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Tag: Kashmiri

  • Modur Pulav

    Modur pulav, literally sweet pulao, is the celebratory rice of Kashmir. It is cooked at weddings, births and festivals, in both Pandit and Muslim homes, and its golden colour and perfume of saffron make it a centrepiece. The valley's own saffron from Pampore is traditionally used, along with walnuts and almonds grown in Kashmiri orchards.

    The rice is long-grain basmati cooked with ghee, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, so every grain is glossy and lightly sweet. Saffron soaked in milk is drizzled in at the end, leaving streaks of gold, and the pulao is studded with fried almonds, cashews, walnuts, raisins and sometimes dried apricots and dates.

    Though sweet, it is served as part of the main meal alongside savoury dishes like yakhni or rogan josh, so the contrast of sweet and spiced is part of the experience. It is also offered at shrines and religious gatherings. Because it is sweet and rich, a small serving is enough, and leftovers can be warmed with a sprinkle of water and a spoon of ghee.

    At a glance

    RegionJammu and Kashmir
    CuisineKashmiri
    DietVegetarian
    CourseRice
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsbasmati rice / saffron / ghee / sugar / dry fruits

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups aged basmati rice
    • 4 tbsp ghee
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1 cinnamon stick, 4 green cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf
    • A generous pinch of saffron soaked in 3 tbsp warm milk
    • 10 almonds, halved
    • 10 cashews
    • 8 walnut halves
    • 2 tbsp raisins
    • 4 dried apricots or dates, chopped (optional)
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 1/2 cups water

    Method

    1. Wash the rice gently until the water runs clear and soak for 30 minutes. Drain.
    2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt, add the rice and cook 6 to 7 minutes until about three-quarters done. Drain in a colander.
    3. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a heavy pan on medium. Fry almonds, cashews and walnuts for 2 minutes until golden, add raisins and apricots for 30 seconds until the raisins puff. Remove.
    4. Add the remaining ghee to the pan with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf. Let them sizzle for 30 seconds.
    5. Add the sugar with 1/2 cup water and stir until it dissolves into a light syrup, about 2 minutes.
    6. Add the parboiled rice and fold very gently. Drizzle the saffron milk over the top and scatter most of the fried dry fruits.
    7. Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 12 to 15 minutes (on a tawa placed under the pan, if your burner runs hot), until the rice is fully cooked and the syrup absorbed.
    8. Rest 5 minutes, fluff gently and garnish with the remaining dry fruits.

    Tips

    • Parboiling first keeps the grains separate; cooking raw rice in syrup makes it sticky.
    • Adjust sugar to taste – traditional versions are quite sweet.
    • A few drops of rose water at the end add another layer of perfume.

    Serve with

    Kashmiri yakhni or rogan josh as part of a festive meal.

  • Rogan Josh

    Rogan josh is the best-known dish of the Kashmiri wazwan and of Kashmiri Pandit home cooking. Rogan refers to the fat or red oil, and josh to heat or intensity. The Persian-influenced dish took two directions in the valley: Muslim cooks use onions, garlic and maval (cockscomb flower) for colour, while Pandit kitchens skip onion and garlic entirely and rely on asafoetida, yogurt and spice.

    This Pandit version gets its brilliant red from Kashmiri chillies, which are mild and fragrant, and its distinctive character from fennel powder and sonth (dry ginger), the two pillars of Kashmiri spicing. Mutton is browned in mustard oil, simmered in whisked yogurt, and cooked until tender with a thin layer of red oil floating on top.

    It is served on festive days like Shivratri (Herath) and at family feasts, always with plain steamed rice. A good rogan josh is never thick or creamy; the gravy should be thin and intensely flavoured. In Pandit homes it is cooked in large quantities for Herath and eaten over several days. The flavour deepens overnight, so it is a good dish to make ahead. Kashmiri households also serve it alongside haak and a simple radish chutney to cut through the richness of the meat.

    At a glance

    RegionJammu and Kashmir
    CuisineKashmiri
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time105 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsmutton / yogurt / Kashmiri red chilli / fennel powder / dry ginger

    Ingredients

    • 750 g bone-in mutton (shoulder and leg), 5 cm pieces
    • 5 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida), dissolved in 2 tbsp water
    • 4 green cardamom, 2 black cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves
    • 1 cup thick curd, whisked smooth
    • 3 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder mixed with 3 tbsp water
    • 2 tsp saunf (fennel) powder
    • 1 tsp sonth (dry ginger) powder
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 cups hot water

    Method

    1. Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until it smokes, then let it cool for 30 seconds and set the heat to medium.
    2. Add the whole spices and let them sizzle for 20 seconds. Add the mutton and salt and fry on medium-high for 10 to 12 minutes, turning, until the meat is browned and the juices have dried.
    3. Add the hing water; it will splutter. Stir for a minute.
    4. Add the Kashmiri chilli paste and stir-fry 2 minutes until the oil turns deep red.
    5. Lower the heat. Add the whisked curd a few spoons at a time, stirring constantly, so it does not curdle. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until the curd is absorbed and oil separates.
    6. Add fennel powder, dry ginger and turmeric and stir 1 minute. Pour in the hot water and bring to a boil.
    7. Cover and simmer on low for 60 to 70 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mutton is very tender and the gravy has reduced to a thin, red sauce with oil on top. (Or pressure cook 4 to 5 whistles.)
    8. Sprinkle garam masala, rest 10 minutes and serve.

    Tips

    • Kashmiri chillies give colour without much heat; do not substitute regular chilli powder one to one.
    • Whisk the curd until completely smooth and add it slowly on low heat.
    • Bone-in meat is essential for body in the gravy, since there is no onion base.

    Serve with

    Plain steamed rice.

