Kashmiri lamb rogan josh

Tender lamb slow-cooked in a deep red, aromatic sauce coloured with paprika and warmed by cardamom, cinnamon and ginger, as it is in Kashmir. Rich but not hot, with heat to add as you like.

Ingredients

• 800 g Diced lamb, shoulder, in large chunks
• 30 ml Vegetable oil
• 3 g Cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 Cinnamon sticks
• 0.5 g Bay leaves
• 0.5 g Cloves
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 0.4 Garlic, crushed
• 25 g Fresh ginger, grated
• 15 g Paprika
• 2 g Chilli powder, or more for heat
• 6 g Ground coriander
• 3 g Ground ginger
• 4 g Ground cumin
• 30 g Tomato purée
• 150 g Natural yoghurt, whisked
• 6 g Salt
• 5 g Garam masala
• 10 g Fresh coriander, chopped
• 320 g Basmati rice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole and brown the lamb in batches. Lift out.
2. Fry the cardamom, cinnamon, bay and cloves in the same oil for 30 seconds, then add the onions and cook until deep golden.
3. Stir in the garlic and ginger for a minute, then the paprika, chilli powder, ground coriander, ground ginger, cumin and tomato purée with a splash of water.
4. Return the lamb. Add the yoghurt a spoonful at a time, stirring well after each so it does not split.
5. Add the salt and 400ml water, cover and simmer very gently, stirring now and then, until the lamb is meltingly tender. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
6. Towards the end, rinse the rice and cook it in a lidded pan with 480ml water.
7. Stir in the garam masala, take out the whole spices and scatter with coriander. Serve with the rice.