Category Archives: Kashmir

Food, Kashmir, Lunch, side dishes

Kashmiri Pulao – Rice with mushrooms and vegetables

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kashmiripulao-9050-2This medley of rice and vegetables is inspired by the Kashmiri Pulao that uses morel mushrooms. I did not have the wild expensive mushrooms so used the dried  shiitake I hand in my pantry. Soaked in warm water for about 20 mins brings out the earthiness and the umami flavors. Don’t discard the golden liquid from the mushrooms, it adds immense flavor.

kashmiripulao-9046I also used cauliflower in this recipe…cut in florets and pan fried with a touch of sea salt.

The basic Kashmiri pulao recipes packs a punch with whole spices…I have used cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, whole pepper, dried ginger and bay leaves.

Saffron is my favorite and it had been used blooming in warm water.

I have also added soaked almond, walnuts and raisins…feel free to experiment.

Once again I am honored to be c0-hosting and feasting with such amazing and talented virtual friends at Fiesta Friday. Our host Angie has done such a wonderful job providing us with this forum and inviting us to a global table. I am also honored to be co-hosting alongside Jhuls and am a big fan :), do check out her blog if you have not already.

Kashmiri Saffron
Whole Spices

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Kashmiri Pulao with Mushrooms and Cauliflower

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

a flavorful pulao with fragrant spices and vegetables

Credit: https://foodforthesoul00.com/ 

Ingredients

                                                                                     

  • 10 pieces dried shitake mushrooms
  • 2 cups of cauliflower bites (about 1 inch pieces)
  • 2 cups of basmati rice washed and soaked for 10 mins
  • 2 tablespoon ghee or butter
  • 1 onions chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4-5 black cardamoms
  • 5-6 green cardamoms
  • 5-8 whole peppercorns
  • 2 small sticks of cinnamon
  • 1 tea spoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 5-6 cloves
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 2  1/2 cup water ( including the mushroom broth)
  • Grapeseed oil for frying the vegetables
  • 1/2 Almonds, walnuts and raisins soaked for 30 mins and chopped
  • Lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • /recipe-ingredients]

Directions

  • Soak the mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for 30 minutes. Strain the water and slice the mushrooms. Save the water to cook the rice.
  • Soak the saffron in a tablespoon of warm  water
  • Dice the cauliflower and pan fry in oil until just brown
  • Drain, slice and Fry the mushrooms and set aside
  • In a heavy bottomed pan, add ghee and chopped onion, sauté until translucent.
  • Add bay leaf, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and cumin seeds. Let it splutter.
  • Now add the soaked rice and vegetables.
  • Add the ginger powder.
  • Add water (including the mushroom water) to cover the rice plus 1/2 inch.
  • Salt to taste
  • Squeeze 4-5 drops of lemon juice in the mixture and let it cook on low/medium heat for 20 minutes until the rice is done.
  • Using 2 tablespoon of ghee, fry the nuts and raisins until just toasted and add to the rice when serving.
  • Serve with a side of mint raita

Beautifully fragrant and delicious.

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Also linking up at Suacy Saturdays

Chutney, Food, Kashmir, Pickles, side dishes

Pickled Vegetables – Kashmiri Achar

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Fermented foods are  probiotic powerhouses  boosting the good bacteria in your gut and helping with overall health and immunity

“Achar” is a form of fermented food in the Indian subcontinent and essentially is a pickling process. It is one of the oldest methods of food preservation, sustaining communities through changing climate and seasons where the life of the crop could be extended by preserving it.

achar-1Kashmir with it’s cold winters is very conducive to pickling a variety of vegetables such as Kohlrabi, carrots, radish,  peppers etc. There is no vinegar in these pickles. Mustard oil is the main carrier in which fermenting agents like mustard and carom seeds are added. This will last a long while on your shelves.

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The basic recipe was for Monji Achar ( Kohlrabi pickle) from which I strayed a bit and added the crunchy turnips and carrots. The Kohlrabi leaves I had already cooked in another dish, otherwise I would have chopped and added them.

