Rogan Josh is a sumptuous dish, usually made with lamb, that evokes the magic of Kashmiri cuisine. In this vegan Rogan Josh made with tempeh or tofu you won't miss the meat but you will definitely be asking for more!
There are few dishes that evoke the tempestuous passion of the land they spring from as perfectly as Rogan Josh does.
Rogan Josh, which roughly translates to "red heat," is a classic meat dish from the belly of Kashmir, an exquisite land infused with both sublime romance and turbulent tragedy. When I was growing up in the hot crush of Bombay, Kashmir was where everyone I knew wanted to go to on a holiday. It was the land of icy blue Himalayan peaks, majestic Chinar trees reaching for the sky, and beautiful women in ornately embroidered wool gowns. The land of houseboats sitting on the glossy, glassy Dal lake and of Bollywood heroes with puffy hair serenading their heroines in equally bouffant hairdos. Of fragrant musk, hot salt tea, and delicious saffron, the tiny red stigma of the saffron crocus flower that is so prized by cooks.
But by the late 1980s, Kashmir, situated along the nation's border and for long a subject of dispute between India and Pakistan, had morphed into a seething bloodbath. Terrorism -- and the inevitable military intervention -- turned the idyllic land into a violent one unsafe not only for tourists but for the hundreds of thousands of people who lived in Kashmir. Many fled the valley, setting up makeshift camps in the hardboiled squalor of cities like Delhi, Calcutta and Bombay, far from the heaven that had once been home. In the 1990s, I remember watching with sad horror as many of these camps sprouted up along the harsh, dust-smothered railway tracks of Bombay. Over the years since Kashmir has see-sawed between a nervous calm and sharp outbursts of violence. The terrorism has abated, but not completely so and many Kashmiri refugees remain in other Indian cities, still afraid to go home.
There is one more thing Kashmir has always been known for, apart from its breathtaking beauty and its unfortunate tragedies: its rich and distinctive cuisine. I have shared a few Kashmiri dishes with you in the past, like Dum Aloo, a saucy side dish that takes the humble spud to a whole new level of deliciousness, and these delicious Kashmiri collard greens.
Rogan Josh is just as special as these dishes, if not more so. Traditionally it is made with mutton or goat's meat--an ingredient Kashmiri cuisine tends to rely heavily on. But this vegan version for which I used tempeh cubes is just as delicious. You could also use vegetables like eggplant or mushroom instead of the tempeh, but I really prefer the chewy texture of tempeh in this dish. The recipe also calls for yogurt and I substitute that with some coconut milk and lemon.
Kashmiri cuisine also makes liberal use of a local chilli that is moderately hot and imbues dishes with a vibrant and appetizing redness. Because I don't get Kashmiri chillies at my local Indian grocery store, I chose instead to go with a Guajillo pepper, also a moderately hot chili that imparts a wonderful color.
More vegan Indian recipes
Vegan Kashmiri Rogan Josh
Ingredients
- 8 oz tempeh (or tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 Kashmiri chili pepper (or use a dry guajillo pepper, lightly toasted on a dry skillet until the color darkens a few shades.)
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 5-8 black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ cup coconut milk (or any nondairy milk)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Mix the nondairy milk and lemon juice and set aside.
- Place the garlic, ginger and chili pepper in a blender with about ¼ cup of water and process into a smooth paste. Add more water if necessary.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick or cast-iron saucepan. Add the tempeh cubes and brown over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes each side. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and whole peppercorns and stir-fry about a minute or until the bay leaf darkens a couple of shades. Add the onions and saute for about 8-10 minutes over medium heat until they caramelize into a brown color. You can help them along by adding a teaspoon of sugar.
- Add the ginger-garlic-guajillo mixture to the saucepan. The add the powdered coriander and cumin. Stir well and fry until the raw smell dissipates, about five minutes.
- Add the tempeh or tofu cubes and stir them well to coat evenly with the spices.
- Add the milk-lemon mixture and stir thoroughly into the tempeh.
- Add ½ cup of water, more if you want a thinner gravy. Cover and cook about five minutes to let the flavors mingle and merge.
- Stir in the garam masala and add salt to taste.
- Serve hot with rice or rotis.
Anonymous
its so very nice of you vaishali,to come out with a veg version of this mouthwatering recipe of roganjosh.being a hardcore vegetarian,i could only imagine how would a veg roganjosh look or taste like.but now,being a keen cook myself i keep sxperimenting with spices and flavours,hence can vell imagine the dish completely. lovingly.......mamta
Mark Pyrah
Wow that turned out delicious ,great recipe thanks ,I added some cherry tomatoes just cooked for a couple of minutes at the end
Vaishali
So happy you made it, Mark!
Yvonne Statham
Having looked and cooked some of your recipes, I’m longing to try this one, would almond milk be ok instead of cashew m?
Vaishali
Yes absolutely!
