KASHMIR KA ZAIKA; RICH – VARIED & DELECTABLE CUISINE

Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India as a union territory and consisting of the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947, and between India and China since 1962. Kashmir is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term “Kashmir” denoted only the Kashmir Valley. Popularly known as the “Paradise on Earth”, Jammu and Kashmir is world famous for its scenic splendour, snow-capped mountains, plentiful wildlife, exquisite monuments, hospitable people and local handicrafts. Best time to visit Kashmir is during the months of March to August. Tourists come to Kashmir valley so they too can witness this ‘heaven on earth’ and enjoy all that it offers. During this period two seasons are covered in Kashmir. Spring (March to early May) and Summer (early May to late August).

Kashmiri cooking is the cuisine of the Kashmir Valley in the Indian subcontinent. Rice is the staple food of Kashmiris and has been so since ancient times. The most important and frequently used Kashmiri eatables are: haakh (collard greens or kale), monj Haak (knolkhol), nadur (lotusstem), praan (shallots), aubuj (sorrel), tila gogul (mustard) and gor (water-chestnut). Kashmiri cuisine is the cuisine of the Kashmir Valley in the Indian subcontinent.

 Rice is the staple food of Kashmiris and has been so since ancient times. Meat, along with rice, is the most popular food item in Kashmir. Wazwan is a multi-course meal in Kashmiri cuisine, the preparation of which is considered an art and a point of pride in Kashmiri culture and identity. Almost all the dishes are meat-based using lamb or chicken with few vegetarian dishes. It is popular throughout the Kashmir. Some of the most popularly well-known dishes served under Wazwan include waza palak, rishta curry, safed kokur, ruangan chaman, muji chetin, rogan josh, Yakhni, gustabha, tabak maaz, aab gosht, dum aloo to name a few.

Here are few of my favourite recipes from Kashmiri Cuisine:

Recipe-1] KASHMIRI DUM ALOO

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes- 400 gms, washed.

Water-3-4 cups

Oil to deep fry as needed

For the dum aloo masala:

Oil- 2 tsp

Ghee- 2 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Cinnamon stick- 1-inch piece

Black cardamom- 2 no

Cloves- 2-3 no

Hing- ¼ tsp

Kashmiri red chili powder- 1 and a half tsp

Water- 1 cup

Curd- 3/4rd cup well beaten

Ginger powder-1/2 tsp

Fennel powder/saunf powder ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Garam masala powder- 1/3^rd tsp

Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp. chopped

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the Kashmiri dum aloo recipe and keep aside.
2. To start with firstly, in a kadai heat 2 tbsp. oil and saute ½ tsp cumin, 1-inch cinnamon, 2 black cardamoms, 2 cardamoms, 5 cloves and pinch hing.
3. Turn off the flame and add 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder. Further, add ½ cup water and ¾ cup curd. Mix well till the curd combines well without getting curdled.

4.Now add 1 tsp ginger powder, 2 tsp fennel powder and ½ tsp salt. Mix well making sure the spices are mixed well. Add in fried potato and mix well. Add ½ to 1 cup water adjusting consistency.

5.Cover and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally after 30 minutes, the curry will separate oil and also thicken. Now add ¼ tsp garam masala and mix well. Finally, serve the piping hotKashmiri dum aloo with roti or rice as desired.

Recipe-2] GOSHT YAKHNI PULAO

Ingredients:

900 grams Rice (4 cups) (good quality long grain basmati)

A Pinch of Saffron soaked in ¼ cup Milk

To prepare a good Yakhni stock:

 Cumin Seeds- 1 tbsp.

Fennel seeds-3/4 tsp

Rose petals, dried- 1 tbsp.

 Medium sized Onions, sliced- 2 nos.

Garlic cloves- 8-10 no

 Ginger, sliced 2-inch piece

 Star anise- 1-2 pieces

 green elaichi- 4-5 no

 cloves- 4-5 no

 javitri- 1-2 pieces

 coriander seeds-2 tsp

mutton or lamb meat with bones- 750 gms

1-and-a-half-liter water

Salt to taste

For cooking the Yakhni pulao:

Pure ghee/ oil- 100ml

Bay leaves- 2-3 no

Onions- 2-3 med sized, sliced

Green chilies-2-3 no, slit

Salt to taste

Curd/yogurt- 1 cup, well beaten

Yakhni stock- 5-6 cups, as prepared above

Garam masala powder- ½ tsp

Fried onions- ½ cup

Fried nuts- ¼ cup

Coriander leaves- 2-3 tbsp.

