Egg Rogan Josh
July 8, 2016

Egg Rogan Josh

Egg Rogan Josh (4)

Rogan Josh is an aromatic lamb curry from Kashmiri cuisine. Quite popular for the aromatics and the tender lamb cooked in a spice blend special to Kashmiri cuisine, it is a very famous recipe. I have never had the privilege to visit the scenic beauty of Kashmir so far, but then have heard and read a lot Kashmiri recipes. Few months back I made a cauliflower yogurt based curry and loved it immensely. Next, I wanted to try out the popular Rogan Josh recipe but then I don’t eat/cook meat at home, so I had to think of something else to get to this dish.

Egg Rogan Josh (3)

And then during our visit to one of our favorite restaurants recently, I saw Egg Rogan Josh on the menu card. I immediately knew I had to order it, if not for anything else but to figure out the ingredients and the recipe. As the traditional recipe doesn’t use eggs, we were a bit skeptical ordering an egg version. To our surprise, it turned out absolutely delicious. And to my satisfaction, I figured out a few things out  of that recipe.

Egg Rogan Josh (2)

On the following weekend, I browsed the length and breadth of internet to match my predictions of the Rogan Josh only to be disappointed. No two recipes were similar and none matched mine. I decided enough was enough and decided to make my own recipe. It turned out okay-ish, but nothing like the one we got served at the restaurant. Any sane person would have stopped their Rogan Josh attempts after the first meh output, but not me. I went on to try it again, making a few changes to the recipe. It turned out great, better than the restaurant one, even if I say so myself. I used mustard oil and got a few tips off the hundreds of recipes I browsed through, and that did the trick!

Egg Rogan Josh (6)

 

To make Egg Rogan Josh

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Print

What I used –
  • Eggs, 3
  • Onions, 2 large
  • Tomato Puree, ½ cup
  • Thick Yogurt/Curd, ½ cup
  • Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
  • Dried Bay Leaf, 1
  • Cloves, 2
  • Cinnamon, 1” piece
  • Cardamom, 1
  • Red Chilli Powder, ¾ tsp
  • Dry Ginger Powder, ½ tsp
  • Fennel/Saunf Powder, ½ tsp
  • Garam Masala Powder, ½ tsp
  • Turmeric Powder, ¼ tsp
  • Mustard Oil, 5 tbsp + 1 tbsp
  • Salt, as required
  • Sugar, a generous pinch
  • Water, a cup or more as needed

Egg Rogan Josh (5)

How I made –

1. Start by boiling the eggs in enough water for 12 mins. Run through cold water and remove the shells. Keep aside.

2. In a pan, heat 1.5 tbsp of mustard oil. Add the whole spices – dried bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Fry for a minute. Add finely sliced onions and fry until slightly golden brown and caramelized.

3. Add ginger garlic paste along with all the dry spice powders – red chilli powder, dry ginger powder, fennel/saunf powder and turmeric powder. Mix well and keep stir frying until the oil starts to leave from the sides. Add tomato puree.

prep2

4. Without adding water, cook the tomato puree until oil starts leaving from the sides. Add thick yogurt/curd along with a generous pinch of sugar and salt required for the gravy. Mix well. On a low flame, cook until everything comes together. Add garam masala powder and cook for 2-3 mins. Add a cup of water and continue to cook it for another 3-4 mins.

prep3

5. Meanwhile, in a smaller pan heat 1 tbsp of mustard oil. On a low heat, shallow fry the eggs until golden brown on all sides. Add these fried eggs to the gravy. Check for salt and spiciness. On a low flame, cook for another 5-7 mins until the eggs are coated in the gravy. Switch off the heat.

prep4

6. Serve hot with a helping of sliced raw onions, lemon wedge for any Indian bread.

 

Egg Rogan Josh (1)

Note –
  • Mustard Oil and Yogurt along with the aromatics like dry ginger powder, fennel powder are very typical to Kashmiri cooking. I would strongly recommend not skipping these. In case mustard oil is not available, regular vegetable oil can be used. Mustard Oil has a slight pungent smell and orangish color that works in favor for this dish.
  • Usually, lamb is cooked until tender in oil/ghee before it is added to the gravy. I followed the same approach with eggs and it worked out perfectly. The slightly blistered and goldeny egg absorbed the gravy a lot better than just a boiled egg.
  • To perfectly hard boil an egg, boil it at medium heat for only 12-13 mins.
  • Adjust spices as per preference.
  • It is essential to cook the onions until golden brown for the perfect taste.
  • I added both tomato puree and yogurt for this gravy. The first time I made it, I used only Yogurt and felt that the gravy lacked body. With the additional of tomato puree, it turned out perfect.
  • I used store bought tomato puree, but it can be made at home too. Blanch tomatoes, remove skin and blend until smooth.
  • I added a generous pinch of sugar as tomato puree can be quite tangy.
  • With the addition of tomato puree and yogurt, the gravy can be a bit tangy/sour. Adjust salt quantity accordingly. In fact, this recipe requires much less salt because of the acidic content.
  • Adjust the quantity of water as per the desired consistency of the gravy.

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Bringing this to Fiesta Friday #127. The co-hosts for this week are Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen and Jess @ Cooking Is My Sport 🙂

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