Lamb Shank Rogan Josh

Kashmir’s great braise — garlic, ginger & tomato

The candlelit dining room at The Drunken Munkey

One shank, one pot, one afternoon. It went onto the early menus and never came off. The saffron in this meal is in the basmati served alongside, not in the braise — what the lamb has instead is time.

Rogan josh is a Kashmiri dish with a Persian name. Rogan is oil or fat; josh is heat — the heat of the cooking, not the heat of the chilli. It is a braise, and a braise cannot be hurried.

Why the shank

We build ours on a lamb shank, which is the cut that rewards patience and punishes the lack of it. Shank is all connective tissue and hard work. Give it hours in a spiced, barely-moving pot with garlic, ginger and tomato and that tissue turns to gelatin, until the meat gives way at the touch of a spoon. Get it wrong and it is chewy. Get it right and the table goes quiet for a second.

Kashmiri kitchens traditionally lean on yogurt as well as tomato, which is part of why a good rogan josh sits close to the meat instead of swimming beside it — yogurt breaks down into the pot rather than sitting on top of it. The other part is simply time, and an oven that nobody opens.

Red without being hot

The colour gives the technique away. Proper rogan josh runs deep red without running hot, and that is Kashmiri chilli — grown for colour rather than fire, which is why the dish looks fiercer than it eats.

It comes off the bone with a spoon, so it can be portioned at the table rather than plated in the kitchen: one shank per guest, and enough sauce around it to give the rice something to do. Order it from the menu any night, or have it built into a private-event menu, where it has been a fixture for years. It is one of four curries that cross over to weekend brunch, along with the Butter Chicken Tikka Masala.

“LOVED the Lamb Shank Rogan Josh. Perfect amount of spice and flavor.”

— Guest review, Yelp

Dietary & spice

There is dairy in it — yogurt and ghee — so it is not one for a dairy-free table. It carries no gluten and no nuts, and the heat sits in the middle: deep rather than fierce. Most dishes here can be made milder or hotter to taste. On halal: our chicken and lamb are halal. The menu now also includes pork dishes — notably our ‘Portu-Goan’ Pork Vindaloo — so the kitchen is not fully halal. If you keep strict halal, tell your server and we’ll guide you through the menu; there are also plenty of vegetarian dishes. The allergy menu lists every dish and what it carries.

Good to know

Is the lamb halal? +

Our chicken and lamb are halal. The menu now also includes pork dishes, notably our ‘Portu-Goan’ Pork Vindaloo, so the kitchen is not fully halal. If you keep strict halal, tell your server and we’ll guide you through the menu; there are also plenty of vegetarian dishes.

How spicy is Lamb Shank Rogan Josh? +

The heat sits in the middle, deep rather than fierce. The colour is Kashmiri chilli, grown for colour rather than fire, which is why the dish looks fiercer than it eats. Most dishes here can be made milder or hotter to taste.

Does it contain dairy? +

Yes, yogurt and ghee. Ghee is butter reduced until the milk solids separate out, which is why it sits well with a lot of people who are lactose intolerant, but it is not dairy-free. If dairy is a true allergy rather than an intolerance, tell your server and the kitchen will cook around it.

Is it gluten-free? +

The braise carries no gluten and no nuts. It is served with saffron basmati rice and butter naan, and the naan carries gluten, milk and egg. Tell us about any allergy before you order and the kitchen will work around it.

Is one shank enough for one person, or is it meant for sharing? +

One shank per guest. It comes off the bone with a spoon, so it can be portioned at the table rather than plated in the kitchen, with enough sauce around it to give the rice something to do.

Come and eat

Lamb Shank Rogan Josh.

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