Mary
I myself had never heard KASHMIRI ROGAN JOSH before today. I Was in the supermarket looking at bottled sauces and reading the ingredients on each. I came across this sauce and there was no animal products in it so I decided to give it a try. It had an extremely nice flavor very spicy which I like. So because I do not eat meat I decided to chop up some onions mushrooms peppers and smoked tofu and then I added some chickpeas and spinach. It turned out wonderful so I decided to check the Internet and see if I could find a vegan version so I could try to make this from scratch. Then I came upon your page and read the history, such a sad history it is. It saddens my heart to read such information, at least the cuisine from this region is still alive and well. For people like me to come across and enjoy thank you for sharing I am going to give this recipe a try very soon.
Viswa
what a beautiful lead in to the recipe!! I heart ARR!!!
Doris
Why did my dish not look orange like yours, although I followed your recipe exactly.
Vaishali Honawar
The pepper gives the dish its color-- in this case the guajillo pepper or the kashmiri pepper, depending on which one you used.
Vaishali Honawar
Tikka, I use my own garam masala recipe.
Tikva
That looks delicious, and I'm planning on trying it as soon as I can get some Tempeh. However, I prefer to use a homemade Garam Masala, rather than store bought, and wondered if you could add the recipe for the Garam Masala that is best suited to this dish? Thanks!
Hasita
Thanks for coming up with a veggie version! I always wondered what Rogan Josh tastes like, and now I think I have a fair idea 🙂
Supriya
This came out yummy! I added a bit of paprika and smoked paprika based on the comments about color. Next time I might double it so we have some leftovers.
Anonymous
What a beautiful post!
Vegan Magic
What a fascinating piece of writing, Vaishali! Before I made your Dum Aloo, the only things I knew about Kashmir were the dispute between India and Pakistan and the fact that it's home to the famous chili (I'd had the chance to taste it in powder form and indeed there's nothing like it). Before sharing your recipe on my blog I did a lot of reading about Kashmir and was so impressed. I really hope to be able to visit it one day. The beautiful song/video you shared reminded me of one of my favourite movies, Fanaa. Although not actually showing Kashmir, the Des Rangila song describes it so beautifully through music, lyrics, dance and colours. Your song also reminds me that I haven't listened to my favourite Tamil songs Vaseegara and Snehithane in a very long time, I'm playing them now:)
Rogan Josh was among the first store-bought vegan cooking sauces that I tried, only that at the time I was pairing it with pasta:) Until now I haven't attempted to make it at home and neither have I cooked with tempeh. Your mouthwatering pictures make me want to try both:) Thank you for the wonderful post and recipe. Adriana
Cozinhar sem Lactose
Sounds super delicious! I'd love to taste it!
veggiesara
Reading this post made me sad.. I know so little of Indian history.
Your recipe looks amazing though 🙂
Priya Suresh
Omg, vegan version of rogan josh looks absolutely stunning,cant take my eyes from ur clicks.
jodye @ chocolate and chou fleur
Wow, this looks so wonderful and flavorful! I think I'll try substituting mushrooms for the tempeh since my boyfriend can't eat soy. I'm sure it will be just delicious!
divya
Super delicious !! looks so inviting !!
Manasi
I wanted to see Kashmir too, I have associated it with Shammi Kapoor singing "yeh chand sa roshan chehra" and the other song that comes to mind is from Bemisal, "kitni, khoobsurat yeh tasveer hai.."
The Vegan Rogan Josh sounds great! The only way vegetarians and vegans can enjoy this famous dish.
Vaishali Honawar
I love Kitni Khoobsurat-- that song really evokes the beauty of Kashmir and it was my very first choice but when I went to look at the video the focus was just on the three actors and not on the loveliness of Kashmir itself, which was a bit disappointing.
And who can forget Shammi singing Tareef Karoon Kya Uski to an apple-cheeked Sharmila? 🙂
Rafeeda AR
the curry looks lipsmacking... and yes, that song captures the beauty of Kashmir perfectly... 🙂
Atania
Saw this on facebook - beautifully written! I came home from a long day at work then this post transported me to a different time and place so foreign to me; sights, sounds, smells and of course taste. Is there a chili you would recommend if I cannot find a guaijillo pepper?
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Atania, welcome! You can always use some paprika or a mix of paprika and cayenne if you want some heat. Instead of blending with the ginger and garlic add them with the other powdered spices, the cumin and coriander.
Tikva
Was going to ask the same question, so glad it's already been answered. How much Paprika and Cayenne Pepper would you recommend? Thank you!
Vaishali Honawar
Depends really on how much heat you can stomach. I would add no more than half a teaspoon of each but if you like hot curries add more.
Peter
The listed ingredients don't include either coconut milk or lemon juice. What about using coconut (vegan) yoghurt?
Vaishali
Hi, some of the recipe cards went crazy when I switched to a different card a couple years back--sorry about that and corrected now. I also need to update the recipe--I'll prob make it with vegan cashew yogurt this time because coconut isn't a great flavor in northern dishes like rogan josh. You can just sub 1/2 cup of any vegan yogurt.