kashmiri traditional foods recipes

What is so unique about Kashmir & kashmiri traditional food that embraces you magnetically to love her and its amazing delicious tastes of food.

Before we talk about the food habits of kashmir,it is important to let you know about their routine life.

Do you see all the four seasons in an year......

kashmiry people have a unique life style uncommon to other states of the country.
In kashmir you witness all the seasons in their mature looks,be it the blossoming spring,the fragrant summer, the golden brown looks of Autmn and the chilling cruel winter.

Journey from Veg to Non-Veg,all fun here.........

Every season changes the food habits in homes ranging from fresh vegetables to dried ones to meat and chicken dishes.

Rajma and home made pickles,meat,fish,chicken,eggs and dried vegetables are the loved dishes of winter.

Special Etiquettes......

kashmiry people keep their shoes outside near the varanda of the home and entering the home with shoes worn is considered as one of the worst ettiquettes.

Swatch Bharat already in Kashmir.....

Usually every home is fitted with inbuilt clean toilets.

Consciousness in blood....

people are hygienic by default and usually do not drink wine or liquor may be because of the religious impact as well.

Habits,loved by all....

Chewing tobacco,spiting on the roads and urinating or defecating in open is considered as a shameful activity.

Different Taste....

Kashmirys are salt loving instead of sweet,although sweets are essential part of the ceremonies.

Guests are special...

People prefer food served at home instead of restaurants because at home you enjoy more hospitality which has descended through their veins and arteries from the ancestors,is quite prevelant.

kashmiry greet thier guests with utmost humility and consider it an opportunity to serve them to their satisfaction. The guests are attended by all the family members of the home and made feel special all the time.

Samovar Noon Chai.....

The routine day starts with an early morning prayer (Nimaz or Pooja) and followed by a light breakfast including Noon Chai (Namkeen tea) made out of boiling special green tea leaves with home made roti or Tandoori roti or Lwassa (Tandoori Naan) bought from the Nanwai (Roti Maker),followed by bruch with Lipton sugar based tea. Lunch is usually being served in the afternoon.

4pm to 5pm is the timing for another Noon Chai (Namkeen Tea) with roti or naan. 

Evening is the time when every family member is present on the dasterkhwan and enjoying food  together is an experience beyond words which brings all the vibrations in a positive mood.

Togetherness starts from eating together.....

Kashmirys have desciplined food habits and each feast is allocated different specific time decided by the women folk, although sometimes it can be changed depending upon the situation.
Kashmiry habitants prefer to sit on ground which is furnished  with matting of different choice with Pillows at the back to sit comfortably.

Any food is served on a common serving sheet made of pure cotton or PVC,known as "dastarkhwan" in kashmiri on which the family members sit together and enjoy the meals together and this tasty flavouring food along with togetherness is a unique thing rarely found in other cultures which changes anonymity to intimacy.

Kahwa,the treasure of aroma....

Any special function like Nishin (Engagement),Nikah (Marriage), Walima (post Nikah invitation) even an important gup shup (Casual Talk), Kaiser (Saffron) Kahwa along with kulcha (Traditional crisp baked fat roti) or a Shirmal (Traditional crisp roti) is being served with a lot of respect and gaiety.

Traditional Dresses.......

People of kashmir love to wear clean and attractive dresses although the traditional attire,the phiran and the heaven warmer,the kangri is an essential companion of everybody in the winter.

The men usually wear Pent shirts or khan dress and the young folk is attracted to all all the casual or formal jeans and T-shirts.
The women too are fashionable and pose handsome looks wearing from all the kurta salwars to firoks pyjama to fancy cuts to the latest fashions available with the tailoring saloons or the market.

Now the taste in abundance ........

• The staple food of kashmirys is rice. They take lot of vegetables but hak or karam sag is the favourite dish essentially part of menu every day.

• Seekh Kebabs,kashmir's indigenous barbeque with lawassa and chutneys is an awesome mouth watering street vendor attraction in the evening of all the seasons.

• The Nadroo (Lotus Stem) Yakhni or its pakoras offer an exquisite crunch.

• The road side dry Masala (Boiled Chick peas in different spices) filled with Chutney, wrapped in a lwassa is the favourite bite of all.

• Another similar feast is made out of boiled dry black gram sprinkled with Spicy masala wrapped in Lwassa (soft naan) usually sold by women on the roadside,a recipe relished by all age groups.

• Gaer Gogji,The Singhada (Bat nut) available with  roadside vendors attract any passerby.

• Fish specifically the Brown and Rainbow Trout and Salmon,the treasure of taste and flavour, available with the roadside vendors in the evening in the busy markets,outside the gardens,on the banks of Lakes,is something irresistible. Watching the frying marinated fish live in hot kadhai (Deep Tawa) and eating hot and crisp with green and white chutney offers a wow feeling.

• Another amazing taste is eating roasted Corn on the cob on hot coal,at the road
  side,is a good time pass.

• Boiled eggs sprinkled with a mixture of chilli powder and salt combination on roadside too is awesome.

• You find a seperate roadside stall of Till-e-maunji, a kind of pakodas made of  different items,each individually,like Nadroo, bat nuts, potato,onions,fish and green chilli.

• Another street food is Halwa & Paratha,loved by all,usually found outside the holy shrines,taken as a prasaad to home.

• Busrakh,a traditional sweet often gifted on marriages is a heart melting one.

• khanddi-Gazir,is like a multicolour sugar sticks,very tasty and appealing,often an attraction of kids.

• Matka kulfi is a traditional ice cream made in an earthen matka,served with freezing noodles is a mouth watering blast.

• It is worth to be part of an extravagant Nishin Saal (Engagement Party) Mahraz Saal (barat of groom) or Satim Saal  (7th day of bride at Susral"In-laws home"), where You enjoy the heaven multi cuisine package,popularly known as "Wazwan", comprising 36 different dishes.
• Some famous dishes of wazwan are Tabak Maaz,Matton Kebab, Rista,Shami Kebab, Laheb Kebab,Rogan Josh,Aab Gosh,Mirch Korma, Goshtaba(also known as full stop in wazwan as it is the last dish served).

• There is a unique way wazwan being served on a platter "Trammi or Majma",shared by four persons,some basic dry dishes are decorated on the rice platter and rest of the dishes being served by the cook (dressed all white) in copper utensils,one by one with pauses in between till the end.

• The aromatic Kashmiri Pullav adds to the taste and flavour. The saffron infested fragrant tasty Halwa after the platter,served as the desert to finish the amazing party.

This is a little attempt to make you feel the warmth of the people and the tastes of the traditional foods of kashmir.

My duty shall be to present you with the authentic original recipes of kashmir in my future posts.

Hope the post provides useful information to both readers and eaters.

Some images have been uploaded from google and sooner shall be replaced with our own photographs.

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