Mutton Rogan Josh

Rogan Josh is a aromatic lamb recipe of Persian origin, which is one of the signature dish of Kashmiri cuisine. Rogan means oil in persian and josh means heat or hot thus it together means meat cooked in hot and intense heat. Hee.. hee.. heee... this information is from wikipedia. Anyways I am sure as the dish has traveled so long and reached in hearts of each one of us there will be some changes in the spice and the way of cooking but its true we need a quantity of oil to prepare this recipe since its kashmir origin and there oil is needed to beat the cold atmosphere I would suggest you to add oil as per your requirement. There's no problem if you are health conscious and yet you can prepare this dish with just little oil. Its simple quick and so aromatic that your mouth will start watering as soon as it releases the flavour and your house is full of beautiful lip smacking aroma... so do not think much and prepare this dish tonight and have it with Hot Rice or Chapatis or Breads.
I have saved this recipe from one of the blog long ago and thought to share you the same but I have added ginger garlic paste in my version.

Ingredients:

1. Mutton  --  1/2 kg
2. Curd  --  3/4th cup
3. Fennel Powder  --  2 tsp
4. Asafoetida/Hing  --  1/4th spoon
5. Kashmiri chilli powder  --  1 tea spoon
6. Red chilli powder (according to taste)
7. Turmeric powder  --  1/4 tea spoon
8. Sugar 1/2 tea spoon 
9. Salt according to taste
10. Green Cardamom/Choti Elaichi  --  4 pods
11. Black Cardamom/Badi Elaichi  --  1 pod
12. Bay Leaf/Tej Patta  --  1
13. Clove/Laung  --  4 whole
14. Whole Black peppercorn/Kali Mirch  --  8 whole
15. Cinnamon/Dalchini  --  1 stick
16. Mace/Javetri 1 
17. Garam masala powder 1/2 tea spoon (includes green & black cardamom powder, cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder)
18. Ginger Garlic paste  --  2tsp(avoid if you are making authentic kashmiri recipe)
19. Saffron pinch of (soaked in 2 table spoon warm water)
20. Ghee or oil (generously) 
21. Ghee 1 table spoon (if you are using only oil to cook)
22. Coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:

• Wash and clean the mutton. Squeeze out the water completely. 
• Beat curd with 1/2 tea spoon salt, sugar and 2 table spoon water.
• Crush the cardamoms, peppercorns and cloves lightly.
• Heat ghee or oil (I used 6 table spoon mustard oil) in a heavy bottom. Temper with crushed spices and bay leaf, cinnamon stick and mace.
• Add mutton pieces and fry until brown over high flame by stirring continuously. It will take you almost 5-8 minutes.
• Add ginger & fennel powder and cook covered for few more minutes over medium/low heat.
• Now add hing, kashmiri chilli powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Cook covered over low heat for 5 minutes. 
• Add beaten curd and 1/2 cup boiling hot water and mix gently. Add salt, ginger garlic paste and keep the heat low, cover it and cook until done and you can see the layer of oil separated from the gravy. Stir it occasionally to prevent sticking/burning at the bottom and add more boiling hot water if you find it's becoming dry. It will take almost 3 to 4 hours depending on the quality of mutton. 
• Lastly add saffron mixture and cook for more 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add 1 table spoon ghee if you are using oil for cooking.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Enjoy with naan/parantha/phuka or rice or pavs.

Kerala Style Mutton Roast Gravy

Mutton curry in kerala style with roasted coconut and spices. Its just superb with steamed rice, chapatis, puttus & vellayappams. I am sure you all will like it ,you can make it spicy it all depends on you. Just be careful while buying mutton as some varieties can be so hard that even if you pressure cook it for many times it will remain in rubbery texture.
Fresh mutton should be pink to pale red with firm white fat. select mutton that has marbling(veins or specs that run through the meat.) the fat will make the meat tender and contribute to flavors.


Ingredients:

1. Mutton  --  500 gms (cleaned and marinate with 1 tsp turmeric black pepper powder and salt.)
2. Onions sliced  -- 3
3. Tomatoes  --  2 large sliced
4. Green Chillies  --  2 sliced
5. Turmeric Powder  --  1 small teaspoon.
6. Red Chilli Whole  --  5-6
7. Coriander Seeds  --  1 big tablespoon
8. Scraped Coconut  --  1 cup
9. Cinnamon sticks  --  2 inch long
10. Star Anise  --  2 medium
11. Cloves  --  3-4
12. Green Cardamoms  --  2 crushed
13. Black Peppers  --  1/2 tsp
14. Mustard Seeds  --  1/2 tsp.
15. Saunf/Aniseed  --  1 tsp
16. Ginger  --  2 inch long
17. Garlic  --  5-6 big cloves.
18. Shallots  --  4
19. Coconut Oil  --  3 tablespoon
20. Curry Leaves  --  few twigs
21. Salt to taste.

