MUTTON ROGAN JOSH

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

This recipe for Mutton Rogan Josh is another I'd misplaced and only rediscovered when trying to clean out my photo folder. The photos are obviously, kind of crappy (they've been taken by my dinky old pink camera which I retired about 2 years ago) but the recipe is a good one so I've put it up. Looking through my old photos made me nostalgic about those confusing days when I was starting this immense time sink.

There's a lot of writing out there on how to begin your own blog and I remember reading some of it before starting out but no number of helpful guides makes the process easier. Still, I thought this was as good an opportunity as any to write down the stuff about blogging I wish someone had told me a couple of years ago:

1. First drafts suck. The first set of photos/ posts you come up with will all suck. So will the second, third and fourth probably. Even the tiniest post on my blog takes much more effort and patience than I imagine it will.

2. Get yourself up to date on the technical toys that'll help your blog look more polished. If you're not good with technology hire/ request someone who is. For photo editing, my go to tools are Picasa, Picmonkey and Typic. They're not going to be able to give you photoshop levels of quality but they're reliable and easy to use.

3. Speak to other bloggers - they've probably gone through the same teething trouble you're dealing with now and figured out ways to sort through it.

4. Do NOT abandon your blog! It's okay to make mistakes, slack, or not consistently deliver quality. Fine, it's not okay but you'll survive. The only thing your blog can't survive is you abandoning it.

5. The number of numbers can drive any crazy. Between facebook stats/ blogger stats/ instagram likes/ twitter/ pinterest and everything else, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the numbers and data being thrown at you. Make as much sense of it as you can but after a while I've learnt to let it go. Sometimes I slave over a post and am really excited about it and the only person who likes it is my mom. Sometimes I put up something random and hordes of people fall over themselves saying it's amazing. Just keep on doing what you're doing. I assume it'll all make sense one day.

6. No pictures are better than bad pictures.

7. Don't become a slave to blog trends. Initially, the more food blogs I'd look at, the more worried I got, that my photos weren't filled with mason jars, that I didn't have the time to get a Christmas themed recipe up in December, that I wasn't putting up enough posts. If you manage do everything everyone else is doing then your blog will be like every other blog. That is not the point.

8. Listen to constructive criticism but know what your vision for your blog is. You don't have to take on board everyone's comments. If people go on and on, tell them to go start their own blog.

9. For those trying to monetize their blogs, congratulations you've just signed up for an impossible task. The more ads you put up, the less attractive the blog looks, the less traffic you get. The more sponsored posts  you put up, the less genuine the blog looks, the less traffic you get. Basically you need to find a way to make money without your readers finding out you're trying to make money. Good luck.

10. Grammar matters.

11. Blogging is a public activity and if you continue to keep your day job you have to remember that EVERYONE (including your boss, colleagues, clients, ex, future marital prospects and basically anyone with an internet connection) can read and judge you on what you're putting up. We still live in quite a conservative society and specially if you work in a more formal work environment you can be sure there's no dearth of gossips passing judgment. Be prepared for all the pitfalls of being a public figure without most of the perks.

12. A lot of people have great ideas but it only counts if you implement them. Also, get to implementing quickly, before someone else has done it and you're left squeaking you thought of it first.

13. Read everything you can on what you want to blog about. There's a lot of faffers out there and your knowledge will set you apart from the lightweights.

14. Ask for favors, for help, for advice, for input, for publicity opportunities. It won't happen if you don't ask for it.

15. Be prepared. Carry your camera, notebook, business cards and other tools with you everywhere you go. You never know when inspiration, a potential contact or the opportunity for a great photo-op will show up.

 

Serves 4

Adapted from Anjum's New Indian

What you’ll need:

1 kg mutton (on the bone or boneless – obviously not keema)

4 tbsp vegetable oil

Whole spices

10 peppercorns

5 brown cardamom (badi elaichi)
7 green cardamom
5 cloves
Atleast 2 inch cinnamon stick
2 onions (sliced finely)
3 tomatoes (pureed)
4 tbsp yoghurt (stirred well)
1 tbsp ginger (paste)
1 tbsp garlic (paste)

Powdered Spices

4 tsp ground coriander

4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp fennel seeds
3 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Handful of cilantro leaves with stalk (chopped for garnish)

How to:

1. Pour oil into a large pan, heat. Add whole spices and fry till sizzling. Add onion and stir till the onions are nicely golden.

2. Add the mutton pieces and stir for 4 – 5 minutes till the mutton colors over.

3. Add the ginger garlic paste to the pan and stir for a couple of minutes till cooked. Add tomatoes and then the powdered spices. Stir. Cook for about 20 – 30 minutes till the tomato sauce is reduced and the sauce starts to release oil.

4. Move the contents of the pan into a pressure cooker, add a cup and a half of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

5. Once the meat is tender, transfer back into the pan. You should have some gravy in the pan, add the yoghurt, stir and bring the pan to a boil.

6. Cook for another couple of minutes (add some water if the gravy is getting too thick) taste, fix the seasoning.

7. Before serving stir in the cilantro.