Topic: Happy Chris's New Rogan Josh Video

[icemanfrosty]

Hi watched this video today, all though another good video by Sam i realized at 6.40 in the video Sam explains Rogan Josh means topping.
I was under the impression that Rogan meant clarified butter or fat and Josh means hot heat boiling which all means cooked in oil at intense heat, That is what I remember from reading about Rogan Josh a while back maybe I am wrong can anyone clear this up or am I am just being stupid  :-X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uie8slNPus

[Secret Santa]

I interpret it as "red heat" where the intense red colour of the dish comes from lots of Kashmiri chilli. Kashmiri chilli is mild so you need a lot to give any real chilli heat intensity. The BIR interpretation maintains the red colour but uses lashings of tomato paste and canned tomatoes to achieve it which completely alters the flavour.

There is also the word "Rogon" which many BIRs use to describe it and that translates as mutton. I think you'll find the real roots are lost in the mists of time.

[loveitspicy]

Then there is wiki's version
Rogan josh (or roghan josh) is an aromatic lamb dish of Persian origin, which is one of the signature recipes of Kashmiri cuisine. Rogan (?) means "clarified butter"[1] or "fat" in Persian, while josh () means "heat, hot, boiling, or passionate".[2] Rogan josh thus means cooked in oil at intense heat. Another interpretation of the name rogan josh is derived from the word rogan meaning "red color" (the same Indo-European root that is the source of the French "rouge" and the Spanish "rojo") and josh meaning passion or heat.

Rogan josh was brought to Kashmir by the Mughals, whose cuisine was in turn influenced by Persian cuisine. The unrelenting summer heat of the Indian plains took the Mughals frequently to Kashmir, which has a cooler climate because of its altitude


best, Rich

[Peripatetic Phil]

There is also the word "Rogon" which many BIRs use to describe it and that translates as mutton.

On what do you base that assertion, Santa ?  I can see some possibility of confusion between "josh" and "gosht" (the latter meaning "meat", and frequently applied to mutton or goat) but I have never before encountered a suggestion that "rogon" might mean "mutton", nor can I locate any evidence that that might indeed be the case.

** Phil.

[Secret Santa]

Yes Phil I was going from memory and messed it up. It was the Josh-Ghosht confusion I was thinking of.

[chewytikka]

iceman

Chef Sams take on RJ is near enough universal Bengali BIR method, i've explained this dish
a few times on the forum, I even did a video recipe as part of the 3rd secret group test.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11733.msg94501.html#msg94501

My home version is restaurant style not TA.
My recipe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms2dqvaNCRU

Sam is Bengali, his explanation of Rogan and Josh are not text book or google but is near enough a normal Bengali take on it,
even though H4ppy put him on the spot and he confused his second reply.

Repeating myself here again:
(  Bengali BIR Rogan Josh is a 2 stage dish or a combined/layered curry.
Here in the Northeast its usually a Bhuna style cooked curry with a sweet/spicy Tomato and onion top.
It is the caramelised Tomato top that defines and separates the dish from others on the menu.
This is BIR cooking, Nothing to do with traditional Indian textbook recipes, I've never known it cooked differently in 40 years of currying.  )

Just to confuse things a little more, when I was working with an Indian Chef (not Bengali) a few years ago,
he explained that the red oil he was skimming off a finished curry had a name, which was, you guessed it "Roghan"
So I have Roghan in most of the curries I make and authentic to boot, because I use Kashmiri Chilli powder.

Anyhoo, kudos to Sam.

cheers Chewy

[icemanfrosty]

iceman

Chef Sams take on RJ is near enough universal Bengali BIR method, i've explained this dish
a few times on the forum, I even did a video recipe as part of the 3rd secret group test.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11733.msg94501.html#msg94501

My home version is restaurant style not TA.
My recipe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms2dqvaNCRU

Sam is Bengali, his explanation of Rogan and Josh are not text book or google but is near enough a normal Bengali take on it,
even though H4ppy put him on the spot and he confused his second reply.

Repeating myself here again:
(  Bengali BIR Rogan Josh is a 2 stage dish or a combined/layered curry.
Here in the Northeast its usually a Bhuna style cooked curry with a sweet/spicy Tomato and onion top.
It is the caramelised Tomato top that defines and separates the dish from others on the menu.
This is BIR cooking, Nothing to do with traditional Indian textbook recipes, I've never known it cooked differently in 40 years of currying. )

Just to confuse things a little more, when I was working with an Indian Chef (not Bengali) a few years ago,
he explained that the red oil he was skimming off a finished curry had a name, which was, you guessed it "Roghan"
So I have Roghan in most of the curries I make and authentic to boot, because I use Kashmiri Chilli powder.

Anyhoo, kudos to Sam.

cheers Chewy

Thanks that makes sense I was not saying Sam was wrong I think he is good chef and I have made some of the dishes and they turned out good I was just confused on the meaning of the dish.
cheers for clearing it up you wise old owl chewy not that I am saying you are old