KASHMIR CUISINE

KASHMIR CUISINE

INTRODUCTION

The history of modern Kashmiri cuisine can be traced back to the fifteenth century invasion of India by Timur, and the migration of 1700 skilled woodcarvers, weavers, architects, calligraphers and cooks from Samarkand to the valley of Kashmir. The descendants of these cooks, the Wazas, are the master chefs of Kashmir. The ancient epic of Kashmir, namely the Nilmatapurana informs us that Kashmiris were heavy meat eaters. This habit persists in today's Kashmir.

Kashmiri cuisine has evolved over hundreds of years. The first major influence was the food of the Kashmiri Buddhists and Kashmiri Pandits. The cuisine was then influenced by the cultures, which arrived with the invasion of Kashmir by Timur, from the region of modern Uzbekistan. Subsequently it has been influenced by the cuisines of Central Asia, Persia and Northern India. Mughals had a great influence on the cooking of Meat Dishes and different Puloa’s.

SALIENT FEATURES OF KASHMIRI CUISINE

The food of Jammu and Kashmir differs from region to region with the Hindus Dogra’s of Jammu are predominantly vegetarian and eat a staple diet of rice, wheat and beans. The Ladakhi’s eat rice, wheat, millet, locally produced vegetables and fruits, goat meat and dairy products made from yak milk.  The Kashmiri cuisine is essentially meat-based while the eating habits of the Hindu and Muslim Kashmiris differ in its use of certain spices and the prohibition of beef for the Hindus. The seasons and availability of fresh produce dictates the ingredients, some of which are dried and used in the winter months. 

·      The population mainly consists of Muslims and Kashmiri Pandit’s (Brahmins who eat meat but surprisingly do not include onion and garlic in their food).

·    Rice forms an important part of Kashmiri Food. In fact it is the main staple. It is consumed in many forms such as zarda pulao as dessert to barian for breakfast.

·      Wheat is also grown in Kashmir.

·    Non-vegetarian food like mutton, chicken, fish, etc. forms an important part of Kashmiri cuisine. Kashmiri’s combine vegetables and non-veg in the same dish.

·      Kashmiri food is a blend or a cultural mix of Indian, Iranian and Afghani cuisine which in turn gave rise to the traditional 'wazwan' style of cooking which is mostly non-vegetarian, especially lamb, and is cooked in a lot of spices.

·      The breads of Kashmir have an influence of Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

·      Curd plays an important role in the cuisine and it is used in almost all meat dishes

·      Spices give special taste and aroma to the food.

·   Asafotida (Hing) is used to temper food. Dried ginger powder, (saunth) and fennel powder (saunf) are quite commonly used spices.

·      Mustard oil is used as a cooking medium.

·    Dry fruits like walnut, dates, apricot are abundantly available. They are lavishly used in puddings, curries and snacks.

·      Saffron is a very commonly used flavouring agent in this cuisine.

·      ‘Ver’ a spice mix cake is commonly used in Kasmiri cuisine.

(Ver is made of dry roasted red chillies, Black cardamom, Black cumin, Green Cardamom, Cinnamon, Dry ginger powder, Praan, Garlic/ hing; grounded to a coarse paste. The paste is then made into a patty with the help of some mustard oil. A hole is made in the patty and left to dry on wooden planks on shade.)

·      Lotus stem or Nadroo is a very popular vegetable in Kashmir, which is grown in the shallow waters of Dal and Wular lakes.

·      Kashmiris dry most of their vegetables (sheengri) in the summer so as to preserve them from the harsh and cold winters when the fresh vegetables are scarce.

·      Kashmiris eat a lot of green leafy vegetables during summers. The saag, as they call them, include Haaq, Sauchal, Kashmiri Palak, Wastahaaq and many more. 

·      There is no prominence of desserts in the Kashmiri cuisine.

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS AND THEIR KASHMIRI NAME

a.    Lotus Stem (Nadroo)

b.    Shallots (Praan)

c.     Dried Vegetables (Sheengri – many vegetables are dried during autumn and kept for the winter months like, Brinjals, Apples, Tomatoes, White gourd, etc.)

d.    Bauhinia flowers (Kachnaar)

e.    Cock’s comb flower (Mowal – colouring agent)

f.      Saffron (Zafran – dried stigma of the crocus flower)

g.    Morels (Guchi)

h.    Kohlrabi (Moinja)

i.      Green Leafy vegetables (Haaq)

j.      Wild Spinach (Saunchal)

k.     Kashmiri Masala (Ver)

l.      Turnips (Gogji)

m.  Black beans (Varmoth)

n.    Round Radish (Muzh).

KASHMIRI COOKING UTENSILS

·      Dan: On normal days the cooking in both Hindu and Muslim homes is mostly done on a dan, which is an oblong clay oven about 3ft by2ft in length and a foot and a half in height. It has a floor level hole, through which firewood is fed, and has usually three holes on the top on which food in different pots is heated or cooked. Nowadays, due to scarcity of wood fuel, LPG and kerosene stoves are commonly used.

