This is Part 8 of Flavours of India, our series on India's regional cuisines. Start from Part 1: Chettinad or read the previous part, Part 7: Rajasthan.
The cuisine of the Kashmir valley reflects its cold climate and its history. Persian and Central Asian influences arrived with traders and rulers, and two great culinary traditions developed side by side: the cooking of the Kashmiri Pandits and that of Kashmiri Muslims, whose grand feast, the Wazwan, is legendary.
What makes Kashmiri cuisine special
- Kashmiri red chillies: brilliant colour with gentle heat.
- Saunf (fennel) and sonth (dry ginger): the defining spices of many curries.
- Yoghurt-based gravies instead of tomatoes.
- Mustard oil and asafoetida in Pandit cooking; onions and shallots (praan) in Muslim cooking.
- Kahwa: green tea with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and almonds.
The Wazwan
A traditional Wazwan can include up to 36 courses, cooked overnight by master chefs called wazas. Guests share a large copper plate, the trami, and the meal features dishes like rogan josh, rista (meatballs in red gravy), tabak maaz (fried ribs) and ends with gushtaba, meatballs in a yoghurt gravy.
Kashmiri rogan josh recipe (Pandit style)
This version follows the Kashmiri Pandit method, without onions, garlic or tomatoes. Its colour comes from Kashmiri chillies and its fragrance from fennel and dry ginger.
Serves: 4 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients
- 750 g mutton (bone-in, shoulder or leg pieces)
- 4 tbsp mustard oil
- A generous pinch of hing (asafoetida)
- 4 green cardamom, 2 black cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, mixed with 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup thick yoghurt, whisked well
- 2 tsp fennel (saunf) powder
- 1 tsp dry ginger (sonth) powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste and about 2 cups hot water
Method
- Wash the mutton and pat dry.
- Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until it smokes lightly, then lower the heat and let it cool slightly. Add hing and the whole spices.
- Add the mutton and salt and sear on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until browned.
- Lower the heat and add the chilli paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the oil turns red.
- Add the yoghurt a little at a time, stirring constantly so it doesn't split. Cook until the oil separates.
- Add fennel powder and dry ginger powder and stir well.
- Pour in hot water, cover and simmer on low heat for 1-1 1/4 hours (or pressure-cook for 5-6 whistles) until the mutton is tender and the gravy is a rich red with oil on top.
- Finish with garam masala and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Whisk yoghurt with a spoon of the chilli paste before adding to help prevent curdling.
- For the deep colour of restaurant versions, Kashmiri Muslims sometimes add ratan jot (alkanet root) infused in hot oil.
- The Muslim-style rogan josh adds a paste of fried onions or shallots and garlic.
How to serve
Serve with plain steamed rice, which is the staple in Kashmir, along with a simple radish chutney and a cup of kahwa to finish.
Other Kashmiri dishes to try
- Dum aloo (Kashmiri): fried baby potatoes in a red yoghurt gravy.
- Yakhni: mutton in a delicate yoghurt and fennel gravy.
- Haak: collard greens cooked simply with mustard oil.
- Nadru yakhni: lotus stem in yoghurt.
- Kashmiri pulao and phirni
Next in Flavours of India: Goa's coconut-rich fish curry.