  • Kashmiri Dum Aloo

    Dum aloo is one of the most loved vegetarian dishes of Kashmir, served at Pandit weddings and festivals and eaten through the cold winters. Kashmiri cooking traditionally uses no tomatoes and, in Pandit kitchens, no onion or garlic, so the colour comes from Kashmiri chillies and the depth from yogurt, fennel and dry ginger.

    Small potatoes are boiled, pricked all over and deep fried until a crust forms, then cooked slowly in a red, yogurt-based gravy until they soak it up. The potatoes look fiery but taste aromatic rather than very hot, with a warm, slightly sweet fennel flavour and a sheen of red oil on the surface.

    It is eaten with plain rice or with roti, often alongside other Kashmiri dishes like haak (collard greens) and nadru yakhni. It is the vegetarian star of a Kashmiri feast. The potatoes can be boiled and fried a few hours ahead, leaving only the short simmer before serving. Choose small potatoes of even size so that they cook evenly and absorb the gravy at the same rate. A spoon of the red oil from the top makes a perfect drizzle over rice.

    At a glance

    RegionJammu and Kashmir
    CuisineKashmiri
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time40 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsbaby potatoes / yogurt / Kashmiri red chilli / fennel powder

    Ingredients

    • 500 g baby potatoes, similar size
    • Mustard oil for deep frying
    • 1/4 tsp hing
    • 2 green cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 black cardamom
    • 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 3/4 cup thick curd, whisked
    • 1 1/2 tsp saunf powder
    • 1 tsp sonth (dry ginger) powder
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 tsp salt

    Method

    1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 8 to 10 minutes until just tender. Peel while warm and prick each one all over with a fork or toothpick.
    2. Heat mustard oil in a kadai until it smokes, then lower to medium. Deep fry the potatoes for 6 to 8 minutes until golden and slightly crusty. Drain.
    3. Remove all but 3 tbsp oil from the kadai. On medium heat, add hing and the whole spices and let them sizzle for 20 seconds.
    4. Take the pan off the heat. Mix the chilli powder with 2 tbsp water and add it, then return to low heat and stir 30 seconds until the oil turns red.
    5. Add the curd gradually, stirring constantly on low heat, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until it thickens and loses its raw smell.
    6. Add fennel powder, dry ginger, turmeric, salt and water. Bring to a simmer.
    7. Add the fried potatoes, cover and cook on low (dum) for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes have absorbed the gravy and red oil floats on top.
    8. Sprinkle garam masala and serve hot.

    Tips

    • Pricking the potatoes lets the gravy seep in; do not skip it.
    • Adding chilli powder off the heat keeps it from burning and keeps the colour bright.
    • Some families add a pinch of ratan jot to the oil for an even deeper red.

    Serve with

    Plain steamed rice or phulkas.

  • Kashmiri Yakhni

    Yakhni is the gentle counterpart to rogan josh in Kashmiri cooking. The name comes from a Persian word for stock or broth, and the dish is a yogurt-based curry so pale and mild that visitors are often surprised it belongs to the same cuisine. It is a fixture of the wazwan and of everyday Kashmiri homes, both Muslim and Pandit.

    There is no chilli and no turmeric. Instead the flavour comes from mutton stock, fennel, dry ginger, green and black cardamom and a final scattering of dried mint. Yogurt is cooked slowly until it becomes silky and stable. The taste is soothing and fragrant, with a gentle tang and plenty of meaty depth.

    Yakhni is served with plain steamed rice, often on the same table as rogan josh so diners can balance mild with spicy. Vegetarian versions use lotus stem (nadru yakhni) or bottle gourd. Because it is mild, yakhni is also a favourite with children and older family members, and it is a comforting dish in the cold Kashmiri winter. Dried mint and fennel are the flavours that make it unmistakably Kashmiri, so do not leave them out.

    At a glance

    RegionJammu and Kashmir
    CuisineKashmiri
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time80 minutes
    Total time95 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsmutton / yogurt / fennel / cardamom / dried mint

    Ingredients

    For the mutton

    • 750 g bone-in mutton pieces
    • 4 cups water
    • 4 green cardamom, 2 black cardamom
    • 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 bay leaves
    • 1 tsp salt

    For the yogurt gravy

    • 2 cups thick curd
    • 1 tsp cornflour or 1 tbsp besan (to stabilise)
    • 3 tbsp ghee or mustard oil
    • 1/4 tsp hing
    • 1 tsp shahi jeera (caraway)
    • 2 tsp saunf powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp sonth (dry ginger) powder
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • 1 tsp dried mint, crushed
    • Salt to taste

    Method

    1. Put mutton, water, whole spices and salt in a pot. Bring to a boil, skim the scum, then cover and simmer on low for 50 to 60 minutes until tender (or pressure cook 4 whistles). Strain and reserve the stock.
    2. Whisk the curd with the cornflour until completely smooth.
    3. Heat ghee in a heavy pot on medium. Add hing and shahi jeera and let them sizzle for 20 seconds.
    4. Lower the heat, add the curd and stir continuously in one direction for 6 to 8 minutes until it comes to a boil and thickens slightly. This prevents curdling.
    5. Add fennel powder and dry ginger, then gradually pour in about 1 1/2 cups of the reserved stock, stirring all the time.
    6. Add the cooked mutton pieces and simmer uncovered on low for 15 to 20 minutes, until the gravy is creamy and coats the meat.
    7. Stir in cardamom powder and dried mint, check salt and rest 5 minutes before serving.

    Tips

    • Keep stirring until the yogurt boils; once it has boiled it will not split.
    • Full-fat curd gives the best texture; low-fat curd tends to separate.
    • Leftover stock makes an excellent base for pulao.

    Serve with

    Plain steamed rice, with rogan josh or haak on the side.