Saffron Rice with Chicken Meatballs in Walnut Gravy

This is a heavenly combo and the flavours are ultimate. I can say in simple words, finger licking good! These must have originated from Kashmir, since the two main ingredients Saffron and walnut are major produce of Kashmir.

The rice here is subtly flavoured and bland with the distinctive aroma of Saffron while the meat ball gravy has all the spices and substance within. The blended walnuts and cream leave a delicious feel in your mouth as you pamper yourself with each spoonful of saffron rice mixed with the gravy. Guaranteed to win many hearts, this one!

Chicken Meat Balls in Walnut Gravy
(Recipe courtesy: www.sanjeevkapoor.com)
 
Ingredients:
Chicken mince  -  400 grams
Red chilli powder  -   1 teaspoon
Cumin powder  -   1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder   -  a pinch
Salt  -   to taste
Chicken stock  -   4 cups
Green cardamoms   -  2
Green chillies   -  4
Walnuts  -  1/2 cup
Onions  -   2 medium
Oil  -   1 tablespoon
Ginger paste   -  1 tablespoon
Garlic paste  -   1 tablespoon
Tomato paste  -   2 tablespoons
Cream   -  2 tablespoons

Method:
Combine chicken mince, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder and salt.
Mix thoroughly. Using a tablespoon, divide into equal portions.
Roll each portion into a ball.
Bring chicken stock to a boil, crush green cardamoms and add to chicken stock.
Add chicken balls to boiling stock, lower the heat and continue to cook until chicken balls are cooked and stock has almost evaporated.
Keep aside.
Remove stems, wash and chop green chillies.
Boil walnuts and then grind to a fine paste.
Peel, wash and cut onions into halves.
Boil in one cup of water till soft, drain and grind to a paste.
Heat oil, add boiled onion paste and cook till oil begins to separate.
Add ginger, garlic paste, green chillies and cook for a moment.
Add tomato paste and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat.
Add fresh cream, stirring continuously.
Add meat balls and bring to a boil.
Adjust salt.
Serve hot.

Saffron Rice

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
Water - 4 Cups
Bay Leaf - 1
Green cardamoms - 2
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - A small piece
Saffron - A pinch dissolved in 1/2 cup warm milk
Salt - To Taste
Ghee - 1 Tsp

Method:
Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 20 mins.
Heat ghee in a thick bottomed vessel. Fry the dry spices.
Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil.
Add the soaked drained rice and salt to taste.
When the rice starts boil, add the saffron in milk and mix gently.
Cover, simmer and cook on slow heat till all the water is absorbed by the rice.

Serving: 
Make a mould of saffron rice in a bowl.
Arrange the rice mould upside down on a plate.
Make a crater in the mould with a ladle.
Pour Chicken Meat Balls with Curry into the crater and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Kashmiri Kahwa

Kahwa or Kashmiri Green Tea is a refreshing aromatic tea available all over Kashmir valley. The tea leaves are available at Rs.400/- per 500Gms along with calculated quantity of cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods packed within. These dried leaves are mostly indented from Himachal Pradesh.

The process of making Kahwa is very meticulous. Water is boiled, cinnamon and cardamom are crushed and added to boiling water and heat is turned off. Then tea leaves are added and the vessel is covered for a few minutes. Light brew is decanted and very less sugar is added to it. In Kashmir, they have a special utensil to prepare Tea called Samovar.

They also add saffron, cloves, crushed almonds and walnuts while making Kahwa but I like it plain with just a hint of cinnamon and cardamom. Kahwa invigorates the mood and keeps the body warm on cold winter days.

Ingredients:
Water - 2 cups
Kashmiri green tea leaves - 2 Tsp
Cinnamon stick crushed - 1
Cardamom crushed - 1
Sugar -  1 Tsp(Or to taste)

Method:
Heat water in a kettle.
Add crushed spices.
Allow it to boil for 2 mins.
Add the tea leaves, cover the kettle and switch off the heat.
Allow to stand for 5-7 mins.
Strain and serve.

