This is a post about a Traditional Curry.

Following the posted link to Mrs Singh's naan the other day led me to find her online recipe for Rogan Josh. I was disappointed to find that it uses her own commercial blend of Rogan Josh Spice.  I have had some very nice Rogan Josh dishes before and some very ordinary ones (using packet masala).  I have tried the 2 pan method and once contacted an author to ask if there was a mistake as the dish in her book was very plain. She sent me an improved / updated version which was much better.

I've long been interested in Rogan Josh so this morning I decided to research the dish and found some very interesting "facts".  Some links follow that show great promise of creating authentic Kashmiri Rogan Josh and that is my goal for today, and another day in the near future since there are 2 versions.  One standout thing was a reference to the "awful fake versions served in restaurants", and others being that Kashmiri Rogan Josh does not contain any tomatoes and that it "is not a burn your tongue off dish".  So often the dish that is being sold as Rogan Josh in restaurants probably isn't.  I wont list all of the points but it's there to read if you wish.

Today I am trying the Muslim Waza's version from this site, http://www.taradeshpande.in/rogan-josh-ghulam-wazas-kashmiri-mutton-curry/ as closely as possible with ingredient substitutes for regional availability. 

At some point I will try the Hindu (Pandit) version as well. It contains no garlic or onion and uses yogurt among other differences, one of which is the tempering of spices in oil which the Waza version does not include. A recipe for the Hindu version isn't provided on that site but this one looks to be close to what I'm looking for.  http://maunikagowardhan.co.uk/cook-in-a-curry/lamb-rogan-josh/  It doesn't really temper the spices so I'll look into this a bit further.  Everything else appears to fit.

PS.  Mrs Singh's Rogan Josh Spice Blend has some pretty encouraging reviews.  Not really available to me.  Does her book recipe also use the blend or are individual spices listed?  I've found a few different homemade RJ spice blends so maybe something for the future.

Kashmiri cuisine is very distinct. They often use something called "Spice cakes". You might get them in the UK, but you can also make your own. Got this simply produced cookbook by some kashmiri houswife some years ago, will take a look at the recipe there. Will also send you a PM now, with Singh's recipes (two included, no ready-made masalas).

edit: Found the web-presence of the kashmiri book. Here's the recipe (uses a pressure-cooker though):

http://koshursaal.com/spicy-lamb-roganjosh/

Thanks Chonk. I'll check all that out.  Interesting that according to Mrs Singh the basic (Indian) version has a small amount of Tomato where the Kashmiri versions don't have any.  This means the restaurant dishes could still be a form of RJ although probably quite different to the Traditional.  According to what I read earlier her Kashmiri recipe is a Hindu (Pandit) version.

The linked recipe appears to be another Hindu (Pandit) version with ginger and yogurt but no garlic or onion.  Very good to see and I now have a good point to start.  I'll be doing the Muslim (Waza) Kashmir version tonight.

I saw a really good recipe for the Kashmiri Spice cakes the other day but I can't remember were.  Found it. I knew I'd seen it recently and it too was on the Set Up My Hotel site.  No 19 on this page.   
https://setupmyhotel.com/train-my-hotel-staff/chef-training/705-basic-indian-masala-and-pastes.html
There are plenty of others though and I already have Bassar (or however it's spelled) but none of the recipes I've seen refer to either.  I guess it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to make a Rogan Josh recipe up from this.

Quote from: livo on June 18, 2020, 02:13 AM
Mrs Singh's Rogan Josh Spice Blend has some pretty encouraging reviews.  Not really available to me. 

I can post you one (it is very light, so won't cost the earth to post) but will Australia allow it in ?

QuoteDoes her book recipe also use the blend or are individual spices listed?  I've found a few different homemade RJ spice blends so maybe something for the future.

Yes, her book pre-dates the "monetisation" of her good name and well-deserved reputation by her descendants.  Which is not to say that the Mrs Balbir Singh spice blends are not good (I use her garama masala all the time), but I only buy them when I can get at least 30% off ...  Her tandoori mix is the next one I am planning to try

Thanks for the offer Phil but I think I'll manage without it.  The only negative I read in the reviews was the small size of the tin and being unable to purchase refills.

After 2 hours 45 minutes the waza's Muslim Rogan Josh using 600 g of boned shank meat is done.  Very nice and I'm sure it will be better after a rest for tomorrow's dinner.  The lamb is fall apart tender and tastes very natural. Next time I'll use lamb on the bone and reduce the water to about 2/3 volume as it's still quite wet even though I pro-rata reduced for the reduced amount of lamb.  I'm thinking forequarter chops or possibly even shanks on the bone might be good.

Next week I'll be trying the Kashmiri Hindu version followed by Mrs Singh's basic Indian style with tomato, then BIR style.

Well this curry really appreciated the 4 day rest in the fridge.  Absolutely amazing flavours.

Here it is heating up and ready to serve.  I have about 5 of the little single serve bowls full left in the container.

That looks really nice (and it is not often I say that)

You wont regret it Phil but a tip about the Kashmiri Chilli Paste.  It says to use 8 for 1 kg of lamb with seeds and stalks removed.  I am not 100% convinced that the Chillis sold as Kashmiri out here are truly that, ie; mild and used mainly for colour.  (Another discussion to be had as I feel they may well be Byadgi). Mrs L is not a hot curry eater so I reduced my Chillis down to only 2 for 600 g of lamb meat.  I would not increase it next time, but you may prefer a bit of heat and you may actually have the real deal Kashmiri Chilli.  If that were the case I should have used at least 5.

I would imagine that this dish could be made using an appropriate amount of a Kashmiri Masala Paste or Spice Cake (Veri Masala) instead of the stated Kashmiri Chilli paste.

I posted a number of Rogan Josh recipes in the