The key would be to dry out the cut vegetables in the sun for a day or so just to reduce the moisture. I am in the dead of winter here in Virginia so sunshine is scarce. I left it out for another day….48 hours.achar-2

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Kashmiri Achar - Pickles

  • Servings: many
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Beautiful fermented winter vegetables

Credit: https://foodforthesoul00.com/ 

Ingredients

  • 1-2 large bulbs of Kohlrabi ( Monji is Kashmiri)
  • 1-2 large turnips
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 table spoon sea salt ( adjust to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon carom seeds ( Ajwain).
  • 1 cup mustard oil.
  • 2 table spoons red chili powder
  • 1 tsp ginger powder

Directions

  1. Peel and cut the bulbs of kohlrabi into 1 inch pieces.
  2. Do the same with peeled turnips and carrots
  3. Wash the veggies and spread them on a cloth to dry out in the sun for one day. This can be 2 days if there is no sunshine.
  4. In a large glass bowl mix the spices with the oil.
  5. Add the vegetables and mix well..
  6. Put it in a large glass pickling jar and seal tight.
  7. You need to leave the jar in a sunny place for a week to ferment. If you are in a cloudy wintery place like me, then it will take another week.

Sharing at Fiesta Friday  which is be co-hosted this week are Jhuls and Ginger

Food, Kashmir, Meat Dishes

Rista – Kashmiri Cuisine

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From the land of dreamers, poets, artists, emperors and saints comes a cuisine that inspires all your senses.

Modern Kashmiri cuisine  tracks its history to 15th century when Timur ( a Turco-Mongol conqueror)  invaded India which led to the migration of 1700 skilled woodcarvers, weavers, architects, calligraphers and cooks from Samarkand to the valley of Kashmir.

The descendants of these cooks, the Wazas, are the master chefs of Kashmir. Thus came an elaborate feast preparation called Wazwaan. “Waan” refers to a “shop” in Kashmiri.

Rista- Kashmiri Cuisine

Continue reading Rista – Kashmiri Cuisine →

Bread, Food, Kashmir

Tales of Kashmiri breads – Girda and Lavasa

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Returning to Kashmir after 2 years was bitter sweet. While the city was encased in sorrow and the shroud of curfews, hartals and brutal clashes, the beauty of the land demanded to be noticed in an eerie quietness..no traffic, no business, empty streets, barbed wires and overbearing military presence made the resilient majestic land proudly stand alone in its poetic beauty.

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Waking up at 4am to the sounds of that crazy rooster with no snooze button can be quite annoying but was surprisingly comforting, the crows start to chip in shortly, then gentle sounds of nearby mosques and folks getting up to bring in the unpredictable mornings.

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I could not wait for morning as I have waited 2 years to eat the fabulous breakfast breads. Curfew or not the hunt for an open Kandur began the first day I arrived.

Every Kashmiri neighborhood boasts a traditional bakery known as “Kandur” serving up breads or many vareities. While the sky is still tinged with darkness they fire up wood burning ovens and start baking exquisite breads. The customers line and the  Kandur has the difficult job of serving up different orders and keeping them in sequence of who showed up first. The folks wait patiently mesmerized by the movement on the hands and knuckles on soft dough and then darting in and out of the hot oven. These breads are perfectly paired with a slab of butter and a good cup of tea particularity the salty pink tea called Nun chai. The two we feasted on were the Girda and Lavasa

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Girda is  a medium sized everyday bread with hand made indentations and a golden crust. Crunchy on the outside and soft white on the inside, it is a much craved addiction.

Lavasa is a thin, large, thin unleavened flat bread equally addictive and disappears fast with butter and jam.

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Every morning our hunt for an open Kandur begin…through tiny streets and sometimes following people walking with bread bags in tiny alley ways as they would lead us to the nearest Kandur.  My daughter, husband and I would take the hot bread with a slab of butter and sit by the Dal Lake and savor the beauty creating a truly heavenly breakfast time.

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Breaking bread with a whole new meaning…each day.

Taking my story and bread offering to Angie’s Fiesta Friday cohosted this week by the fabulous and creative bloggers Jhuls @ thenotsocreativecook and Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen.

Also sharing on Saucy Saturdays

Food, Kashmir, Meat Dishes

Kashmiri Lamb Coriander Korma- Dhaniwal Korma

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Kashmiri culture and ways of preparing the food lends to its exquisite, delectable and unique taste. This is then accented by how it is served….with flavorful white rice, rich yoghurt and tart chutneys.

This particular Korma is called Dhaniwal Korma which is a beautiful medley of lamb cooked in coriander and yoghurt. It is flavored with whole spices and black pepper and not red chilies. A simple twist in preparation changes the flavor  of a korma. Continue reading Kashmiri Lamb Coriander Korma- Dhaniwal Korma →

Food, Kashmir

Spicy Turnips and Greens

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Trying to make it feel like winter by cooking winter vegetables 🙂 It’s 70 degree outside in the dead of winter and all my flowers and plants outside are totally confused.DSC_1865

The turnip leaves are flourishing in my garden which made this dish a delight to make. My mom would make turnips when it was snowing outside in Kashmir and we would eat it with white rice and yoghurt.

