Spice-shy and anti-tomato? Try a dreamy, creamy and mild chicken korma. My dairy-free recipe is a reassuringly safe curry dish you can make with coconut milk and ground almonds. This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
What is Rogan Josh?
Rogan Josh is a medium-hot curry from the Kashmir region to the Northwest of India. The recipe is said to have been rooted in Persia and before travelling to the subcontinent with the Mughals more than 200 years ago. This is where it picked up the trademark Indian spices it contains today. With murky origins come conflicting interpretations. The Persian root would suggest that rogan means ‘oil’ and josh means ‘stew’. While in Urdu, a commonly spoken language of the region, roghan means ‘red’ and ghosht means ‘meat’, or ‘red meat’. Both make perfect sense to me, the former referring to the cooking method and the latter referring to the ingredients. Rogan Josh truly is gloriously red in colour owing to the vibrant Kashmiri chili and the root of the alkanet flower, which is used as a natural red dye. I haven’t used the root in this recipe so don’t worry, there’s no need to seek it out! However, this complex-flavoured dish does contain 10 different spices, ground and whole: Kashmiri chilli, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, paprika, cardamom, bay, cinnamon, clove, and garam masala. The intricate blend of spices is what makes it unmistakably Indian infusing whole juicy chicken thighs and the tomato and yoghurt gravy. Featuring in the top five most-loved curries in both the UK and the USA, you might have enjoyed a Rogan Josh in your local Indian restaurant, but have you ever considered making one from scratch?
Serving suggestions
Our family-style curry feast will always consist of a main meat curry, a vegetarian side, rice and bread. With this chicken rogan josh, I would serve aloo gobi, coconut rice and naan. I tend to make my own naan flatbreads. It’s so easy once you know how! My recipe uses 5 standard kitchen cupboard staples, and they take a minute to cook. The dough will need a rest though, so you should start that before making your curry.
Storage and leftovers
Leftover curry is a next-day delight! The deeply aromatic flavours intensify, and the dish is even bolder. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Either reheat gently on the stovetop or in the oven at 160C/320F for 15 minutes covered with foil. Due to the yoghurt content in this chicken rogan josh recipe, I wouldn’t freeze it. Dairy products on thawing become grainy and watery and this alters the texture of the dish.
More curry recipes
Chicken Curry with Potatoes Butter Chicken Curry Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry Indian Kofta Curry (Meatball Curry)