Memories of Kashmir

Kashmir is not only a paradise on earth for the eyes and mind but also for the appetite! Kashmiri Wazwan is truly exotic and the simple but aromatic delicacies made with soft tender lamb just melt in your mouths! Vegetarian food contains mainly rice, rotis, salads, daal and a mixed vegetable curry or two. The oil they use in Kashmir for frying is Mustard Oil which has a metallic smell but tastes good. They say it is good for health and keeps the body warm in extremely cold climate.

Floating Market on Dal Lake

Typical Dabha outside Nishat Bagh

Typical Dinner on Houseboat

Last year, I visited Kashmir with Meena after 25 years. For Meena, it was the first experience. We stayed in Super Deluxe House Boat 'Kashmir Treat' on Dal Lake Srinagar, Royal Park Hotel in Gulmarg and at Forest Hill Resort in Pahalgam. At all the places, breakfast and dinner were part of the package and we got to taste excellent food on houseboat, thanks to its owner Ghulam Qadir Goosani who treated us like his own house members. When I mentioned about Rogan Josh and other lamb delicacies, he went one step ahead and arranged for fresh Rogan Josh(Lamb cooked in aromatic spices, red chilly powder and yogurt), Rista(Lamb meatballs cooked in spicy gravy) and Yakhni(Lamb  cooked in spicy yoghurt gravy garnished with lots of dried mint herbs) for us for dinner!

Typical Breakfast on Houseboat

Fresh Green Salad

Dry Kashmiri Rotis

Kashmiri Sabzi

Kashmiri Daal

Rista

Rogan Josh

Mutton Yakhni

On houseboat, normally the breakfast menu includes any of the snacks like aloo parathas, poori sabji, pickles, curds, bread butter jam, sandwiches and egg omlette with pot tea with milk or Kashmiri Kahua, the green tea. Dinner consists of rice, rotis, daal, sabji and one nonveg dish like chicken curry, Mutton Rogan josh, Rista, Yakhni or Ghushtaba as decided by the houseboat owners. A bottle of water is complimentary along with breakfast and dinner.

Dinner with Rista

Dinner with Rogan Josh

The floating market on way to the house boat has shops selling the daily needs of the house boat owners and the tourists. Their prices are on par with the overland shops. They remain open from early morning till late night. There are tea stalls and restaurants selling Kashmiri Wazwan and Punjabi dishes. There are fruit vendors who sell fresh apples and other locally grown fruits and also bananas that are indented from other states, since banana is not grown in Kashmir.

Kashmiri Kahua

Kahua or Kashmiri Green Tea leaves are available at Rs.400/- per 500Gms along with calculated quantity of Cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods packed within. These dried leaves are mostly indented from Darjeeling or Himachal Pradesh. The process of making Kahua is very meticulous. Water is boiled, cinnamon and cardamom are crushed and added to boiling water and heat is turned off. Then tea leaves are added and the vessel is covered for 5min. Light decoction is decanted and very less sugar is added to it. In Kashmir, they have a special utensil to prepare Tea called Samovar. Kahua invigorates the mood and keeps the body warm on cold winter days.

Road Side Dhabas opp Nishat Bagh

If this is what you call Uthapam in the making!

Outside Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh Mughal Gardens, there are a number of dhabas selling vegetarian snacks and rice dishes. We tried the so called Uthapam in one of those shacks and it was not a great deal for Rs.65/-. The slightly greenish yellow Chutney tasted OK, while the Sambar tasted very sour. Mostly these shacks sell fried snacks like Daal Vada and Onion Pakoda.

Daal Vada Stacked by the Vendor

There is a shack by the Sind River at Gund on way to Sonamarg, with a great view where we halted for half an hour, filling ourselves with cold samosas and hot tea, while some pakoda was sizzling in the open air kitchen! The view overlooking Sind River and the hills by the side gave us a well deserved break.