·      Trami: These are large brass plates used for serving food. A trami could be shared between four people in the event of feasts.

·    Leij / Degul / Digcha:  Among the Kashmiri pundits, most vegetarian and non – vegetarian dishes are cooked in pots made up of baked clay. The pot is called a Deg, a Degul or a Leij according to its shape and size. Cooking in these pots gives the Meat, Cheese, Vegetable and other Dishes a special aroma. Caking at the bottom of pots, and acidic and alkaline reactions with metals, are also thus eliminated. Pots used in Kashmir are generally round bottomed, to make stirring and turning of the contents easy, while cooking, and also while mixing Spices and Condiments, which are called Masala.

·      Tasht – Naar: These are a portable hand washbasin and a pitcher that are passed around to wash hands during big banquets.

·      Goshpar and kaen:  These are a flat course stone and a wooden mallet made out of walnut wood which are used for pounding meat to affine texture, generally used for making Goshtabas and Rishtas. The wooden mallet is made up of walnut wood so that it does not splinter when it hits the stone.

·      Krech: These are different kinds of wooden spoons and ladles used for turning the food in clay pots so that the base of the pots does not get scrapped.

·    Khalur and dula: This is a stone mortar and a wooden pestle used for grinding chutneys and pastes.

·     Samovar: This is a jug – shaped metallic pitcher used for brewing tea such as ‘kahwah’ and sheer chai. It has a long tube inside that is filled with charcoal, which keeps the tea in the pot brewing.

KASHMIRI WAZWAN

Traditional Kashmiri form of cooking is known as 'Wazwan' and consists of mostly non-vegetarian dishes. Kashmir serves the choicest selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in multiple flavours to suit every pocket.

The history of Kashmir's traditional cuisine, Wazwan, dates back to the last years of the 14th century when the Mongol ruler Timur invaded India in 1348 during the reign of Nasiruddin Muhammad of the Tughlaq dynasty. As a result, there took place a migration of trained weavers, woodcarvers, architects, calligraphers and cooks from Samarkand to the Kashmir valley. The descendants of these cooks came to be known as "Wazas", who are the master chefs of Kashmir.

Wazwan, a multi-course meal in the Kashmiri Muslim tradition, is treated with great respect. Its preparation is considered an art. Almost all the dishes are meat-based especially lamb. Beef is generally not prepared in the Srinagar region, but is popular among the other districts. It is considered a sacrilege to serve any dishes based around pulses or lentils during this feast.

·      The traditional number of courses for the wazwan is thirty-six, though there can be fewer.

·   A vasta waza, or head chef, with the assistance of a court of wazas, or chefs traditionally does the preparation.

·      Food is cooked in copper utensils known as Kasmiri Degs or degchas depending upon size.

·      A white cloth called dastarkhwan is spread on the floor.

·      Guests are grouped into fours for the serving of the wazwan.

·      The meal begins with a ritual washing of hands, as a jug and basin called the tash-t-nari are passed among the guests.

·      Food comes in covered plates known as ‘Tramies / Tram’ covered with Sarposh (lid)

·      Sarposh is removed and the name of God is taken and eating begins.

·      Meethi made of intestine of sheep is the 1^st dish served.

·    The tram is piled high with heaps of rice, decorated and quartered by four seekh kababs, four pieces of meth maaz, tabak maaz (sides of barbecued ribs) and one safed kokur, one zafrani kokur and Tabakmaaz.

·    The meal is accompanied by yoghurt garnished with Kashmiri saffron, salads, Kashmiri pickles and dips.

·      Once dry course is eaten, the gravy items are served like Rista, Roganjosh, Palag Korma, Gustaba, aab gosht.

·      Firin and kahwah (green tea)' conjure delicacies that are rich in taste and texture with mouth-watering aromas.

A typical wazwan meal consists of not more than one or two vegetarian dishes. Kashmir cuisine does not pay much attention to sweets. Instead, an important part of the meal is Kahwah or green tea, used to wash down a meal. Traditionally, food is eaten with hands and not with spoons, forks or knives.  All this makes 'wazwan' a spectacular and royal repast.

Common in food items served Wazwan (1 serving shared by four people)

Meethi	1 large spoon	250g
Chicken	1 full	1kg
kabab	(1 - 2)	400g
tabakmaaz	(1 - 2)	500g
dani	(1)	250g
rista	(4 pieces)	800g
roganjosh	(4 pieces)	400g
aab ghosh	(1 large mutton piece)	400g
Spinach with pieces of minced meat	1 large spoon	200g
marchawangan korma	(4-6 pieces)	250g
goshtaba	(one piece)	400-500 g
Rice	1 large plate	800g

POPULAR KASHMIRI ITEMS

·      Rishta

This is a very famous dish from Kashmir served traditionally as a course in the wazwan. This is prepared by poaching the lamb dumplings in rich red gravy, flavoured with saffron and an extract of mowal. For preparing the dumplings, the meat is taken only from the leg of lamb. Traditionally in Kashmir, the animal is slaughtered and the meat is carved out fresh from the carcass and then minced. The lamb fat is mixed with this lamb mince. The red gravy is flavoured with different spices such as red chilli powder, fennel powder, cloves, ginger powder, cinnamon, asafoetida.

