Spicy Indian: Rogan Josh

This is one of those meals that I make only for myself, partly because it is spicy but mostly because I don't like to share it. I like it cold, I like it hot, I like it over rice and I like it all by itself. I like it! Don't be daunted by the long list of ingredients, it is just a curry blend.

You will need:

2 Tbsp ghee* (clarified butter) or vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs cheap steak (braising or marinating) cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, rough chop
1 inch piece of ginger, grated (peeled)
4 fresh red chiles, chopped*
4 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika (I'm using Spanish smoked paprika because it's also spicy)
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 c lowfat plain yoghurt (non-Greek)
1 inch cinnamon stick (no such thing, cut one in half)
2/3 c hot water
pepper
1/4 tsp garam masala

This is all you need rye chair

Oh right, and this

You will want to use a Dutch Oven; if you don't have one use a pan you can put in the oven and make it a big one. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Heat the ghee or vegetable oil and brown the meat in batches, making sure not to add too many at a time. If you have too many pieces in the pan, the temperature will drop too quickly and the meat will begin to stew. You want browning! Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper as you are cooking. If you find the meat is beginning to stew, remove the batch and let the pan heat up again while empty.

Not too many at a time

And this is why you don't ever want to wipe out the pan; that right there is pure flavour

Set the cooked meat aside. Add the onion to the Dutch Oven and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes.

*I usually use Thai red chili peppers in this recipe but this time I could only find green Thai chiles. It is very difficult to get the seeds out of these tiny peppers, so if you want it less spicy, you can also substitute any other hot pepper; I've used jalapeno and it was fine.

Make your spice blend by placing the garlic, ginger, chilies, cardamom pods, coriander, cloves, cumin, paprika and salt in a spice grinder and grind to a paste. You can use a mortar and pestle if you don't have a grinder, but you will be working that bowl like a part-time job for awhile. I've also used a small food processor, but I don't recommend it either.

From left upper: food processor, spice grinder, mortar & pestle, knives

Add the spice paste and the bay leaf to the onions and stir until you can smell them. Return the meat and juices to the casserole and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Gently stir in the (non-Greek) yoghurt, keeping the sauce simmering. Add the cinnamon stick, water and pepper to taste, stir until well mixed.

Oven ready

Cover and cook in the oven for 1 1/4 hours, checking that the meat has tenderized. Poke it. Remove the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and any excess ghee from the top of the dish and sprinkle on the garam masala before serving.

So spicy. So right.

As above, you can serve with rice, or by itself, or with a salad, it is allll good.