One of my favorite locations to go to in India — one I’ve been to 5 instances — is Kashmir. Not as a result of there’s a scarcity 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 once 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 instances, and, unsurprisingly, meals has been a significant 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, a lot of whom needed to flee throughout 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 pals — 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, usually mildly creamy, cooked in mustard oil, and flavoured with hing (asafoetida), saunth (ginger powder), and saunf (fennel). It sometimes omits onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Using dry ginger as an alternative 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 fashion primarily differs from Pandit meals because of the inclusion of onions and garlic.
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 outdoors 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.
If you happen to occur to walk by means of Srinagar early within the morning or round night, you’ll move rows of small native bakeries or kandur waan. They’re piled excessive with contemporary breads — lavasa (a comfortable 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 outdoors the Valley. (Picture: Freepik)
No go to to Srinagar is full for me and not using a meal at Ahdoos. It’s not fancy, however it’s the place I take pleasure in a correct wazwan feast, central to Kashmiri Muslim delicacies and tradition. It’s an extravagant unfold of meat and hen dishes, dum aloo, and haak. Ending all of it is a critical problem. Chor Weird in Delhi additionally serves a stunning wazwan in conventional copper trami platters.
The wazwan is a ritual in itself, ready by specialist cooks often known as wazas. Solely freshly slaughtered lamb is used, and meat is rigorously portioned — rib cage for tabakh maaz, boneless cuts for kebabs, rista, and gushtaba. Historically, it’s all cooked over firewood (wir), by no means fuel. One other hallmark of the delicacies is the meat cuts: giant, 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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If you happen to’re eager to strive Kashmiri dishes, right here’s what I’d suggest. Kaliyae is a private favorite: fatty lamb items simmered with hing, haldi, saunf, and different gentle spices in a pale, comforting gravy. Matcz – cylindrical meat kebabs in spiced gravy – is probably not my prime choose, however it’s a staple, like rogan josh. My best choice, nevertheless, 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.
If you happen to’re placing well being issues apart for a second, you have to strive kabargah, lamb ribs first simmered in milk, water, and spices, then marinated in curd and eventually 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 standard too –– iyder tsaman is ready in a curry just 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 straightforward availability of freshwater fish like trout, carp, and rohu, the cooking fashion – 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 kinds, both stir-fried as a starter or cooked in yakhni. Muj’e chetin – grated radish blended with curd, chillies, and salt – is a refreshing aspect to chop by means of the meat.
A particular point out ought to be made from dum aloo, to not be confused with alur dum. There isn’t any 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. If you happen to go to in summer time, look into folks’s gardens: you’ll usually 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 purpose for the ample use of mustard oil or ghee in Kashmiri delicacies. That is meals designed to maintain your physique heat and give you power throughout the chilly, snowy months. The flavours and substances, although, are so distinctive and distinct from different cuisines in India, that I’d strongly suggest discovering a house chef or a restaurant that serves Kashmiri meals and making an attempt it out. It’s excellent for winter or once you wish to take pleasure in some heart-warming consolation meals.