Rogan Josh
From Free net encyclopedia
Rogan Josh is a tomato/red pepper based lamb curry dish. It originated in Northern India, and is particularly associated with Kashmir. 'Roghan' means oil in Persian & Urdu, probably indicating the cooking medium (although some argue that it is a reference to red for either the tomatoes or red peppers) and Josh is a corruption of 'Gosht', meaning meat. It's said to have been first made and tasted at the court of the Nawab of Lucknow.
It is typically made with a teacup of oil or ghee (clarified butter), 2 pounds of different cuts of lamb, 1 pound of onions, one pound of tomatoes, a mixture of different spices called 'garam masala' (hot spice) and some other spices depending on where it is being cooked.
The location is important. For example, if cooked in its place of origin, which is Kashmir, India, the tomatoes are added last and aniseed is used, whilst some Kashmiri Brahmins refuse to eat onions or garlic and use large quantities of fresh and powdered ginger in the dish instead. In north India, the meat is cooked in the tomatoes and no aniseed is used. In its place a special concoction of spices called 'meat masala' is used.
It is normally extremely spicy, beyond western thresholds and eaten with Chappatis (unleavened griddle bread) or rice. The Western version is fairly hot.