Kashmiri Rogan Josh

Ingredients

• 1kg bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 4cm pieces
• 5 tbsp mustard oil
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida
• 3 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 2 tbsp saunf (ground fennel seed)
• 1.5 tsp sonth (dry ginger powder)
• 300g plain yoghurt, whisked smooth
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 600ml hot water
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ratan jot oil, or a pinch of ratan jot steeped in 2 tbsp hot ghee (optional)

Before you cook

• Pat the lamb pieces completely dry with kitchen paper.
• Whisk the yoghurt with a fork until it is smooth and pourable, with no lumps.
• Mix the Kashmiri chilli powder with 4 tbsp cold water to make a loose paste, which stops it burning later.
• Measure out the fennel and dry ginger powders together.

Steps

1. Heat the mustard oil in a heavy casserole until it just starts to smoke, then turn the heat down to medium.
2. Add the ghee, then the green and black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves and let them foam for 30 seconds.
3. Add the asafoetida and immediately add the lamb pieces.
4. Brown the lamb for 10 minutes, turning the pieces, until they are sealed and lightly coloured all over.
5. Turn the heat to low and pour in the whisked yoghurt while stirring constantly so it does not split.
6. Keep stirring for 5 minutes until the yoghurt tightens around the meat and no longer looks raw.
7. Stir in the chilli paste and cook for 3 minutes until the oil at the edges runs red.
8. Add the ground fennel, dry ginger and salt and cook for another 2 minutes.
9. Pour in the hot water, bring to a gentle simmer and cover the pot.
10. Cook on the lowest heat for 75 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the lamb pulls away from the bone.
11. Uncover and simmer for 10 minutes more so the gravy reduces to a thin sauce with red oil floating on top.
12. Stir in the garam masala and the ratan jot oil if using.
13. Rest the pot off the heat for 10 minutes, then serve with plain basmati rice.