Method:

1.Firstly, clean and soak the long grain basmati rice for at least 30 minutes. Also, soak a pinch of saffron in ¼ cup of milk.

2. Now, tie it well with the string to secure all the whole spices into it to form a potli.
3. Put cleaned and washed mutton pieces in a pressure cooker along with the prepared potli and 7 cups of water. Add some salt, put it on the heat and bring it to a boil.
4. Once the it starts boiling, pressure cook until the mutton is just done. Do not over – cook it. Now, once the mutton is done, allow it to release the pressure to its own.

5.Gently, separate the mutton pieces and the stock. Also, squeeze the potli very well in to the stock to extract all the flavours of spices, discard the potli now.

6. to prepare the pulao finally heat ghee (or oil) in handi or pan, once the ghee is hot, add bay leaves and fry for few seconds. Add sliced onions and fry until they start picking up golden color.

7.Add green chilies slit and fry for another few seconds, then add boiled mutton and gently sauté it on high heat for 2-3 minutes.

8. Add salt and whisked yoghurt and mix, cook for a minute, now drain the water from the rice. Add rice and mix gently.
9. Then add, the Yakhni (mutton stock) counting to the exact 6 ½ cups. If the Yakhni is less in amount, then add some water along with Yakhni but it should be 6 ½ cups in total. For the reason that we are adding a cup of curd, it will also add the liquid to the rice, so we are adding 6& ½ cups of Yakhni stock only. Add garam masala powder, lemon juice, kewra essence/water and mix, bring it to a boil. Allow it to cook on high heat until 90% water dries up.
10. Now, pour the saffron soaked milk over the rice. Cover the pot with foil and put it on Dum for 15 minutes. The Lucknowi Mutton Yakhni pulao is ready. Garnish it with birista (golden fried onions) and serve with raita, yogurt or salad of your choice.

Recipe- 3] MUTTON ROGAN JOSH

Ingredients:

Mutton- 750 gms with bones

Oil- ½ cup

Ghee-2 tbsp.

Kashmiri red chili powder- 2-3 tsp

Fennel powder/ saunf- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Ginger powder-1 tsp

Cumin powder-1 tsp

Black cardamom powder-1/2 tsp

Hing-1/2 tsp

Green cardamom-2 no

Cinnamon stick-1 piece

Bay leaves-2 no

Peppercorns- 4-5 no

Curd- 1 cup thick and beaten

Water / stock as needed to cook.

Fresh coriander sprigs to garnish

Ginger juliennes to garnish

Method:

1. Clean, wash the meat pieces retain a little fat and bones on the flesh.
2. Place the mutton pieces in a thick bottomed pan or use a pressure cooker and cook the meat with a few whole spices as listed above until almost half cooked and little tender, remove the meat pieces, retain the stock as well.
3. Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add in the whole spices add in the meat pieces and bhunao for a few minutes, add in the chili powder, salt and all powdered spices and mix well.
4. Add in the stock/ liquid used to cook the meat and allow to boil, simmer and continue cooking on a low flame for 10-12 mins. add in the beaten thick curd and salt to taste and simmer for another 5 mins.
5. Finally add in the ingredients for garnish and serve the rogan josh curry with rice or Kashmiri breads, some sliced onions, a splash of lime juice. Note- some recipes also used sliced onions, ginger- garlic and red chili paste as well which can be done as well.

Recipe-4] PANEER CHAMAN

Ingredients

Paneer cubes- 500 gms

Oil-2 tsp

Ghee- 2 tsp

Garlic paste-1 tsp

Ginger paste-1 tsp

Sliced onions-1 cup

Salt to taste

Green chilies- 2-3 deseeded

Cloves- 3-4 no

Peppercorns- 3-4 no

Curd- 1 cup thick and beaten

Saffron- 2-3 strands

Turmeric-a pinch

Water-1/4 cup

Cashew/almond paste-1 tsp

Kasuri methi-1 tsp

Ajwain-1/2 tsp

Fresh cream-1/2 cup thick

Mint leaves- 10-12 no for garnish

Coriander leaves- 1-2 tsp chopped for garnish

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the paneer chaman recipe as listed.
2. Cut the paneer cubes and keep them immersed in some warm water with a little salt in it.

3.Heat up a little oil and ghee in a pan and add in the paneer cubes and lightly fry them all over to a light golden color and carefully remove them and keep aside.

