Rogan josh, the pumpkin way

Great to beat the winter chill, aal ka rogan josh from Kashmir brings the dish in its vegetarian avatar

The Vale is a land of myriad charms — breathtakingly beautiful, it has been likened to Paradise on Earth, and indeed, for lovers of good food, it does offer many a recipe that let you taste bliss. Its saffron, the first thing that comes to the mind when one thinks of Jammu and Kashmir and the shikara gliding past the ornate houseboats silently or the chinar trees lining the avenues. For us, the aromas and colours of Kashmiri wazwan — the Muslim and the Hindu-Pandit reign supreme.

Some of the ingredients used are the gift of the land and the lakes, dumba (lamb nod kid/goat), haak (green spinach-like leaves) and nadra (lotus stems).

The residents of Kashmir are rice-eaters and prefer mustard oil as the cooking medium. Partial to colourful but mild red chillies that is prefixed with Kashmiri geographical indicator, they flavour many of their signature dishes with fennel and dried ginger powder. The Pandits quite like the taste of asafoetida. Gushtaba and rista are labour-intensive, time-consuming specialties seldom prepared at home and it is rogan josh, which is the staple.

Traditionally, mowal flower or cock’s comb is used to impart the ruddy red complexion to this curry but the practice is dying out in the diaspora with changing times. What is not commonly known is that rogan josh is prepared with vegetables, too, and we are delighted to bring to our readers the pumpkin version. Don’t be deterred by the appearance. Scarlet isn’t scorching, and the gravy isn’t fad laden. It’s mostly dahi! Great for winters.

HOME