Kashmiri Cuisine – I
Cuisine of Kashmiri valley of India is known as “Kashmiri cuisine”. The staple of Kashmiri is rice with curry. Most Kashmiris are meat eaters. So, rice along with meat curry is the most popular dish in there.
There is something very unique about Kashmiri Cuisine, it has some distinguishing flavors that makes it stand out of all other various cuisines in India. The spices, the texture, the aroma and taste ,everything is just perfect in Kashmiri dishes specially all the non-vegetarian preparations. Here we are presenting some of famous dishes in Kashmiri cuisine.
1. Rogan Josh
This is one of the signature dish for all Lamb and meat lovers from Kashmiri cuisine. Rogan Josh was introduced in Mughal era. It is an aromatic lamb dish with flavors of brown onion and spices.
Rogan josh is a type of Indian curry distinguished by its thick, flavorful red sauce and tender meat.
“Rogan” means clarified butter or oil in Persian, or “red” in Hindi, and “josh” refers to passion – fiery or hot – so this dish is all about cooking in an oil-based sauce with an intense heat. Cook by using slow cooking method.
Let’s see the recipe.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil, 2 pounds boneless lamb cut into pieces, Kosher salt, 2 onions – thinly sliced (3 cups), 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, 2 garlic cloves (minced), Alkanna tinctoria (Ratnajot), 1 tsp Meat masala, 1 tsp turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, 2 bay leaves,pinch of dry fenugreek leaves, tomato puree, 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 2 cups water, 1 tsp garam masala, Coriander leaves for garnish
Instructions:
Heat oil in wide, heavy pot or pressure cooker over medium heat. Pour whole spices in hot oil and let them sizzle. Then add onions and stir-fry for 5 minutes until they turn medium-brown but not burnt. Then add ginger and garlic paste and stir 30 seconds, then add lamb/mutton pieces. Fry until brown, for a minute or so.
Add spice powders and tomatoes to meat masala. Cook 30 seconds. Take pan off heat and add yogurt, continuously stirring so that it does not curdle. Add water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Cook curry, covered, on slow heat until meat is fully cooked – approximately 1 hour – or pressure-cook until done. Curry should be thick. Check for taste.
2. Chaman Kaliya
This is very yummy vegetarian dish in Kashmir. Chaman Kaliya made with fresh paneer with milk. It is a so creamy paneer dish. For this dish specially uses spices are Cardamom and Fennel. Let’s see the recipe.
Ingredients :
400 gms Paneer, 2 Cups of Milk, 2 cloves, 3 Green cardamoms, 1 tsp Cumin, 1 Tbs Ghee, 1/2 tsp Turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp fennel powder, A pinch of saffron, 1/8 th tsp ginger powder, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Garam Masala
Instructions
First Paneer cut it into squares or rectangles. Then Heat ghee and add the cumin, cloves and the cardamom. Then Add milk, bring it to a boil, add in the rest of the spices, (except saffron and garam masala). Simmer this for about 2- 3 minutes , then add the paneer and bring to a rolling boil. Bring to a simmer again and let it cook undisturbed for 10 – 15 minutes or until the paneer looks creamy, yellow and soft. Finally add Garam masala and saffron and let it stand for 30 minutes before serving. Reheat gently and serve.
Chef Bhadri 