The document provides information about the cuisine of Kashmir. It discusses how the cuisine has been influenced by cultures from Central Asia, Persia, Afghanistan and Punjab over hundreds of years. It describes some key features of Kashmiri cuisine including the traditional feast of Wazwan consisting of 36 non-vegetarian courses. It also summarizes several popular dishes like Rogan Josh, Rista and Tabak Maas and ingredients commonly used in Kashmiri cooking like saffron, yogurt and spices.

1. KASHMIR
LAND DESICATED FROM WATER
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2. INTRODUCTION
 The name Kashmir implies “ land desiccated
from water” .
 In Sanskrit KA means water and SHIMIRA
means to desiccate.
 The legend that Kashmir valley was a vast
mountainous lake called SATISAR, which was
drained by KASHYAP RISHI who called
Brahmins and tan tricks to drain the lake by
using their force and thus it was called as
Kashyap – mar and later Kashmir.
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3.  Kashmiri cuisine has evolved over hundreds of
years.
 The first major influence was the food of the
Kashmiri Buddhists and Pandits, the Hindus who
lived in the valley in the Middle Ages.
 The cuisine was then influenced by the cultures
which arrived with the invasion the Kashmir
region by Timur from the area of modern
Uzbekistan.
 Subsequently, it has been heavily influenced by
central Asian, Persian, Afghan and Punjabi
cultures.
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4. SPECIAL FEATURES
 Traditional Kashmir cooking is called as
WAZAWAN and comprises mostly of non
vegetarian dishes.
 Most Kashmir's including Brahmins are meat
eaters. The Kashmiri cuisine is divided between
two main communities
 Kashmiri pandits.
 Kashmiri Muslims.
 Kashmiri pandits are non vegetarians, but they
don’t use garlic and onions in their traditional
dishes.
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5.  Kashmiri pandit food is very
elaborate, and an important part of
the local Hindu culture's identity.
 The food usually uses a lot of
yoghurt and turmeric, and avoids
onion and garlic.
 Unlike Kashmiri Muslim cuisine, it
does not include many minced
meat dishes.
 An equal emphasis is laid on
vegetarian and non-vegetarian
dishes, although a bias for non-
vegetarian dishes certainly exists -
Pandits, despite being Hindus,
tend to be voracious meat eaters.
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6.  An unavoidable ingredient in Kashmiri cuisine is
curd and asafetida. They use curd in almost all
the dishes except in certain kebabs. Curd helps
to reduce the spiciness and also gives a smooth
creamy consistency to the dish.
 Brahmins and Kashmiri pandits have generally
been great meat eaters and prefer goat
especially young goat.
 Rice was the staple food of Kashmir which is still
continues to be, barley was regarded as food
only fit for poor and no wheat was eaten.
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7.  Rice was cooked and eaten cold called as
TURN BAT.
 Pulaos like zarda pulao, tursh pulao were
introduced during the sultan rule in Kashmir.
 Hindus ate pork in pre Islamic period, beef
was introduced with Muslim rule.
 It has developed its own specialty in cooking.
Locally grown rice are sweetly fragrant and
very light.
 All dishes are built around the main course of
rice.
 Lotus stem is also an important produce for
boat dwelling people and makes a very good
substitute for meat.
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8.  Morel mushroom called GUCCHI are
harvested and consumed fresh in
summer. They are expensive and
therefore used only for specific religious
occasions and wedding feast.
 Corn bread is an alternate for rice.
 Sauces and gravies are made from dairy
rich products. The fruits and nuts grown
from the valley are used lavishly in the
daily menu.
 Saffron is widely used in cooking which
is obtained from the stigma of the flower
called crocus and is used to impart flavor
and color to the dishes.
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10.  The Kashmir's often cook their food by
heating it on two sides, from both top
and bottom for that distinctive taste.
 The charcoal fire was their solution in
the earlier days but oven serves as a
good substitute these days.