Onion Pakoda sizzling in Hot Oil

It was Amarnath Yatra season and in most of the hilly areas of Kashmir, only veg food was available. We had Poori with potato red bhaji, bread butter jam and Rava upma for breakfast at Royal Park Hotel, Gulmarg. Many roadside shacks named as Punjabi Dhabas are run by Kashmiris and the food is not up to the mark. Even the food at Royal Park was slightly disappointing!

Breakfast at Royal Park, Gulmarg

Typical Menu at Roadside Shack, Gulmarg

Roadside Shack, Gulmarg

Nathu’s Rasoi at Pahalgam is a clean and cozy Punjabi Restaurant serving South Indian and Chinese food as well. A plate of Chole Batura costs around Rs. 70/-, Noodles cost Rs. 90/-, Idli and Vada Rs. 65/- per plate and Masala Dosa ranging from Rs. 95/- to Rs. 125/-. Bottled water is sold at MRP Rs. 15/-. The only drawback is the machine vended tea and coffee that are not at all standard. Snacks are tasty and worth the price.

Graphic Display, Nathu's Rasoi, Pahalgam

Clean Ambiance, Nathu's Rasoi

Service Counter, Nathu's Rasoi

Chole Batura, Nathu's Rasoi

Vegetable Chow mien, Nathu's Rasoi

Idli Vada, Nathu's Rasoi

At Forest Hill Resort, we had We had typical veg dinner with hot Rotis with Paneer and Green Peas curry, cauliflower and potato dry curry, Daal, rice and yoghurt for dinner. The next morning, we were served Aloo Parathas with yoghurt and spicy pickle along with bread butter and hot tea in the garden.

Breakfast at Forest Hill Resort, Pahalgam

Aloo Parathas

Kashmiri Tea

Salad

Daal

Rotis

Cauliflower Sabzi

Paneer Peas

Dinner, Forest Hill Resort, Pahalgam

The House Boat owner’s entire family is involved in cooking and attending to tourists’ needs. It was Apple season in Kashmir when we visited. All along the way within the valley, orchards were overwhelmed with Apple and pears on trees. Kashmiri Apple is not as red and succulent as Himachal Apple but it tastes juicy and sweet when you consume it fresh.

Fruit Vendor on Dal Lake

Fresh n Juicy Kashmiri Apple

Kashmiri food is best relished in the romantic ambiance of Kashmir and the memories linger on for years to come!

Rogan Josh

Recipe Courtesy: http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/rogan-josh.aspx

Rogan Josh, Rogan Ghosh or Rogan Ghosht is an authentic Kashmiri Wazwan dish that’s world famous. Wazwan is special food that's cooked for special occasions like festivals and social functions like weddings. Tender lamb is cooked with aromatic spices and yogurt to get a rich curry that goes well with rotis or rice. One of my personal favourites, I dedicate this dish to all the Muslim friends who celebrate Bakr-Id.

Rogan Josh

Ingredients:

Mutton, cut into 1½ inch pieces 1KG

Oil 4 tablespoons

Asafoetida 2  teaspoons or a big pinch dissolved in little water

Cinnamon 2 inch stick

Cloves 6-8

Bay leaf - 2

Black peppercorns 12

Black cardamoms 4

Onions sliced 500 Gms

Kashmiri red chilli powder 2 tablespoon

Fennel seed (saunf) powder 2 teaspoons

Dry ginger powder (soonth)1 tablespoon

Coriander powder 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Yogurt, whisked 1 cup

Rogan Josh with Kashmiri Parathas

Method:

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan.
Add asafoetida, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaf and black cardamoms.
Sauté till fragrant. Add onions and fry till golden.
Add lamb pieces and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly till lamb pieces turn a nice reddish brown colour.
This may take twelve to fifteen minutes.
Sprinkle a little water and continue cooking for twelve to fifteen minutes more on low heat.
Make sure to stir constantly and scrape all the sediments from the bottom of the pan.
Add Kashmiri red chilli powder, fennel powder, dry ginger powder, coriander powder and salt.
Add yogurt and two cups of water. Cook, covered, till lamb is tender, stirring occasionally.
Serve hot.