Rogan josh is a staple of Kashmiri cuisine and is one of the main dishes of the Kashmiri multicourse meal, the wazwan. The dish was originally brought to Kashmir by the Mughals, whose cuisine was, in turn, influenced by Persian cuisine. The unrelenting summer heat of the Indian plains took the Mughals frequently to Kashmir, which has a cooler climate because of its elevation and latitude.

Rogan josh consists of pieces of lamb or other meat braised with a gravy flavoured with garlic, ginger and aromatic spices (cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, and cinnamon). Its characteristic deep red colour traditionally comes from dried flowers or root of Alkanna tinctoria (ratan jot) and from liberal amounts of dried, deseeded Kashmiri chillies. These chillies, whose flavour approximates that of paprika, are considerably milder than the typical dried cayenne pepper of Indian cuisine. The recipe’s spice emphasises aroma rather than heat.