4. In the same pan, add in the ginger, garlic, chilies, onions and saute them to a nice golden color, add a little water along the way not to over brown it. Add in the salt, all powdered spices, add curd, cashew paste and cream as well and simmer for 3-4 mins.
5. Add kasuri methi, ajwain, paneer cubes and a few strands of saffron and mix. Simmer for 2-3 mins and add mint, coriander leaves and serve it hot with rotis, naans, phulkas, sheermal / Kashmiri breads.

Recipe- 5] RAJMA RASMISA

Ingredients:

Kashmiri rajma- 150 gms, soaked in water for 4-5 hours

Oil-2 tsp

Ghee-2 tsp

Hing-1/2 tsp

Ginger paste-1 tsp

Garlic paste-1 tsp

Onions-1 cup sliced

Tomato puree-1/2 cup fresh

Curd-1/2 cup thick and beaten

Salt to taste

Cumin powder-1/2 tsp

Coriander powder-1 tsp

Red chili powder-1 tsp Kashmiri

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Kasuri methi-1 tsp

Water- as needed

Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp

Fennel powder-1/4 tsp

Clove powder-1/4 tsp

Coriander leaves- 2-3 tbsp. chopped

Ginger juliennes- 2-3 tsp for garnish

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the curried style rajma recipe.
2. Heat oil, ghee in a pan, add in the hing, ginger, garlic paste, sliced onions and slightly brown them add a little water as needed. Add in the tomato puree fresh and salt, bhunao with all the spices for 2-3 mins.
3. Add kasuri methi, and the drained rajma and combine it well with the spices in the pan, need to bhunao the rajma for a few minutes, add curd and cook for 2-3 mins, now add water and simmer the rajma, cook on the low flame or pressure cook until done, remove check for seasonings, add in the fresh coriander leaves, ginger juliennes and enjoy the rajma Rasmisa with some hot steamed rice/ jeera rice/ pulao etc.
4. In some recipes we also get to see that the rajma is half boiled or fully cooked as well sometimes separately with a flavour of some whole spices and once the curry is ready the rajma is added and cooked for some more time, which can also be tried out. The important part to note is soaking of the rajma which enables faster cooking, while some people also add a little soda bi carb while boiling rajma, I prefer doing it without it in my recipe.

Recipe- 6] CHAWAL KI KHEER

Ingredients:

For the rice mixture

Raw basmati rice- 1 cup, soaked for 30 mins, ground to a paste using

1 cup water.

For the kheer recipe:

Ghee-1 tsp

Green cardamom powder-1/2 tsp

Milk- 1 liter

Sugar- 1 cup or as per taste

Condensed milk-1/2 cup

Mava- 2-3 tbsp. grated

Cashew powder-1-2 tsp

Almond powder-1-2 tsp

Raisins- 1-2 tsp

Fine chopped nuts for the layering and garnish:

Almonds-1-2 tsp

Walnuts- 1-2 tsp

Pinenuts- 1-2 tsp

Dates- 2-3 no

Saffron- few strands

Chandi ka varq/ silver leaf for garnish

Method:

1. To start with choose the good quality rice and start making a raw paste of the same by soaking it first and then adding water little at a time and making a coarsely smooth paste.
2. Now to start with the cooking of the kheer, start with milk, reduce it a little and then add in the ghee, rice paste, sugar and green cardamom powder. Keep stirring it and ensure it doesn’t stick at the bottom of the pan.

3.Keep stirring constantly and as the rice paste keeps cooking in the milk mixture it gets thick. Add in the condensed milk, nuts and mava and cook for another 8-10 mins on low flame. Now turn off the flame.

4. Check for sweetness in the rice kheer and adjust as needed. Choose between serving cups and dessert bowls and start layering the sweet in between with nuts and dry fruits and decorate the kheer with a number of options like chocolate chips, cherries, saffron, dates and walnuts, praline or crushed chikki. And allow the glasses to set in the fridge for 2-3 hours and then enjoy it.

 

---

BRIEF ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DR. KAVIRAJ KHIALANI – CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF IS A MUMBAI-BASED FOOD & HOSPITALITY CONSULTANT. HE HAS WORKED WITH ESTEEMED BRANDS LIKE THE TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS, KUWAIT AIRWAYS AND MANY MORE. BESIDES HAVING SPECIALISED IN OVER 33 PLUS INTERNATIONAL CUISINES CHEF KAVIRAJ IS A RENOWNED NAME IN THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. HE HAS ALSO BEEN FEATURED ON STAR PLUS & COLORS TELEVISION. AN AWARDEE OF THE BHARAT VIDYA RATAN AWARD, BEST CHEF ASIA AWARD AND MANY MORE ACCOLADES MAKE HIM ONE OF THE ICONIC NAMES IN THE CULINARY WORLD.