The scenic beauty of Kashmir is only rivalled by its cuisine, which offers an infinite and sumptuous variety of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies – perhaps nowhere else in India can one find food as unique and elaborate, which pampers the taste buds of the most fastidious of gourmets. It is born of the marriage of the rich, cultural heritage of the land and diverse influences – Hindu, Buddhist, Afghan, Mughal, Sikh and British. Kashmiri cuisine is of two distinct types – wazwaan is the food of the Muslims, and the Pandits have their traditional butta. They share a love for lamb; wood fire to cook their mouth-watering delicacies, of which many are common to both. What is very evident is that both have been greatly influenced by the Mughlai style of cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg lotus stems, cut diagonally into ¾ inch pieces, washed thoroughly
  • 64 gm pure ghee
  • 12 gm onion paste, fried
  • 1.6 l water
  • 2 tsp aniseed powder
  • 2 tsp dry ginger powder
  • ¼ tsp dry mint leaves
  • ¼ tsp black cumin seeds
  • 4 black cardamoms
  • 8 green cardamoms
  • 8 cloves
  • 4 cinnamon sticks, 1 inch each
  • Salt to taste

For Cooked Yoghurt

  • 2 cups yoghurt
  • ½ cup water

Preparation

  1. Boil the water, add the lotus stems, and cook them until half done.
  2. For the cooked yoghurt, whisk 2 cups yoghurt until very smooth. Add ½ cup water and whisk again to blend well. Pour this mixture into a round-bottomed pan and put it on high heat. Stir constantly till the mixture comes to the boil. Then reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to half its original quantity, and its colour has changed to off-white.
  3. In another pan, add the black and green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks, ghee, aniseed powder, dry ginger powder, 400 ml cooked yoghurt, onion paste and salt. Mix well and cook for 7-8 minutes.
  4. Add the half-cooked lotus stems; reduce the heat and cook until tender.
  5. Add the dry mint leaves and black cumin seeds. Mix well.

Excerpted with permission from Wazwaan: Traditional Kashmiri Cuisine, Waza Sharief, Shafi and Rafiq with Rocky Mohan, Roli Books.