 mins on a high flame. Do not steam the mutton or use a pressure cooker, it has to be boiled on high heat with a loose lid over the vessel.

5. Strain out the mutton pieces from the stock and filter entire stock through a piece of muslin cloth known as peera cloth in Kashmiri or use a fine steel strainer.

Reserve the ribs or meat pieces on a plate and discard all the spices.

6. Heat oil in a skillet on medium flame and saute the pran or shallots in ghee until deep golden and soft.

7. Use a little mutton stock and grind these onions to a smooth paste.

8. Boil the red chillies in 1 cup of water until water is mostly evaporated.

Drain and grind chillies to a smooth paste.

9. Add the chilli and pran paste to the stock. Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and the mawal liquid concentrate. Return ribs to stock and cook on a medium flame without a lid until stock begins to thicken.

Stir in the saffron.

10. Cook this enriched stock until mutton is tender and gravy thick. Adjust salt to taste.

Just before serving sprinkle with a little ground cardamom.