Kashmiri cuisine

notes for second year BHM students

1. KASHMIR
LAND DESICATED FROM WATER
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2. INTRODUCTION
ThenameKashmirimplies“landdesiccated
fromwater”.
InSanskritKAmeanswaterandSHIMIRA
meanstodesiccate.
ThelegendthatKashmirvalleywasavast
mountainouslakecalledSATISAR,whichwas
drainedbyKASHYAP RISHIwhocalled
Brahminsandtantrickstodrainthelakeby
usingtheirforceandthusitwascalledas
Kashyap–marandlaterKashmir.
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3. Kashmiri cuisine has evolved over hundreds of
years.
The first major influence was the food of the
Kashmiri Buddhists and Pandits, the Hindus who
lived in the valley in the Middle Ages.
The cuisine was then influenced by the cultures
which arrived with the invasion the Kashmir
region by Timur from the area of modern
Uzbekistan.
Subsequently, it has been heavily influenced by
central Asian, Persian, Afghan and Punjabi
cultures.
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4. SPECIAL FEATURES
TraditionalKashmircookingiscalledas
WAZAWAN andcomprisesmostlyofnon
vegetariandishes.
MostKashmir'sincludingBrahminsaremeat
eaters.TheKashmiricuisineisdividedbetween
twomaincommunities
Kashmiripandits.
KashmiriMuslims.
Kashmiripanditsarenonvegetarians,butthey
don’tusegarlicandonionsintheirtraditional
dishes.
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5. Kashmiripanditfoodisvery
elaborate,andanimportantpartof
thelocalHinduculture'sidentity.
Thefoodusuallyusesalotof
yoghurtandturmeric,andavoids
onionandgarlic.
UnlikeKashmiriMuslimcuisine,it
doesnotincludemanyminced
meatdishes.
Anequalemphasisislaidon
vegetarianandnon-vegetarian
dishes,althoughabiasfornon-
vegetariandishescertainlyexists-
Pandits,despitebeingHindus,
tendtobevoraciousmeateaters.
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6. AnunavoidableingredientinKashmiricuisineis
curdandasafetida.Theyusecurdinalmostall
thedishesexceptincertainkebabs.Curdhelps
toreducethespicinessandalsogivesasmooth
creamyconsistencytothedish.
BrahminsandKashmiripanditshavegenerally
beengreatmeateatersandprefergoat
especiallyyounggoat.
RicewasthestaplefoodofKashmirwhichisstill
continuestobe,barleywasregardedasfood
onlyfitforpoorandnowheatwaseaten.
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7. Ricewascookedandeatencoldcalledas
TURNBAT.
Pulaoslikezardapulao,turshpulaowere
introducedduringthesultanruleinKashmir.
HindusateporkinpreIslamicperiod,beef
wasintroducedwithMuslimrule.
Ithasdevelopeditsownspecialtyincooking.
Locallygrownricearesweetlyfragrantand
verylight.
Alldishesarebuiltaroundthemaincourseof
rice.
Lotusstemisalsoanimportantproducefor
boatdwellingpeopleandmakesaverygood
substituteformeat.
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8. MorelmushroomcalledGUCCHIare
harvestedandconsumedfreshin
summer.Theyareexpensiveand
thereforeusedonlyforspecificreligious
occasionsandweddingfeast.
Cornbreadisanalternateforrice.
Saucesandgraviesaremadefromdairy
richproducts.Thefruitsandnutsgrown
fromthevalleyareusedlavishlyinthe
dailymenu.
Saffroniswidelyusedincookingwhich
isobtainedfromthestigmaoftheflower
calledcrocusandisusedtoimpartflavor
andcolortothedishes.
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10. TheKashmir'softencooktheirfoodby
heatingitontwosides,frombothtop
andbottomforthatdistinctivetaste.
Thecharcoalfirewastheirsolutionin
theearlierdaysbutovenservesasa
good substitutethese days.
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11. Kashmiri beverages
Kashmirisareheavyteadrinkers.Themostpopulardrinkisa
pinkishcolouredsaltedteacallednunchai(orshirchai).Itismade
withblacktea,cardamom,variousspices,milk,saltand
bicarbonateofsoda.
