This time it is a lamb Rogan Josh and if this one gets as many hits as the last one I will certainly make another demonstration video to go along with it.

The word Rogan (according to Wikipedia anyway!) means clarified butter in Persian, while Josh means hot or passionate. And this is a rather nice description of the curry we're going to cook.

Although I personally stoppped using the saturated fat monster that is clarified butter (known as ghee and available widely these days in mainstream supermarkets) a while ago in favour of the more healthy olive oil, you can obviously use it if you wish.

To further 'health this baby up' I also use a minimal amount of oil and get round the problem of avoiding burning the spices by adding cooking stock from the lamb to the paste mixture as it cooks. No doubt some people will be unsure about that, but I have had nothing but positive feedback from people who have tasted it. Give it a go.

The alternative would be to use more oil from the outset, allowing the spices to stay moist during the frying process in which their flavour develops but the risk of burning rises.

I understand that traditionally this curry would have been made with fatty lamb or mutton on the bone, but I prefer to use a nice, lean cut of neck of lamb, which is wonderfully tender and I think not lacking in flavour.

Another thing I personally do in this recipe, because I think it makes all the difference to the finshed product, is to grind all my own fresh spices. This is not necessary though and I include methods for both below.

While this recipe is inspired by traditional recipes I have tinkered with over the years, it has become a bit of a Chris Burton special version and I make no claims as to its current state of traditional...ness.

I've just typed out the ingredients and realise they may look like a long list to the beginner, but if you buy these things they will stand you in good stead for many, many curries and are a genuine medium-term investment for your kitchen.

Ingredients

500g neck of lamb fillet or whatever boneless lamb you can get, chopped into 2 inch pieces
5 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 litre water
Salt
4 tbs olive oil or ghee
200ml natural yoghurt
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander powder or whole coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin or whole cumin seeds
1tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp ground mace or 1 inch piece of blade mace
4 green cardamon pods
4 cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds or powder
1 tsp turmeric
1tsp garam masala
1 tsp fenugreek powder (optional)
1 tbs tomato puree
1 fistfull of fresh coriander to garnish

Method

Bring the water to the boil and add the chopped lamb and garlic, boil these together for 20 minutes. Then remove the meat and garlic from the water using a slotted spoon and set asside. Reserve the cooking water for later on in the recipe.

While your lamb is boiling away, fry the chopped onion in the oil in a nice non-stick wok over a medium heat until it starts to colour - about 12 minutes.

While you wait for the onions, if you are using whole spices smash the cardamom pods with the flat of a cooks knife and extract the black insides, discard the green outer husks. Add these to the other spices and (including the powdered ones) grind them together using either a spice/coffee grinder or a pestle and mortar - make sure to get them really fine.

Next add all the spices (your mixture if you ground your own) except the fresh coriander to the onions along with 4 tsp water and a pinch of salt and the tomato puree. Mix well and cook gently for 3 minutes. If the mixtures starts to look too thick or 'catches' and you think it might burn on the bottom of the pan, add a little of your reserved cooking water. I find I have to do this three or four times, adding a few tablespoons at a time trying to keep a nice paste the consistency of thick tomato ketchup.

Next add the lamb and garlic and sauté gently for another 5 minutes.

Now stir in the yoghurt and cook for a few moments, making sure the yogurt and spices are coating the meat nicely. Then add the remainder of your cooking liquid.

The curry will probably now look watery and needs reducing down. While this happens, the cooking process for the meat and the other ingredients completes and the magic happens.

You need to simmer the curry for about 35-40 minutes or until the sauce is at your preferred thickness and the meat is deliciously tender.

Sprinkle with the fresh coriander leaves and serve with Chris Burton's Simple Pilau Rice, for which there is a full recipe and a video here.

Please let me know what you thought of this recipe by emailing me here or registering and leaving a comment on this article.

Keep it curried - Chris.