JAMMU & KASHMIRI CUISINE

Geographical Location:        North of India amidst Himalayas – high mountain ranges and valleys.

                                                Heavy snow and bitter winters

                                                 Popular tourist destination for natural beauty

Wazwaan:  The famous Kashmiri muslim banquet is a feast and comprises thirty six courses of food served in order. Specially prepared by cooks known as wazas, the meal is served in large bronze thali called ‘thramis’ that can be shared by four persons (indicates brotherhood). A white cloth called ‘dastarkhwan’ is spread on floor and water basin called ‘tasht naar’ is passed on to wash hands with rose scented water. The food is served course wise in thramis.

 

Festivals: Ramzan, Id, Mahashivratri

Ingredients:   

·         Lotus Stem (Nadroo) – grown in shallow waters of Dal and Wular lakes.

·         Shallots (Praan) – It is a hybrid between onion and shallot and has a strong garlic like flavor.

·         Saffron – Dried stigma of Crocus flower, it is expensive and is used to flavor and colour rice, desserts and gravies.

·         Morels (Guchhi) – Expensive and perishable mushrooms sold in dried form associated with royal cooking.

·         Saag (Haaq) – Type of greens which are cooked like Punjabi saag.

·         Ver – A paste of various spices including praan, dried and shaped liked tikkis and sundried. They can be stored and broken and added to curries to flavor them.

·         Turnips (Gogji) – Turnips from dal lake are large and white and used to make vegetables.

·         Round Radish (Muzh) – These are round white radish from Dal lake used with trout fish.

·         Abundance of fruits (apple, pomegranate, plum, cherry etc) and dry fruits.

·         Cock’s comb flower (Mowal)- The extract of this flower after coiling is used as colouring agent instead of saffron.

Special Equipments:

·         Deg – A pot made of baked clay used for cooking…assorted sizes usually rounded bottom.

·         Samovar – Metallic jug used for brewing tea or kehwa.

·         Goshpar and kaen – A stone and wooden mallet to pound meat to a fine texture.

·         Kangri – An earthen pot concealed in a woven basket which is filled with live coal and is used to keep one warm in bitter winters.

Staple food: Majorly rice eaters but breads are usually eaten in breakfast or as afternoon snacks from local bakery rather than home cooked.

Dishes:

·         Roganjosh: Shoulder of lamb is simmered in a red gravy made with praan, curd, and spices such as deghi mirch, fennel powder, ver and cardamom powder are added.

·         Dum aloo: Small potatoes are first parboiled, pricked all over and deep fried to a crisp outer coating. They are then stewed in a curd based gravy flavoured with fennel powder and kashmiri red chillies.

Rogan Josh

·         Yakhni: Pieces of lamb are stewed in a thin curd based gravy flavoured with fenel, cardamom and dried ginger powder to make yakhni.

·         Rishta: Poached lamb dumplings in a rich  red gravy. The lamb is freshly pounded to make a paste which is then flavoured and made into dumplings.

·         Gushtaba: Similar to rishta, it is lamb dumplings in white curd based gravy.

·         Tabak Maaz: Lamb ribs are boiled with aniseed powder, ginger, turmeric, asafoetida and cinnamon powder till it absorbs all the water. It is then panfried in hot ghee.

·         Methi tsaman: Tsaman is cottage cheese. Hence cottage cheese cooked with fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves is methi tsaman.

·         Kehwa: The Kashmiri green tea flavoured with saffron and chopped almonds.