Thepeculiarcolouroftheteaisaresultofitsuniquemethodof
preparationandtheadditionofsoda.Thissaltedteaisverymuch
likethesaltedteaprevalentinvariouspartsofCentralAsia.
NunchaiisacommonbreakfastteainKashmirihouseholdsandis
takenwithspecialbreadbroughtfreshfromthebakers(kandur).
Often,thisteaisservedinalargeSamavars.
Atmarriagefeasts,festivals,religiousplacesandwhenguestsare
welcomed,itistraditionaltoservekahwah,agreenteamadewith
saffron,spicesandalmondsorwalnuts.Thereare21varietiesof
kahwahmadeindifferenthouseholds.
OwingtothegenerallyreligioussentimentsofKashmiriMuslims,
alcoholisnotservedamongtheMuslimcommunity.Itis
sometimestakenamongthePandits.
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12. WAZWAN
Theoriginofwazwanseemstobestillat
large.Itwasintroducedbythetradersfrom
centralAsia.
AlthoughwazwansumstobePersianword
butsincePersianandSanskritaresister
languageandasperanotherschoolof
thought“wazwan”couldbeoriginally
Sanskrit.
WAZAmeanscook/headcookandWAN
meansworkshop/place.Sowazwanmeans
cooksshop.
Wazwanisafeastcomprisingof36courses
ofmeat,chicken,vegetables,salads,curd,
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13. Intheearlierdays,thetraditionalKashmiriMuslim
banquetknownasWazwan,afeastfitforkings,which
wasperhapsthemostuniqueandelaborateroyal
spreadofmeatanddelicaciescomparedtotheother
partsofIndia.
Comprisingofthirty-sixcourses,fifteentothirtydishes
ofWazwanarevarietiesofmeat.Manyofthe
delicaciesarecookedthroughtheentirenightunder
theexpertsupervisionofaVastaWazaorheadchef,
assistedbyanentourageofwazasunderhim.
Kashmir'smostformalmeal,Wazwanisnotonlya
ritualbutalsoaceremony.
Traditionally,nospoons,forksorknivesareusedfor
eatingfood.
Eatenwithfingers,gettinginvitedtoaWazwanisa
rareluxurythatonecanenjoythesedays.
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14. Withthepassageoftimesome
disheshavebeenomittedand
newdishesincludedlikeKALYA
(yellowmeatstew).
Itisafestivebanquetwhich
everyKashmiririchorpoor
heldatoneortheothertime
likemarriageandothersocial
functionsandasamatterof
pride.
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15. WazwanisonlyrestrictedtotheMuslimsofKashmirandtheyregardit
astheprideoftheircultureandidentity.
Guestsaregroupedintofoursfortheservingofthewazwan.
ThemealbeginswithinvokingthenameofAllahandaritualwashing
ofhands,asajugandbasincalledthetashtnaèr(tasht-e-naariin
urdu/persian)ispassedamongtheguests.
Alargeservingdishpiledhighwithheapsofrice,decoratedand
quarteredbytwoseekhkabab,fourpiecesofmethmaaz,twotabak
maaz,sidesofbarbecuedribs,andonesafedkokur,onezafranikokur,
andamuttondishconsistingofapieceknownasDanniphol,
sprinkledoverwithsomecorianderandMuskMelonseeds,followedby
otherdisheslikeRista,roganjosh,aabgosht,runwangantchaman,
marchwangankormeh,aloobukharagosht,wazzpalak,hindi
roganjoshandlastbutnottheleastGushtaab/Gushtabaincluding
others.
ThemealisaccompaniedbyyoghurtgarnishedwithKashmirisaffron,
salads,Kashmiripicklesanddips.KashmiriWazwanisgenerally
preparedinmarriagesandotherspecialfunctions.
ThefeastendswithanelderleadingthethanksgivingtoAllah,which
isheardwithraptattentionbyeveryone
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16. HINDU –MUSLIM
WAZWAN
ThoughtheHinduandMuslimcooks
usethesamespicesbutthetasteand
flavordiffers.
Themethodofcookinginboththe
casesismostlystewingexceptHindu
cooksusingdeepfryingandbraising
forTABAKMAZandROGANJOSH.
WhereofMuslimsuseshallowfrying
andboiling.
