Roghan Josh

This is, to date, the meat-based Indian dish that we enjoy the most cooking at home. Add basmati rice and a tomato and cucumber raita, and this will satisfy our cravings for spicy food. Not just any roghan josh, but this particular recipe that came with a Wine Spectator email. I always go back to their webpage for the recipe, and I follow it to the letter simply because it works. Now, imagine that they remove the recipe from their website? What willl we do? To prevent such a catastrophe, I'll cut and paste it here --- just in case. Before that, here's a picture of the resulting meal last time we cooked it:

Roghan Josh
A hearty, exotic lamb dish that works well with Malbec
From Wine Spectator magazine

The following recipe is an adaptation from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking (Barron).

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 pounds lamb shoulder or other lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 1-inch pieces fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 11/2 to 2 cups water
• 10 whole cardamom pods
• 10 peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1-inch cinnamon stick
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons sweet, or mild, paprika mixed with 1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt to taste
• 6 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven, or similar heavy-bottomed pot, set over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, working in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Transfer the cooked meat to a plate.

2. Meanwhile, puree the garlic and ginger with 1/4 cup water in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reserve.

3. Add the cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon stick to the pot used to cook the meat. Cook, stirring, just until the bay leaf turns color and the cloves swell, about 1 minute. Transfer the spices to a small bowl.

4. Add the onions to the pot, and cook until golden and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste, and stir, 30 seconds. Add the paprika mixture, cumin and coriander. Season with salt. Cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Return the meat and its juices to the pot. Cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add 3 tablespoons of the yogurt, stirring until combined. Repeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons yogurt. Let mixture cook 3 to 4 minutes more.

5. Add 1 1/4 cups water, and bring the mixture to a boil, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low. Wrap and tie the reserved spices up in cheesecloth, and add to the pot. Cover the pot, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, bake in a 350° F oven the same length of time.)

6. When the meat is tender, uncover the pot, and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly. Skim off any fat from the top. Add the garam masala, and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.