Five foods you'll love in Kashmir

Kashmir, located in the northwest region of South Asia, is aptly named Heaven on Earth. Kashmir is known for its natural beauty, its friendly culture, and its wide variety of flavors. In Kashmir, food is cooked with liberal amounts of warm spices, curd, and butter. The final result is a dish satisfying enough to make visitors wonder if the food is actually more incredible than the views.

If you're visiting Kashmir, almost everything you eat will probably be rich and delicious. But to get the full experience, here are five dishes you definitely won't want to miss.

Dum Aloo

Prepared with potatoes and flavourful spices, dum aloo is a popular festival dish in Kashmir. It is often served with spicy red gravy, made from yoghurt, ginger and red pepper. One of Kashmir's signature vegetarian foods, dum aloo can be found almost anywhere in the region. Some restaurants make it with a little variation using red tomatoes which is not the traditional way to make dum aloo.

Yakhni or Yoghurt Lamb Curry

This mouth-watering dish consists of mutton marinated in a yoghurt based gravy of turmeric, curd and cinnamon.

Some variations of this dish include a curry made with green chili and fennel. Served over a bed of steaming white rice, Yakhni is a full, satisfying meal, and your visit won't be complete without tasting it.

Rogan Josh

This signature dish is one of Kashmir's most well-known and is a must try for all meat lovers. Made from lamb or mutton and slathered in a variety of flavors, this dish is hearty and savory. Kashmir has two variations on Rogan Josh. The Mughal version that uses onions, ginger, and garlic, and the Hindi version called Kashmiri Pandit, does not contain traces of onion or tomatoes. Both variations are packed with flavor, try it with steamed rice or naan and you will yearn for more.

Sheer Chai or Noon Chai

Also well-known as the Kashmiri tea, gulabi chai, and pink tea, this drink is as ingrained in Kashmiri culture as the rolling hills that surround the people. Natives of Kashmir, drink the traditional Sheer chai two to three times every day. The tea is a blend of milk, salt, pistachios, and baking soda, to give the tea its bright pink appearance. This beverage is usually consumed with traditional Kashmiri breads, such as kulcha or baqerkhani.

Phirni

A creamy dessert, made with rice and milk are traditionally served in small pots called kullars. Poush, a restaurant in Kashmir, is known for its excellent Phirni. This dish is sweet and comforting. Phirni is usually served chilled, after it has had time to thicken.

The variety of foods found in Kashmir can feel endless. The flavorful dishes, sweet breads and use of spices make eating in Kashmir is an experience as unique as the picturesque beauty that surround it.

Find out more about how you can experience Kashmir

 

By Sajda Latif