Rogan means clarified butter (ghee) in Persian and Josh means hot or passionate. Rogan Josh thus, literally, means meat cooked in ghee at intense heat. This traditional Kashmiri dish is a relic of Moghul rule which influenced the cuisine of the original owners of the land – the Kashmiri Pandits (Saraswat Brahmins). Traditional Pandits use many exotic spices, like Zaffran (saffron), but they do not add onion or garlic to their cooking, instead they use asafoetida.