Monj Rogan Josh

MONJ ROGAN JOSH

There are only a few vegetables that enjoy as much reverence as meat at the Kashmiri Pandit dinner table, they are: haakh, nadru and monj. Monj or Kohl Rabi is a winter vegetable and if you are feeling adventurous you must give this simple recipe a spin. Cut the bulbous monj into circular discs and deep fry till light brown – this will ensure the vegetable doesn’t reduce to a mush when cooked in the rogan josh gravy which has the quintessential Kashmiri Pandit spice mix of cardamom, cumin, ginger powder, heeng, fennel and red chillies. An insider trick is to cook the monj rogan josh a few hours before serving – the spices really infuse together and the gravy will gently thicken to perfection.

Recipe

Wash and peel knol khol/Kohlrabi : ½kg
Cut small & thick pieces of knol khol
Pour one big spoon of oil in a pan
Deep fry knol khol until crispy red in texture & color
Add some oil in the cooker
Roast Asafoetida (Heeng): ½ spoon
Add one clove (Laung) & one crushed black Cardamon (Badi Elaichi)
Mix the spices well
Add the fried pieces of knol khol
Cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes
Add Kashmiri red chilli powder (Laal Mirch) : 2 spoons & salt: 1 spoon
Pour the whisked curd into the cooker & constantly stir the dish till the spices release their oil: 1 ½ tablespoon
Add fennel powder (Saunf): 1 tablespoon
Splash water in the cooker: 1 ½ glass
Add garam masala: ½ teaspoon & a dash of cardamom powder
Put the lid on & cook it in pressure cooker for two whistles
After two whistles, put the flame on sim & cook for 10 minutes
After you open the lid, garnish it with a dash of Var masala (Tikki Masala)
Serve it with steamed rice