This was lunch today served with brown rice and organic goat’s milk yoghurt. The spices bring together this dish beautifully.

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Turnips and Greens

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • Turnips ( 3 large)
  • Turnip Green ( 1 bunch)
  • 1 tomato
  • 2 green chilies
  • Garlic cloves – 5
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 1 pinch asafetida
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1tsp ground ginger powder
  • 1/2 tsp Cayenne powder
  • 1tsp fennel powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp black cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon clarified butter
  • Salt to taste

Putting it together

  • Peel the turnips, cut into quarters and sprinkle with sea salt and put aside for about 20 mins. Rinse off and the turnips are ready to be cooked.
  • Clean and wash 2 bunches of greens and remove the stems.
  • Please 4-5 cloves of garlic and chop 1 round plump tomato.
  • In a pan use a tablespoon of mustard oil and heat until sizzling.
  • Add garlic, 2 green chilies, 1 chopped small onion and 1 tsp of cumin seeds.
  • Fry for about 30 secs and add a pinch of hing ( asafetida). This is an optional spice.
  • Add the turnip pieces and fry for about 3 mins or so, add tomatoes, 1/2 tsp cayenne ( or less),1 heaping tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of ground fennel, 1 tsp of ground ginger and salt to taste.
  • Fry the spices for a couple of mins and then add the greens. Add a cup of water. I use a pressure cooker to cook everything at this point for about 4-5 whistles. If using a regular pot , let it cook on medium heat until the turnips are tender.
  • Add black cumin seed during the last minute of cooking.

Serve hot with rice and enjoy.

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Taking this to Fietsa Friday and Real Food Fridays

Food, Kashmir, side dishes

Nadru Palak ( lotus stems with spinach)

10 Comments

Another journey through the vegetarian Kashmiri food.

Kashmiri Nadru Palak
Kashmiri Nadru Palak

Nadru or Lotus stems/roots are a delicious curious vegetable very popular in Kashmir (India). They are often fried and served as a street snack food. For the dinner table, the 2 most popular recipes are Nadru Yakhni (yogurt sauce)  and Nadru Palak ( Spinach). This recipe is for the latter but you can try our the delicious yogurt recipe in my earlier post or my step by step guide on wikihow

Also take a look at my post and pictures of Lotus Seeds from last summer.

The ingredients are simple and the recipe is simple. I always use a pressure cooker with root vegetables as it locks in the ingredient and saves time but you can use a heavy bottomed pan.

Lotus Stem is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C.

The actual stems at my local asian market in Virginia  look like this:food for the soul (1)

I actually wanted something more tender so bought a bag of the frozen kind. The were fantastic.

The spinach can be fresh and organic. I blanch in in boiling water for a few minutes but you don’t have too. It just makes it easier to stir when cooking.

You can serve this with rice. I actually had it with quinoa which would not be typical but healthier.

Here is what you need

  • Bag of frozen lotus stems or freshly cleaned and sliced – about a pound
  • Organic spinach – a couple of bunches ( about 2 lbs)
  • cumin seeds – 1tsp
  • whole red chilis – 3
  • asafetida – 1/4 Tsp
  • dry ground ginger – 1 tsp
  • red chili pwd – 1/2 Tsp
  • turmeric  – 1 tsp
  • dry ground coriander – 1 tsp
  • salt to taste
  • kashmiri vari – 1 tsp ( optional)
  • 1 tablespoon mustard oil

In a pressure cooker add some mustard oil and the cumin seeds and whole chilies

Once crackling, add the asafetida and then the lotus stems. fry for a few minutes. Add the spinach, ginger, turmeric, coriander, and salt. If the spinach is fresh then let it wilt. If it is blanched then just stir it around for a bit.

You may need to add a 1/2 cup water if the mixture is on the dry side.

Pressure cook for about 4 whistles. Once you are able to open the cooker add the vari if using for that extra flavor and spice.

Exquisite!

Kashmiri Nadru Palak
Kashmiri Nadru Palak

This is a unique dish to take to Fiesta Friday hosted by  Dini @ Giramuk’s Kitchen and Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau