The cuisines of Kashmir have always been one of my favorite cuisines in the world. I have recently been doing many pop ups and food festivals all across Oberoi hotels popularizing the cuisines of Kashmir. I believe that apart from the most talked about Waazwan, Kashmir also has a hidden wealth of Kashmiri Pandit and Sikh cuisine.
The winters in Kashmir are mesmerizing. The whole valley looks like as if the white clouds from the heaven have settled down on the face of the Earth. The dried leaves of Chinar trees add a picturesque scenario to the valley and it looks even more beautiful.
During winters the sudden drop in temperature outside causes our body temperatures to fall down by a degree or so and it is for this reason that our body craves for hot and wholesome food.
The sipping of noon chai also known as sheer chai with kangris hidden under the pherans are the normal sight in winters of Kashmir.
Kashmir has a spectacular cuisine which is an influence of foods from Turkey, Persia, Iran and Afghanistan. The usage of saffron, fennel, tomatoes, Kashmiri garlic known as ‘thoom’, Kashmiri onions called ‘pran’, Kashmiri red chilies are the prominent flavors of Kashmiri food.
Varieties of flowers such as Bauhinia flower also known as ‘Kachnar ki Kali’ are used as an ingredient. Cockscomb flower also known as ‘mowal’ in a special flower that is used to give a deep red color to the Roganjosh gravy.
During the snow fall in Kashmir there are no leafy green vegetables that grow in the snow except one special variety which is known as the Wanda haaq.
All Kashmiris including Muslims, Sikhs and Pandits have undying love for haaq. The Haaq-Bhaat to a Kashmiri is same like dal and roti for people in North. This haaq grows for a very limited period of time and is cooked with mustard oil and Kashmiri red chilies. It is at times prepared with meat as well.
There is a stark difference between the cuisine of Summer and winters in Kashmir and there is a prominent usage of mustard oil in winter as the ghee and other kind of fat will set hard.
Here are various famous Kashmiri Pandit dishes, that everyone savors during the winter season:
Nadru palak
It is a popular dish that is made with lotus stems and spinach. The lotus stems are first cleaned and then sliced into thin rounds or slants. The spinach can be shredded or boiled and then chopped. The sliced lotus stems and chopped spinach are then cooked together in a mixture of spices and herbs, such as cumin, coriander, ginger, and garlic. The dish is typically served as a side with rice. Nadru palak is a delicious and nutritious dish that is packed with vitamins and minerals. The lotus stems provide a good source of fiber and protein, while the spinach is rich in iron and other essential nutrients.
Dum Oluv
Kashmiri Dum Oluv is not merely a humble potato dish, in fact it is takes many hours of preparation and is considered to be the most revered vegetarian dish. Only one piece of the Dum Olav is served on your plate. You need to plead and beg for another piece as these are strictly portion controlled by the head of the house. Medium sized Kashmiri potatoes are first par boiled, peeled, pricked thoroughly and then fried until crisps. They are then poached in gravy of yoghurt, fennel, chilies, Kashmiri onions and mustard oil.
Bamsoonth Vangun
Bamsoonth or Quince has never been popular outside Kashmir due to a limited production which barely meets the need of the local people. This fruit is very popular in Europe and middle East and is used mostly for preparing jams and jellies due to the high pectin content. Kashmiris make a very interesting dish in winters with quince and brinjals. This is made in a gravy of tomatoes, onions, fennel and other spices it is commonly eaten with rice.
Kabargah
It is almost similar to the tabakmaz made in the waazwan cuisine and is made with the spare ribs of lamb. The spare ribs of lamb are poached in milk, water and spices until the bone falls of the meat. These are then cooled down and dipped in a batter of gram flour and rice flour and fried until crisp. It is commonly served with the walnut chutney also known as Doon Chetin. Kabargah is often served during the wedding rituals in Pandit weddings.
Tschokvangun
Tschok in Kashmiri means sour and vangun means brinjals. I am a very common dish in winters where the Kashmiri brinjals are braised with tamarind, tomatoes, fennel, cumin, coriander and fried Kashmiri onions. Kashmiri brinjals are special type of brinjals which are lilac in colour and have a very different flavour to those found in other parts of a country. Since fresh Kashmiri brinjals are not available in winters, Kashmiris use sun dried brinjals.
Al-hachi
During the harsh snow fall in winters, the vegetables do not grow so as a result even the Kashmiri Pandits consume meats in their diet and they still follow the ancient principle of using no onion and no garlic in the preparations. During this time, they sun-dry a whole lot of vegetables such as bottle gourd, tomatoes, brinjals and so on. In Kashmiri, Al refers to bottle gourd so al-hachi means dried bottle gourd and it is one of the most popular dried vegetable consumed by people during winters.
Vangan hachi
Similar to the Al hachi, the brinjals are also dried and stored for the winter season. The dried brinjals are soaked in water until they soften and then they are prepared with onion and tomatoes and other Kashmiri spices.
Hokh gadh
There are limited amount of fish found in the Valley-Trout and Rohu are the most common fish found in the Jhelum river. Along with these the fishermen often catch small fish which are salted and then sun dried and stored for winters. The dried fish is often cooked with onion, tomatoes, fennel, turmeric and yoghurt and eaten with rice.
(Author is Corporate chef at The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development)
