Chicken Roganjosh with Cumin & Cinnamon scented rice

By
Prerna Singh
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Without even realizing we get so busy rushing to some place that we sometimes overlook simple things in life. But thanks to some special occasions and festivals like thanksgiving which give us a chance to just take a pause and look around and realize how lucky we are. This thanksgiving I too got a chance to sit back and look around myself. Now if asked to describe how my life is right now in one single word then it will be CRAZY!! That is what it is! Every day is new and different. But now I know what people meant when they used to say that “simple things in life bring the real joy!”. I’m feeling that joy every day with some of the most gorgeous people I’ve ever met and hope this thanksgiving you felt the same!

Chicken&rice

My thanksgiving was, let’s just say full of interesting events and it all began with me not finding a turkey! Yes, we had a non turkey thanksgiving this year and trust me it was not at all bad. We still ate a LOT and we still had a lot of fun! That’s what holidays are all about, aren’t they? How was your thanksgiving? And how was FOOD? Are you already at a point when you dread opening the fridge to find that leftover turkey? Then I’m guessing you had a great thanksgiving! Hopefully today’s recipe will help you come out of the turkey coma. I’m sharing a recipe for Chicken Roganjosh with some Cumin and Cinnamon scented rice cooked with sundried tomatoes .

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Many of you must have heard of a Roganjosh. It’s one of the most popular Indian curries and comes from the north most state of India, Kashmir. It was primarily brought to India by Mughals but later adopted by Kasmiri pandits. The authentic Roganjosh is made with no onions and garlic because back then pandits won’t eat the two and the gravy is cooked in creamy yogurt with a mixture of several spices. The main spice used in the recipe is Kashmiri Mirch or red pepper from Kashmir. They are not very hot but give this vibrant red color to the dish. You can make it with any kind of meat but most commonly used is lamb or mutton. I used chicken. And again I made my roganjosh with both onion and garlic since I don’t have a religious restriction and at the same time that helped make the gravy thicker.

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Then I served my Chicken Roganjosh with some Cinnamon and Cumin scented rice that I cooked in clarified butter and later added some sundried tomatoes to it. That gave my rice a touch of tanginess with some mild fragrance of spices and that paired really well with the creamy yogurt curry of roganjosh. Let’s come to the recipe now.

Ingredients: Chicken roganjosh

1 pound boneless chicken cut into 1-2 inch thickness (I used both thighs and breasts)
1 cup whole fat yogurt (You can use low fat yogurt too if you want but I just wanted a creamy rich sauce)
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup onion paste
1 tbsp Kashmiri red pepper powder (You can find it in any Indian/International store. But If you still can’t find it, just use 1/2 tbsp red pepper powder)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 cloves
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asefetida
1 tsp Madras curry (Or you can even use garam masala)
2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp clarified butter
salt

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Method:

In a bowl mix yogurt, salt, Kashmiri red pepper powder and ginger garlic paste. Add chicken. Mix everything well and set it aside for half an hour.
Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Add onion paste and cook it until it turns color to golden brown.
Turn heat to medium low.
Now add all the spices except the curry powder. Mix it all together.
Add the chicken.
Stirring it every couple minutes, let the chicken cook slowly without covering it. Slow cooking is the key when it comes to making a nice and rich curry.
When you feel that the chicken is almost done (which should take anywhere around 20 minutes), add the madras curry powder (or garam masala).
Cook until done.
Note:- This dish has a thick gravy but if you want the curry to be thinner, feel free to add a little water before adding the curry powder and give it a nice boil.

Scentedrice

Ingredients: Tomato rice

1 1/2 cups of basmati rice
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp butter
Salt

Method:

Wash rice in water thoroughly. Soak them in water and set aside.
Place pan on the burner, turn on the heat and add oil and butter together. Let the slowly heating pan melt the butter.
Now add cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks. Once the cumin seeds start popping, add the tomatoes.
Mix it all together and add drained rice. Keep it stirring.
You will hear a popping sound when all the excess water from the rice is gone. Now add salt.
Add about 3 cups of water.
Bring it to a nice boil, then turn the heat to medium, cover the lid and let the rice simmer and cook.