·      Gushtaba

This dish is made with lamb, freshly pounded to a paste. The boneless cubes of mutton are beaten along with lamb fat with a wooden mallet on a coarse stone so that the fibres break down, yielding a paste of meat. This meat gives the texture of a sausage on cooking. It is then flavoured with the black cardamom seeds, fennel and black pepper corns, ginger powder etc. The gravy is made of yoghurt, ghee, salt and other Kashmiri spices. The gushtaba are poached in the gravy until they are spongy and tender.

·      Dhaniwal korma

This is a rich preparation of lamb in a yoghurt-based gravy. The meat is taken from the leg of lamb. The preparation of the gravy is started from pure ghee to which garlic paste, cloves and green cardamom etc. are added. The gravy is finished by adding yoghurt, turmeric and coriander powder and served garnished with coriander leaves.

·      Tabac/ Tabak Maaz 

This is a lamb preparation in which the meat is taken from the ribs of lamb. The lamb ribs are boiled in a mixture of milk and water with aniseed powder, ginger, turmeric, asafoetida and cinnamon powder till the meat absorbs all the water. After that meat is taken out, cut into pieces, and then fried in hot ghee flavored with cardamom, fennel and cinnamon. The pieces of meat are fried till they are crisp and golden brown in colour.

·      Aab gosht

The lamb is cut in serving portions and boiled in water along with aniseed powder, ginger, garlic and salt till tender. The gravy is prepared separately made by cooking fried onion paste in ghee with the addition of black pepper powder and reduced milk. The milk has to be reduced with green cardamom so that the cardamom flavor is completely infused in the milk. Later lamb stock is added to finish the dish.

·      Kabargah

This is similar to tabak maaz, but the only difference is that the tender boiled pieces of lamb ribs are dipped into a batter made with gram flour and spices, and then fried until crisp.

·      Yakhni

Boneless pieces of lamb (boti) along with boned pieces of lamb are stewed in yoghurt-based gravy flavored with fennel, cardamom and dried ginger powder to make yakhni. It is basically, a thin gravy which is normally relished with rice. A vegetable variation can also be made with this and a common one is nadroo yakhni.

·      Roganjosh (rogan: oil; josh: hot)

Lamb culled out from the shoulder is simmered in gravy made from mustard oil, yoghurt, red coloured water from cock’s comb flowers, brown onion paste, and spices such as kennel and cardamom. Ratanjog, the bark of a tree is utilized to bring the fiery red colour. Kashmiri spice mix called ver is also added to the dish for flavoring.

·      Rwangan tsaman

Cottage cheese is known as tsaman and is commonly eaten in many variations. It is sometimes cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves and is called methi tsaman. Rwangan refers to tomatoes and this preparation calls for stewing cottage cheese in tomato gravy flavored with ver and other spices.

·      Kashmiri aloo dum

Medium sized potatoes are first lightly boiled in salt water followed by frying in mustard oil till crisp on the outer side. It is customary to sprinkle asafoetida water on top of the potatoes while frying. These are then cooked in a yoghurt-based gravy flavored with the kashmiri red chilli paste, brown onion etc. This is then put on dum until the oil starts to float on the top.

·      Tsaman pulao / Kashmiri pulao

It is a rice preparation in which the rice is cooked till 3/4^th doneness with whole spices. The rice is then cooked completely in milk and finished on dum with raisins, almonds, cumin tempered with ghee, fried paneer and peas. It is then flavoured with saffron and kewra. This can also be enriched with more nuts and glace cherries, when it is also referred to as Kashmiri pulao.

·      RAJMA GOGJI

Red kidney beans cooked with turnips, flavoured with fennel and saunth (dry ginger powder).

·      MECHAMA

It is a dessert in which rice is cooked with sugar syrup and milk is added at the later stage and flavoured with saffron and kewra with lots of nuts and raisins.

·      Noon Chai

The most popular drink is a pinkish colored salted tea called "noon chai." It is made with green tea, milk, salt and bicarbonate of soda. The particular color of the tea is a result of its unique method of preparation and the addition of soda. This salted tea is very much like the salted tea prevalent in various parts of India. Noon chai is a common breakfast tea in Kashmiri households and is taken with breads like baqerkhani 

     

·      Kahwah / Kehwa

It is a green tea made with saffron, spices, and almonds or walnuts. Over 20 varieties of Kahwah are prepared in different households. Some people also put milk in kahwah (half milk + half kahwah). Traditionally, Kahwah or Kehwa is prepared in a brass kettle known as a samovar. A samovar consists of a "fire-container" running as a central cavity, in which live coals are placed keeping the tea perpetually hot. Around the fire-container there is a space for water to boil and the tealeaves and other ingredients are mixed with the water for a perfect blend. Kehwa may also be made in normal pans and vessels.