Flavours of the valley

Manpriya Singh

The cuisine of the week—Kashmiri Cuisine

Not that the highly sensitive issue of Kashmir is anything to laugh about, but as a joke highly shared over social media goes—Kashmir territory and landscape is just a masquerade, the real fight is for the Kashmiri Wazwan (that’s what a multi-course meal in Kashmiri cuisine is called). From the slow-simmering method of cooking to special nickel-plated copper vessels over wood-fired ovens to generous use of dry fruits and of course the fresh meat, food truly is a point of pride and makes much of what Kashmiri culture is.

Chef Speak

A non-vegetarian’s paradise, fresh meats, especially lamb, makes most of Kashmiri food and what it stands for. Yakhni (the yogurt-based gravy), dry fruits that are generously used in several dishes, spices like clove, ginger and asafetida, stand responsible for much of the rich flavour that Kashmiri food is associated with. “They use a lot of hung curd, shallots, garlic, base of cloves, black peppers and all the spices like tej patta, dal chini, black cardamom,” Naveen Handa, executive chef, JW Marriott Chandigarh gets us started with the basics. He adds, “Whenever you work with any Kashmiri Waza, the first thing they ask for is fresh lamb— garam meat as they like to refer to it.” His personal and absolute favourite dish is Gustabha.

Signature dishes

The cuisine in the valley can safely be assimilated and segregated into the dishes that come from the houses of Kashmiri Pandits (who do not use garlic, onions and tomatoes) and Kashmiri Muslims (where majority of dishes are non-vegetarian).

Paneer Chaman

Yet another delicacy, Paneer Chaman is a paneer lover’s must-have. Think cottage cheese cooked in rich gravy till it is tender and filled with flavour of spices like green cardamom. Other popular vegetarian dishes are Haak and Nadroo Yakhni, which is a popular yoghurt-based Kashmiri curry comprising lotus stems.

Dum Aloo

It is to a vegetarian what probably Mutton Rogan Josh is to a non-vegetarian. Dum Aloo are potatoes rendered golden with slow technique of cooking and served in yoghurt-based red curry and spices like dry mint.

Lamb Gushtaba

Yet another signature meatballs recipe. A mutton delicacy prepared with minced meat and a blend of several strong spices. The dish is primarily white in colour because of the curd being the base for gravy. Creamy, rich and succulent is how the fans of the dish describe it.

Get it at

Apart from the frequently held food festivals that celebrate the cuisine, several places in the city, from Indian restaurants at five stars to takeaway counters, house the signature dishes if not the entire cuisine. Swagath, Balucci, Saffron, you name it and they have it.