Mutton Rogan Josh is an amazing curry recipe originating from Kashmir, India. Every curry made in India – like paneer butter masala or chicken tikka masala use a special gravy base made up of onions, tomatoes and cashew nuts. However, mutton rogan josh does not use any gravy base and is simply made from yoghurt and spices. I have tried this in many places; and where ever I go, It has a unique taste to it. The trick to a really delicious mutton rogan josh is to buy fresh lamb. Authentic recipes usually use grinder whole spices to make the curry stand out.

In India, we refer to goat meat as “Mutton” and sheep meat as “Lamb”. So when you see mutton on the menu across the country, it is referring to goat meat. From what I gather, this isn’t technically the same terminology used here, where both ‘lamb’ and ‘mutton’ are sheep meat and the only distinction is the age of the sheep when processed. The meat from sheep under one year is called ‘Lamb’ and the meat of sheep older (usually 2-3 years) is called ‘Mutton’.  Anyway whatever the technical terms are… goat, lamb, and mutton are all delicious and underrated meats here in the U.S.  For this recipe, we used fresh raised Goat meat, but you can easily substitute with lamb or beef (although beef won’t have the same flavor, it’s still delicious).

FAQs on Mutton Rogan Josh

Is mutton Rogan Josh too spicy?

Ideally mutton rogan josh is supposed to be spicy and a little tangy. However, you can season it as per your taste. You can also cut down the spice of the curry by pairing it with some butter rice or steamed biryani rice. You can also eat this with Roti or Pharata.

Is mutton curry safe for children?

If you are serving your kids mutton rogan josh, Please make sure it is not overly spicy. Using a lot of spice when serving to kids can cause issues. Also, please consult your doctor for any allergies they might have.

Can you replace the mutton with chicken?

Rogan josh is usually made with red meat such as lamb or goat. However, you can replace it with chicken. But be mindful about the time you cook this dish as you may overcook the chicken.

What can we pair this curry with?

You can pair mutton rogan josh with biryani rice, bagara rice or even plain rice. My personal favourite is pairing it with rumali roti, some lemon and onion. You can also eat it along side other Indian breads like tandoori roti, paratha or even naan.

How long does it take to make this curry?

This curry is made my cooking the red meat slowly until perfection. So, it might be a little time consuming. Ideally it would take around two and half hours to make it.

without any further ado, let us dive into the recipe.

Mutton Rogan Josh Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ Kg lamb 
• 2 tbsp lemon juice 
• salt (to taste )
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 5 tbsp ghee
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 pods crushed black cardamom
• 4 pods crushed green cardamom
• ¼ tsp hing 
• 1 cup curd
• 3 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp fennel seed powder
• 1 tsp dry ginger powder
• 1 tsp black pepper powder

Instructions

• firstly, to make mutton rogan josh, take some mutton in a bowl. Add some salt and lemon juice. Mix well, leave it to marinate overnight or 2 hours 
• Then, take some curd in a bowl and whisk till it is smooth. Add curd, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, fennel seed powder and also some black pepper powder to make a paste. Mix well and set aside.
• Next, heat ghee or clarified butter in a pot. Add in cinnamon, bay leaves, green cardamom, black cardamom, and also some hing and saute for a minute.
• Next, add in mutton few at a time and cook the meat until brown. This will take around 2 to 3 mins per batch. As the mutton browns remove it to a plate and continue with the next batch. When you are browning the last batch, add all the browned mutton in and let it all heat through.
• Now, add in the curd mix and mix well. Let this cook and brown for 10 mins.
• Next, add in water and mix well. Add more salt if needed. Now bring everything to a boil, cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours.
• Once it is cooked and the meat falls off the bone, turn off the heat and serve with rice or roti.

How to make mutton rogan josh using pressure cooker

• Instead of cooking in a pot, you can add all the ingredients in a pressure cooker for 2 hours.
• Or you can transfer the curry into to a pressure cooker after cooking it in a pot for 10 minutes. Cook for 5 whistles and let the curry simmer in the cooker and cook for 15 mins.
• Lastly, turn off the heat and let the steam go all by itself. Open the cooker and mix well and serve.

Conclusion

1. Any cut of meat will work for this recipe, however, bone-in and shanks halved lend this dish the most flavor. I used a goat leg and while I cubed the meat, I added the bone in the pot for more flavor.
2. Make sure to the whisk the yogurt before adding it to the pot, as this will help it not break and curdle.
3. Adding half the garam masala at the end helps gives the dish an added layer of flavor.

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