Prerna Singh
http://www.indiansimmer.com

48 Comments

  3. Hello,
    We love your recipes, especially when its on Cinnamon scented rice.
    These are so delicious.
    I have always looked at your blog for the various pictures and the way you write.Just Love it!
    You have shared some nice information about Chicken Roganjosh with Cumin & Cinnamon scented rice in this post.
    The points you mentioned are genuine and perfect.
    The content completely describes about the topic you wanted to portray with us.
    Thanks for sharing such valuable post.

    Regards
    VentairIndia Team

  7. As you noted, the original recipie is without onion,garlic or tomato.And it is interesting to note that Kashmiri Pandits dont traditionally eat chicken.Since it is accompanied with rice and not bread, the gravy need not be very thick.Ofcourse cooking it on a simmer will make it into a rich, flavorsome almost a thick broth like dish.Lastly the primary flavours Kashmiri dishes rely is not red pepper but rather dried ginger(shonth/sunthi), bay leaves and asofetida.Often real home made kashmiri cuisine will not be as spicy as restaurants make it out to be, but rather mellow with emphasis on deep rather than tantalizing flavours.

  8. Wow, this looks delish, would love to try it! I think I have all the spices but not sure what to do for the ginger garlic paste and onion paste … is it possible to make those from scratch?

  9. I have been looking high and low for a simple Indian rice recipe and with just three, two Indian and 1 Afghan, on your blog, I have found a couple that is after my own heart! Thank you! Making this rice and the simple cucumber + tomato side dish (salad) with tandoori chicken for tonight’s dinner. Now, I feel complete. Thank you!

  14. Hi Prerna, I love Indian curries, quite different from Malay curries I was brought up eating. I find it hard to balance Indian spices, I’ll have to try this dish.

  16. I think I’m going to make it my New Year’s resolution to learn to create curries from scratch. As of now, we rely on prepackaged curry pastes, which while good has limited the varieties that we enjoy. I’m really looking forward to trying roganjosh and tomato rice after I gather these ingredients.

  18. I can’t wait to try this rice! We eat a lot of rice in our house – usually Japanese medium grain but also LOVE Basmati and Jasmine. And this recipe really strikes my fancy. Can’t wait to look around some more. And thanks for popping by my blog as well.

  19. Your food is absolutely incredible! That chicken has my mouth watering and I cannot wait to make it for my family. The warmth and depth of these dishes is such an inspiration.

  21. I wish we were neighbors and I could trade dessert for some of your savory dishes! This sounds so yummy and you are so detailed in your recipe-I love it!

  22. Decided to stop being a silent reader and say HELLO there! 🙂

    Glad that i’ve found you.. now i can stop terrorizing my Indian neighbor whenever i need some good advice!

  25. This rice dish looks delicious. It’s amazing how rice absorbs the flavors of other ingredients when cooked together. The combo cinnamon-cumin and sundried tomato imparts a beautiful color to the rice. It’s making me hungry now lol
    Heguiberto

  26. You have the most amazing photos. And your dishes look fabulous. I think its ok to eat what you prefer during Thanksgiving. And from the sounds of it you had a fantastic time. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  30. Oh I can tell you how I “attack” those spiced biryani rice whenever I visit Indian restaurants and now I want to “attack’ your rice and your chicken! ;p

  33. Sneaking in between my insanity to save my sanity!

    Rogan josh looks scrumptious and I am loving the idea of spiced riced with sundried tomatoes!! we had a turkeyless thanksgiving with butter chicken, chicken biryani etc etc etc.

    a cliche but LOVE your photos and that OLD wooden board. where did you get that from? I am peeking into every trash to find wood 🙂

  35. I’ve never made rogan josh – it’s something we usually order in. I don’t know why really because it’s my family’s favourite. My daughter would love the rice with sun-dried tomatoes too. On this week’s menu for sure.

  39. u know what..i just dont understand this whole madras curry powder deal..i mean what is it, why is it called madras curry. here its a big hype with ready mixes and powders hitting even the high end stores. Ive lived in chennai for 5 yrs and never once came across a curry powder or a curry by that name.. I have never really picked it up the store as well, wondering what its all about. Since uve asked to use gm instead..it it the same thing??

  42. Yah life is “CRAZY” these days and I am so thankful for all these festivals that help us break free from the mundane life.
    It was a non turkey thanksgiving for us too ….. but it was still special and we loved it. I am glad you had a wonderful time too.
    The chicken roganjosh n rice looks fabulous. And once again lovely clicks Prerna.
    Have a great week …….

    Cheers,
    Satrupa

    http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

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