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11. Kashmiri beverages
 Kashmiris are heavy tea drinkers. The most popular drink is a
pinkish coloured salted tea called nun chai (or shir chai). It is made
with black tea, cardamom, various spices, milk, salt and
bicarbonate of soda.
 The peculiar colour of the tea is a result of its unique method of
preparation and the addition of soda. This salted tea is very much
like the salted tea prevalent in various parts of Central Asia.
 Nun chai is a common breakfast tea in Kashmiri households and is
taken with special bread brought fresh from the bakers (kandur).
Often, this tea is served in a large Samavars.
 At marriage feasts, festivals, religious places and when guests are
welcomed, it is traditional to serve kahwah, a green tea made with
saffron, spices and almonds or walnuts. There are 21 varieties of
kahwah made in different households.
 Owing to the generally religious sentiments of Kashmiri Muslims,
alcohol is not served among the Muslim community. It is
sometimes taken among the Pandits.
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12. WAZWAN
 The origin of wazwan seems to be still at
large. It was introduced by the traders from
central Asia.
 Although wazwan sums to be Persian word
but since Persian and Sanskrit are sister
language and as per another school of
thought “wazwan” could be originally
Sanskrit.
 WAZA means cook / head cook and WAN
means work shop / place. So wazwan means
cooks shop.
 Wazwan is a feast comprising of 36 courses
of meat, chicken, vegetables, salads, curd,
sweet and KAHWA (spiced green tea).KUMARS RECIPE FILE12 NSK NOTES

13.  In the earlier days, the traditional Kashmiri Muslim
banquet known as Wazwan, a feast fit for kings, which
was perhaps the most unique and elaborate royal
spread of meat and delicacies compared to the other
parts of India.
 Comprising of thirty-six courses, fifteen to thirty dishes
of Wazwan are varieties of meat. Many of the
delicacies are cooked through the entire night under
the expert supervision of a Vasta Waza or head chef,
assisted by an entourage of wazas under him.
 Kashmir's most formal meal, Wazwan is not only a
ritual but also a ceremony.
 Traditionally, no spoons, forks or knives are used for
eating food.
 Eaten with fingers, getting invited to a Wazwan is a
rare luxury that one can enjoy these days.
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14.  With the passage of time some
dishes have been omitted and
new dishes included like KALYA
(yellow meat stew).
 It is a festive banquet which
every Kashmiri rich or poor
held at one or the other time
like marriage and other social
functions and as a matter of
pride.
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15.  Wazwan is only restricted to the Muslims of Kashmir and they regard it
as the pride of their culture and identity.
 Guests are grouped into fours for the serving of the wazwan.
 The meal begins with invoking the name of Allah and a ritual washing
of hands, as a jug and basin called the tasht naèr (tasht-e-naari in
urdu/persian) is passed among the guests.
 A large serving dish piled high with heaps of rice, decorated and
quartered by two seekh kabab, four pieces of meth maaz, two tabak
maaz, sides of barbecued ribs, and one safed kokur, one zafrani kokur,
and a mutton dish consisting of a piece known as Danni phol,
sprinkled over with some coriander and Musk Melon seeds,followed by
other dishes like Rista, roganjosh, aab gosht, runwangan tchaman,
marchwangan kormeh, aloo bukhara gosht, wazz palak, hindi
roganjosh and last but not the least Gushtaab/Gushtaba including
others.
 The meal is accompanied by yoghurt garnished with Kashmiri saffron,
salads, Kashmiri pickles and dips. Kashmiri Wazwan is generally
prepared in marriages and other special functions.
 The feast ends with an elder leading the thanksgiving to Allah, which
is heard with rapt attention by everyone
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16. HINDU – MUSLIM
WAZWAN
 Though the Hindu and Muslim cooks
use the same spices but the taste and
flavor differs.
 The method of cooking in both the
cases is mostly stewing except Hindu
cooks using deep frying and braising
for TABAK MAZ and ROGAN JOSH.
Where of Muslims use shallow frying
and boiling.
 For thickening the Hindu cooks make
use of ground spices, where as the
Muslim cooks use a paste of onions,
herbs and garlic.