Method:

• Pressure cook marinated mutton till its cooked.
• On other side we have to make nice roasted masala so first heat a pan and roast the ingredients from 9 to 16 till it releases flavors. Be careful with masala it will burn fast. Once its roasted transfer to a blender and make it a fine powder let it remain in the blender we have to add more ingredients to it.
• Now in same pan roast Whole red chillies, coriander and add it to blender.
• Roast coconut till its nice golden brown, now add about half a teaspoon of coconut oil to it and continue roasting, add the shallots to it along with two or three garlic.
• all these coconut masala along with the red chillies, coriander and the earlier grinded garam masala s
• should be blended into nice thick paste.
• Now by this time your meat will be cooked perfectly also the pressure cooker should have cooled down completely.
• So now lets roast and make it a nice mutton roast or curry its your choice.
• Heat about 2 tablespoon of oil when its nice hot add the sliced onions and saute it till nice brown colour, Add the green chillies, and saute well. Now add turmeric and saute.
• Now add the tomatoes, some curry leaves, crushed ginger and garlic and saute till the oil separates and the all the onion and tomatoes are well blended together.
• Now add the grinded masalas and roast nicely.
• Cover with a lid and roast masala till it starts rolling in the pan.
• Now add the cooked mutton to this and mix it nicely.
• Add a little hot water and make gravy as thick as you like.
• Season your curry with salt and sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of oil to it.
• Sprinkle crushed curry leaves to it and serve hot with steamed rice, bhakris, Rotis or any kind of bread you like.

Mutton Dum Biriyani

So here's another exotic recipe! Mutton Biriyani... There are so many version of biriyanis... This is one of them. I'l introduce each one of them to you...just wait and watch out! I learnt this recipe from my mom... Each time we go to our native place my cousins would eagerly wait for this mutton biryani... More than just cooking its a a fun for us... its like a festival!! We enjoy a lot... even the smallest member of our family would join us and help us... in cooking.... Even today we get together and prepare special items... its really a fun!
I decided to share this recipe... many of us would be familiar with it but try this version.

Ingredients for Marinating Mutton:

1. Mutton  --  1 kg
2. Curd/Yoghurt  --  1 cup
3. Ginger Garlic Paste  --  3 tsp
4. Fried Onions  --  2(onions sliced and fried)
5. Cloves  --  6-7
6. Cardamom  --  4 crushed
7. Black Pepper  --  1 tsp crushed
8. Cinnamon  1 inch long  --  2
9. Chilli Powder  --  2 tsp
10. Coriander Leaves and Mint Leaves chopped  --  1 cup
11. Turmeric Powder  --  1tsp
12. Cinnamon  1 inch long  --  2
13. Salt to taste
14. Oil of fried onions

• Marinate the mutton with all the above ingredients and keep it for atleast 2-3 hours.

Method to make Mutton WITH SOME MORE INGREDIENTS

• Heat about 2-3 tbsp of oil along with 1tbsp of ghee.
• Add sliced onions(3 big one) and saute well. Add 3 sliced tomatoes and saute till oil seperates.
• Now add the marinated mutton and mix well.
• Cover with the lid and cook till mutton tenders. You can do it in pressure cooker but do not over cook the mutton and plus it should not have thin gravy.

Ingredients for Rice:

1. Rice  -- 400 gms
2. Water  --  as much as the rice pot holds because you will strain the water.
3. Salt about 2-3 tsp because the water will be strained and the rice should have correct amount of salt.
4. Whole Garam Masala (Cloves-4, Cardamom-2, Cinnamon-1)

• Boil enough water with garam maslas and salt and then add rice and let it cook.
• When the rice is done 50 % strain the water and let it cool.

Ingredients to garnish:

1. Lemon juice  --  of 1/2 lemon
2. Chopped Coriander and mint leaves  --  1 cup
3. Fried Onions  --  1 cup
4. Fried Cashews and Kismis/Sultanas/Dried Grapes/Raisins  --  1/2 cup

DUM THE BIRIYANI

• In a deep bottom pot grease the pot with some ghee.
• Add the rice, squeeze the lemon juice over the rice, sprinkle some coriander and mint leaves.
• Layer with mutton gravy over the rice.
• Repeat the step.
• At last layer with left over rice and then garnish with above mentioned ingredients.
• Now seal the pot either with silver foil or with pressure lid else surround the pot edges with wheat/maida dough and keep the lid over it so that the flavours and aroma do not escape.
• In a pan add a little amount of water and then keep this pot it and simmer the gas.
• Let the biriyani cook in dum for about 15 min. Keep on checking and add water in tawa if required.
• Serve it hot with any raita and enjoy!

YUMMY BIRIYANI IS READY!