ForthickeningtheHinducooksmake
useofgroundspices,whereasthe
Muslimcooksuseapasteofonions,
herbsandgarlic.
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17. HindusinIndiaservemealsinthaliandleavesto
individuals,theKashmiriMuslimsontheother
handplacetheTHRAMISconsistingofvarious
delicaciesforeveryonetoeattogetherwhenin
groups.
OneoftheimportantcharacteristicsofWAZWAN
isthepredominantflavorofgarlicinmostofthe
dishes.
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18. SPICES IN WAZWAN
Turmeric. Gingerpowder.
Aniseedpowder. Redchillypowder.
Cinnamon Greencardamom
Cloves Blackpepperpowder.
Shallots Onions
Garlic Saffron
Cockscomb Mint
Danialeaves Greenchilly
Walnut Badam
Methileaves.
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20. SIGNATURE DISHES
RISTA:poundedmeatwithfatandspices
roundedintheformofsmallballsandcookedin
saffronflavoredredgravy.
METHIMAZ:roughlychoppedoffal'scooked
withdriedfenugreek.
SHEEKKEBAB:finelymincedmeatspiced,
skeweredandgrilledonaopencharcoalfire.
ROGANJOSH:meatpiecescookedinred
gravy.ROGAN–meansandJOSH–means
excitingcolor.
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21. SHEEK KABAB
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22. TABAK MAAS
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23. TABAK MAZ
TABAKMAZ:shallowfried
spareribs.
MuttonRibsstewedwith
herbs,marinatedincurdand
stirfried.
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24. YAKHANI PULAO
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25. DHANIWALKHORUMA :bonelesscubesof
meatstewedinyellowishgravyandgarnished
withlotofgreencorianderleaves.
MIRCHIKHORUMA :kormacookedinred
gravywithKashmirichillypowderandsaffron
flavored.
AABGOSHT:largepiecesofmeatcookedin
milk,lightlyspicedandflavored.
PALAKSABZI:smallspinachcookedin
spinachgravy.
GOSHTTABA:poundedmeatwithfatturned
intolargeballscookedinyogurtbasedyakhni
gravy.
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26. KASHMIRI
PULAO
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27. Kahva, Kashmiri Tea
Theteaismadeby
boilinggreentealeaves
withsaffronstrands,
cinnamon bark and
cardamompods.
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28. DUM ALOO
Its one of the popular north Indian dish. Its usually cooked
under pressure so the potatoes get soaked in the gravy
and so the name Dum(pressure in Hindi) in dum aloo..
Normally baby potatoes are used for this preparation.
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29. Gushtaba
GushtabaCalledbyKashmiris
as'DishofKings',
Goshtabaisfamousforits
flavorandtaste.
Itisservedasthelastmeat
dishinaWazawan feast,
beforethedessert.
Themainingredientsofthis
gravydisharemeatballs,
ghee,onion,andgaram
masala.
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30. Rogan josh
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31. TAMATER PANEER:cottagecheesein
tomatobasedgravy.
YAKHNISHORBA:arichmuttonbasedstock
flavoredwithandenrichedwithginger,garlic
andgarammasala.
KHURBANIKAMETHA:populardessertin
Kashmirinwhichdriedapricotsaresoakedin
waterandsimmeredinsugarsyrupandmildly
flavoredwithsaffron.
KAHWAH:thegreenspicyflavoredteaalso
beapartofWAZWAN.
CHUTNEYS:likealmond,walnutandonion
slicedchutney.
PHIRNI:asweetcustardmadeofriceflour
andnuts.
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34. VER MASALA
2 tablespoon Cumin Seed powder
2 tablespoon Coriander Seed powder
2 tablespoon Fennel Seed powder
1 tablespoon Carom Seed powder
1 tablespoon Black Cardamom powder
1 tablespoon Green Cardamom powder
1 tablespoon Clove powder
1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder
4 tablespoons Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
2 tablespoon Dry Ginger powder
1 teaspoon Asafoetida
2 tablespoon Oil
2 tablespoon Bay leaves powder
1 tablespoon Black pepper powder
Soaked and ground urad daal about 4-5
tablespoons
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35. Lotus stems
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37. Kashmiri MarchwaganKorma
Nsk
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38. ????
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