Mutton rogan josh recipe – this popular indian dish is actually an authentic Kashmiri pandit style mutton curry made with lamb/goat meat. Rogan josh means a rich & red colored mutton or chicken gravy flavored with traditional spices of Kashmiri cuisine. In India, Rogan josh is so popular mutton curry recipe that easily available in almost all Indian style restaurants’ menu. Though it is mostly served with rice, roti, paratha, or nun, however, rice is the best accompaniment of rogan josh as per my experience.
Mutton rogan josh is a part of authentic Kashmiri wazwan, wazwan means “the food only prepared for special occasions”. Traditional Rogan josh is mainly prepared by two different style cooking methods, Kashmiri pandit style & Kashmiri Muslim style. In the Kashmiri pandit style method, mutton/lamb is seared or sautéed in hot, smokey mustard oil and braised with few sorted spices from Kashmir (without onion and garlic). On the other hand in Kashmiri Muslim style, special Kashmiri Pran onion, and single clove garlic is used along with other traditional ingredients for making this mutton gravy.

Today I will share authentic Kashmiri pandit style no onion garlic mutton rogan josh recipe. Though onion and garlic are two crucial ingredients for making any Indian style mutton or lamb gravy, authentic Kashmiri rogan josh is different. Even after preparing without onion and garlic, it is still awesome in taste.
Now come to a few important things we must keep in our mind for making an authentic Kashmiri style mutton rogan josh recipe. 1. Mainly fat-free mutton /lamb/ goat meat is the first requirement 2. Shank, shoulder, or ribs like some special pieces of mutton or lamb are using in this dish 3. The cooking is totally done in mustard oil to maintain its authentic taste & flavor 4. Except for tomatoes, the curd is used to make the meat soft 5. And lastly, dry ingredients like dry ginger powder(sonth), Kashmiri red chilli powder, powdered fennel seeds, asafoetida, and garam masalas are mainly required for making this mutton/lamb curry.
Though Ratan jot or cockscomb flower is mostly used in making traditional rogan josh recipe to bring its rich red gravy. But apart from occasions, Kashmiri people don’t use it in their regular cooking. Even because of the unavailability of Ratan jot or cockscomb to maintain its bright red gravy, I used a pinch of red food colour in it. Though you may easily skip this step.
Rogan josh is a Persian term where Rogan or roghan means oil and josh mean boil in the Persian language. There are many confusions about the history or the origin of this mutton curry. As some say, the ancestors of Kashmiri Waza(or Master chefs) actually come from Persia and came with the Persian preparations including mutton rogan josh. Some say Mughals gifted this dish to Kashmir. However, except for Kashmiri cuisine, the existence of this dish not found in Mughlai/Persian cuisine. Only a similar dish exists in Pakistan as mutton roghan gosht.
As per the tradition, mutton rogan josh is prepared in a slow cooking method, so it takes a huge time. So the pressure cooking method is also advisable for quick preparation of this dish.
Being a mutton lover, you may check my other mutton curry recipes too, i.e,
Try this recipe at home and let me know your valuable feedback in the comment section below.
Mutton rogan josh- an authentic Kashmiri style recipe
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1hr 15 mins
Total time: 1hr 25 mins
Course: Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine: Kashmiri/Indian
Servings: 4 people
Author: Moumita Paul
Ingredients
- 500 gms Mutton
- 1/2 cup Curd or plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp Dry ginger powder or sonth powder
- 1/2 tsp Powdered fennel seeds or saunf powder
- 1/4 tsp Hing or asafoetida
- 1 pinch of kesar
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder(described below)
- 1/8 tsp of red food colour(optional)
- 2 cups of water
- 6 tbsp mustard oil
Making garam masala powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3/4 inch cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 1/2 mace(javitri)
How to make authentic Kashmiri style mutton rogan josh ( step by step with pictures)
Preparation
Making of dry masala
- Take a small grinder jar, first grind dry ginger. If powdered ginger is not available around. Then ground fennel seeds or saunf to get a fine powder. Keep it in two separate bowls.

- Then take the same grinder jar, add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 3/4inch cinnamon stick, 3 green cardamoms, 4 cloves, and 1/2 mace, ground it together. Homemade powdered garam masala is ready for making this recipe. Keep it aside for further use.

How to make mutton rogan josh
- Take 500 gms mutton or lamb or goat meat, pieces must be from shanks, ribs or shoulder. Wash it in lukewarm water and remove the excess water by squeezing it perfectly. Keep it aside.

- Heat a pan on medium flame, add 6-8 tbsp mustard oil to it. Let the oil gets hot. Add 2 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, and 4 cloves in the oil for tempering.

- Once the masala starts crackling or the aroma from the spices comes out. Then add the mutton pieces into the oil, sear or sautéed it in hot oil.

- Then add 1/4 tsp of hing or asafoetida and mix it nicely.

- In the meantime, take a mixing bowl, add curd or plain yogurt, Kashmiri red chilli powder, Dry ginger powder or sonth powder, powdered fennel or saunf powder, a pinch of saffron, and salt.

- Mix all the masala together by adding little water to it and make a smooth masala paste.

- Fry the mutton in the oil till it gets light brown color from both sides. As shown in the picture.

- Add the masala paste into the pan and mix it well with the seared or sautéed mutton.

- Let the gravy starts boiling and slow down the heat to its minimum by covering the pan. Stir it occasionally.

- once the gravy quite dries up, then add 1/4 cup of water, let the gravy boiling once again. Cover the pan again and let the mutton cooked in the masala gravy. Check it occasionally.

- After a few mins when the water of this gravy again dries up but still the mutton is not perfectly cooked, then again add 1/4 cup of water. Again cook the meat by covering the pan, covers the pan till the mutton gets soft as per your requirement.

- When mutton gets perfectly soft, then add 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder specially prepared for this recipe. Mix it well.

- Lastly add 1/8 tsp of red food colour, though that is totally optional. Even you may use Ratan jot too by sautéing 2-3 pieces in ghee to get the desired red colour. Mix it with the gravy. Cook it for few minutes.

- Kashmiri pandit style no onion-garlic Mutton/lamb rogan josh is ready. Serve it with piping hot rice at lunch or dinner and enjoy the meal with your family.

Tips
- For the quick method of this recipe. You may first pressure cook the mutton and after separating its stock, you can cook it by applying the same method I did, by using the stock. Then add water if only required.
- I have used water as per my requirement, you may add a little more if needed. Always add water after every specific interval as I did. Twice I added water and the meat perfectly cooked in it, you may add it thrice too if necessary. Though how long the dish will take depends on the quality of mutton/lamb/goat is used in this recipe.
- Don’t add more water as this dish contains a little thick gravy, adding more water may spoil its actual taste.
- Even here you may add homemade kashmiri red chilli paste too instead of readymade Kashmiri red chilli powder. Then just soak few whole kashmiri red chilli in hot water by removing its seeds and make its smooth paste by adding little water.
- You may have Ratan jot and dry ginger powder from the online app stores, if not available around.





