Rogan josh

Tamara West

This is a recipe from culinary idol Madhur Jaffrey. You could also used cubed lamb, but you don't need so much water for the cooking process - about 275ml instead of the 425ml. Enjoy the process of measuring out all the spices, making the paste and slowly stirring through the yoghurt. Smell the deliciousness as it cooks.

Ingredients

5 cm	Ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 cloves	Garlic, peeled
4 Tbsp	Vegetable oil
900 g	Blade steaks, cross cut, cut into 2cm cubes (Main)
10	Cardamom pods, whole
2	Bay leaves
6	Cloves, whole
10	Peppercorns, whole
2 ½ cm	Cinnamon sticks
200 g	Onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp	Coriander seeds, ground
2 tsp	Cumin seeds, ground
2 tsp	Paprika, bright red
1 tsp	Cayenne pepper, add more if you want it hotter
1 ¼ tsp	Salt
6 Tbsp	Yoghurt, natural
¼ tsp	Garam masala

Directions

1. Put the ginger, garlic and 4 Tbsp water into the container of a blender. Blend well until you have a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the meat in several batches. Set to one side.
3. Put the cardamom, bay, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon into the same hot oil, stir once and wait until the cloves swell and the bay takes on colour (about 2 seconds). Add the onions and fry 5 minutes until they brown. Add ginger paste and fry 30 seconds, then add coriander, cumin, paprika and cayenne. Add the fried meat and juices and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Add 1 Tbsp of the yoghurt and stir until it is well blended. Add the remaining yoghurt in the same way, a tablespoon at a time, then cook, stirring, for a further 3-4 minutes.
5. Add 425ml water and bring to the boil, scraping down the browned spices from the sides of the pot. Cover and turn heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours or until meat is tender. It can also be baked at 180C. Stir every 10 minutes or so.
6. When the meat is tender, turn the heat up, remove the lid and boil away some liquid.
7. Just before serving, spoon of as much fat as you can from the top and sprinkle with garam masala and some freshly ground black pepper.