One of my favorite locations to go to in India — one I’ve been to 5 occasions — is Kashmir. Not as a result of there’s an absence of different vacation choices, however merely due to the state’s pristine magnificence, extremely hospitable folks, and scrumptious meals. My first journey to Kashmir was a household trip after I was 12, simply earlier than militancy struck. At that time, it actually felt like paradise: cool, crisp air, apple orchards, rolling inexperienced mountains, and streams so clear we drank instantly from them. Over the past decade, I’ve returned a number of occasions, and, unsurprisingly, meals has been a serious a part of my travels.
Kashmiri delicacies — Pandit and Muslim — could be very totally different from typical North Indian fare. Kashmiri Pandits are the area’s native inhabitants, lots of whom needed to flee through the exodus and resettled in cities like Delhi, Jammu, Lucknow, Allahabad, and Calcutta. Rising up in Calcutta, I had a number of Kashmiri Pandit college buddies — the Atals, Tankhas, Ganjus — whose moms launched us to their conventional delicacies from an early age.
Kashmiri Pandit delicacies is wealthy, dangerously crimson, however not spicy, typically mildly creamy, cooked in mustard oil, and flavoured with hing (asafoetida), saunth (ginger powder), and saunf (fennel). It sometimes omits onions, garlic, and tomatoes. The usage of dry ginger as a substitute of contemporary comes from its restricted availability within the Valley. The generally encountered “Kashmiri meals” in eating places is Kashmiri Muslim delicacies, formed by Mughal and Afghan influences, and by travellers, saints, and students from Central Asia and Persia who left their mark on Kashmir’s culinary historical past. The Muslim type primarily differs from Pandit meals as a result of inclusion of onions and garlic.
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Staples embody rice (batt’e) and yoghurt (zamut dod), each central to meals in Pandit and Muslim households. The wealthy crimson of rogan josh comes from dried Kashmiri chillies – bigger, milder cousins of what we’re used to exterior the Valley – extra paprika than fiery crimson chilli. Once I tried to make Kashmiri haak (collard greens), I got here throughout ver, a crimson spice cake made with chillies, methi (fenugreek), and different spices. You crumble it into the greens as they cook dinner in water. That’s what brings the dish to life.
For those who occur to walk by Srinagar early within the morning or round night, you’ll cross rows of small native bakeries or kandur waan. They’re piled excessive with contemporary breads — lavasa (a tender naan with Afghan roots), kulcha (to not be confused with the Punjabi model; this one’s biscuit-like with a savoury-sweet contact), katlam (a Kashmiri model of puff pastry, my private favorite), and tel vor (a sourdough, oven-baked bagel). These are breakfast staples or night tea companions.
The wealthy crimson of rogan josh comes from dried Kashmiri chillies – bigger, milder cousins of what we’re used to exterior the Valley. (Picture: Freepik)
No go to to Srinagar is full for me and not using a meal at Ahdoos. It’s not fancy, but it surely’s the place I bask in a correct wazwan feast, central to Kashmiri Muslim delicacies and tradition. It’s an extravagant unfold of meat and rooster dishes, dum aloo, and haak. Ending all of it is a severe problem. Chor Weird in Delhi additionally serves a beautiful wazwan in conventional copper trami platters.
The wazwan is a ritual in itself, ready by specialist cooks referred to as wazas. Solely freshly slaughtered lamb is used, and meat is fastidiously portioned — rib cage for tabakh maaz, boneless cuts for kebabs, rista, and gushtaba. Historically, it’s all cooked over firewood (wir), by no means gasoline. One other hallmark of the delicacies is the meat cuts: massive, fatty chunks are prized, by no means small delicate items. You’ll discover this in dishes like rogan josh or yakhni, the fats provides a depth of flavour you merely can’t replicate in any other case.
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For those who’re eager to attempt Kashmiri dishes, right here’s what I’d advocate. Kaliyae is a private favorite: fatty lamb items simmered with hing, haldi, saunf, and different delicate spices in a pale, comforting gravy. Matcz – cylindrical meat kebabs in spiced gravy – might not be my prime choose, but it surely’s a staple, like rogan josh. My best choice, nonetheless, is yakhni or yakhin, a fragile yoghurt-based curry flavoured with fennel and hing, made with sautéed lamb chops. Its subtlety makes it much more interesting to me than the daring, crimson rogan josh.
For those who’re placing well being issues apart for a second, it’s essential to attempt kabargah, lamb ribs first simmered in milk, water, and spices, then marinated in curd and at last deep-fried in ghee. Unapologetically indulgent.
Vegetarians even have slim pickings on the subject of Kashmiri delicacies. And I’ve by no means been a fan of the vegetarian meals in Kashmir, however the Pandits do swear by their vegetarian fare. Tsok wangun, which interprets to “tangy brinjal” is ready with pink, lengthy brinjals deep-fried and tempered with hing, after which flavoured with tamarind or lemon and fennel powder.
The one vegetarian preparation I frequently cook dinner is haakh and monje haakh. Haakh te batt’e (greens and rice) is a staple pairing: collard greens or knol-khol (kohlrabi) merely steamed with chillies and hing. It’s served alongside lavish meals, offering a wanted counterpoint to the richness. Cottage cheese (tsaman) is in style too –– iyder tsaman is ready in a curry much like kaliyae.
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That is additionally the one delicacies the place I don’t just like the fish preparations. Regardless of the simple availability of freshwater fish like trout, carp, and rohu, the cooking type – deep-frying and stewing in heavy gravies – tends to overwhelm the fish’s pure flavour. For example, mujje gaad (with turnip) or gaade nadur (with lotus stem) are closely spiced and cooked in oil-rich sauces.
Lotus stem (nadir) is extra palatable in different varieties, both stir-fried as a starter or cooked in yakhni. Muj’e chetin – grated radish combined with curd, chillies, and salt – is a refreshing aspect to chop by the meat.
A particular point out needs to be product of dum aloo, to not be confused with alur dum. There is no such thing as a feast I’ve been served, at a restaurant or at a house, with out the dul alu/olav making an look. Potatoes are boiled, peeled, deep-fried in mustard oil, after which cooked in a thick crimson gravy seasoned with fennel and asafoetida.
Given the cruel winters in Kashmir, there’s a convention of sun-drying greens and fruits. For those who go to in summer season, look into folks’s gardens: you’ll typically see tomatoes, brinjals, apples, quince, plums, turnips, gourds, and even fish strung collectively in garlands to be preserved for the chilly months.
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There’s a motive for the ample use of mustard oil or ghee in Kashmiri delicacies. That is meals designed to maintain your physique heat and offer you power through the chilly, snowy months. The flavours and components, although, are so distinctive and distinct from different cuisines in India, that I’d strongly advocate discovering a house chef or a restaurant that serves Kashmiri meals and making an attempt it out. It’s good for winter or once you wish to bask in some heart-warming consolation meals.
