Flavours of the Valley

Chef Jitendra Singh Rawat, who has spent over eight years in the Valley mastering the recipes of the region, promises authentic Kasmiri cuisine at the festival Wazaan e Zannat, on at the Welcome Café Serenade, Bella Vista in Panchkula. “The real essence of the food lies in the way we prepare, how we prepare and with what we prepare it. The uniqueness of the Kashmiri food lies in the basic premise that it is prepared on slow but continuous heat, which makes the food preserve its nutrients and the aroma,” he says. Natural ingredients like shallots stem, Kashmiri mirch, shounth and saunf powder form the spices mixture for preparing the dishes “Traditional Kashmiri food called Wazwan is a rich feast served by the locals on marriage ceremonies, get together, state and corporate functions. A traditional Wazwan has 20-40 varieties of non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes.”

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Kashmiri dishes make a regular use of dry fruits, especially in the preparation of curries. Kashmiris use ghee to cook meals. The cuisine of Kashmir is truly unique and has absolutely no comparison. Kashmir’s cuisine is unique not just in terms of spices – in particular fennel, asafoetida, cardamom, and Kashmiri red chilies, but also in terms of the constituent elements that form the core of a dish. Most of these vegetables and grains are local to the Valley and surrounding areas. For instance, it is only in Kashmir that the stem of the lotus flower – abundant in the lakes and other water bodies of Kashmir – is eaten in a variety of preparations. “Another Kashmiri specialty is kohlrabi and its leaves, also prepared in multiple ways along with fish, meat and beans. Rice is the staple grain,” he shares.

Accompanying the food are steaming cups of Kehwa or Kashmiri tea, flavoured with cardamom, cinnamon, and chock-full of almonds, to warm you up.

On till December 22