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17.  Hindus in India serve meals in thali and leaves to
individuals, the Kashmiri Muslims on the other
hand place the THRAMIS consisting of various
delicacies for every one to eat together when in
groups.
 One of the important characteristics of WAZWAN
is the predominant flavor of garlic in most of the
dishes.
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18. SPICES IN WAZWAN
 Turmeric. Ginger powder.
 Aniseed powder. Red chilly powder.
 Cinnamon Green cardamom
 Cloves Black pepper powder.
 Shallots Onions
 Garlic Saffron
 Cocks comb Mint
 Dania leaves Green chilly
 Walnut Badam
 Methi leaves.
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20. SIGNATURE DISHES
 RISTA : pounded meat with fat and spices
rounded in the form of small balls and cooked in
saffron flavored red gravy.
 METHI MAZ : roughly chopped offal's cooked
with dried fenugreek.
 SHEEK KEBAB : finely minced meat spiced,
skewered and grilled on a open charcoal fire.
 ROGAN JOSH : meat pieces cooked in red
gravy. ROGAN – means and JOSH – means
exciting color.
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21. SHEEK KABAB
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22. TABAK MAAS
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23. TABAK MAZ
 TABAK MAZ : shallow fried
spare ribs.
 Mutton Ribs stewed with
herbs, marinated in curd and
stir fried.
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24. YAKHANI PULAO
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25.  DHANIWAL KHORUMA : boneless cubes of
meat stewed in yellowish gravy and garnished
with lot of green coriander leaves.
 MIRCHI KHORUMA : korma cooked in red
gravy with Kashmiri chilly powder and saffron
flavored.
 AAB GOSHT : large pieces of meat cooked in
milk, lightly spiced and flavored.
 PALAK SABZI : small spinach cooked in
spinach gravy.
 GOSHT TABA : pounded meat with fat turned
into large balls cooked in yogurt based yakhni
gravy.
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26. KASHMIRI
PULAO
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27. Kahva, Kashmiri Tea
 The tea is made by
boiling green tea leaves
with saffron strands,
cinnamon bark and
cardamom pods.
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28. DUM ALOO
 Its one of the popular north Indian dish. Its usually cooked
under pressure so the potatoes get soaked in the gravy
and so the name Dum (pressure in Hindi) in dum aloo..
 Normally baby potatoes are used for this preparation.
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29. Gushtaba
 Gushtaba Called by Kashmiris
as 'Dish of Kings',
 Goshtaba is famous for its
flavor and taste.
 It is served as the last meat
dish in a Wazawan feast,
before the dessert.
 The main ingredients of this
gravy dish are meatballs,
ghee, onion, and garam
masala.
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30. Rogan josh
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31.  TAMATER PANEER : cottage cheese in
tomato based gravy.
 YAKHNI SHORBA : a rich mutton based stock
flavored with and enriched with ginger, garlic
and garam masala.
 KHURBANI KA METHA : popular dessert in
Kashmir in which dried apricots are soaked in
water and simmered in sugar syrup and mildly
flavored with saffron.
 KAHWAH : the green spicy flavored tea also
be a part of WAZWAN.
 CHUTNEYS : like almond, walnut and onion
sliced chutney.
 PHIRNI : a sweet custard made of rice flour
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34. VER MASALA
 2 tablespoon Cumin Seed powder
 2 tablespoon Coriander Seed powder
 2 tablespoon Fennel Seed powder
 1 tablespoon Carom Seed powder
 1 tablespoon Black Cardamom powder
 1 tablespoon Green Cardamom powder
 1 tablespoon Clove powder
 1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder
 4 tablespoons Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
 2 tablespoon Dry Ginger powder
 1 teaspoon Asafoetida
 2 tablespoon Oil
 2 tablespoon Bay leaves powder
 1 tablespoon Black pepper powder
 Soaked and ground urad daal about 4-5
tablespoons
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35. Lotus stems
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37. Kashmiri Marchwagan Korma
Nsk
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38. ????
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