Experience a Slice of Kashmir through Food: Let’s Cook a Kashmiri Meal

This post is the second part of my invitation to explore Kashmiri food. In this part, I will share three recipes to prepare a Kashmiri meal.

You are blessed if you are inclined to explore new tastes. If you are not inclined, you are not fully extracting value from food, one of the great pleasures of life. Do not let this happen!

In a geographically and culturally shrinking world, we have what it takes to explore and adopt different foods—growing incomes, geographic mobility, knowledge, and widespread availability of food ingredients. My grandma was not fortunate enough to have lived in such a time. She didn’t even get to try foods such as masala dosa or pizza.   

For adopting food that is very different from what you are used to, perseverance is rewarding. I spent a summer in South Korea, where restaurants commonly serve seaweed as a side and sprinkle it chopped on many dishes. In the past, I had tried seaweed and disliked it. But, because seaweed is ubiquitous in South Korea, I kept sampling it and eventually took to it. Had I given up on it, I would have missed out on enjoying its wonderful umami taste.  

I hope you try and persevere with Kashmiri food. To get you started, I recommend a meal of mutsch, dum aloo, and haakh with white rice. 

Mutsch comprises cylindrical-shaped mutton sausages in a spicy gravy; a type of meat kofta curry, if you will.

Dum aloo, part of multiple Indian cuisines, is on restaurant menus all over India. However, the dum aloo served in restaurants is almost always not Kashmiri dum aloo. Even when the dish is labeled Kashmiri dum aloo, you are likely not getting the real stuff.

Haakh (collard greens), the most consumed vegetable in Kashmir, is the poor person’s food also relished by the rich.

Although mutsch and dum aloo include similar spice mixes, the meat and potatoes will complement each other in our meal. Haakh, with its minimal additives, will balance the spiciness of mutsch and dum aloo.

My recipes are from the Hindu cooking tradition. Remember that onions and garlic do not feature in traditional Kashmiri Hindu cooking, and a fried mix of onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes is not used as a gravy base.

Recipes vary across families; there is no one standard recipe. My recipes are not hand-me-down family recipes but are from what I have learned through the internet.

Mutsch (spiced meat sausages in a spicy gravy)

Mutsch is prepared from ground mutton. However, I substitute ground turkey for ground mutton; ground turkey is healthier, costs less, and is more widely available than ground mutton here in the United States.

There are three steps to cooking mutsch—roll spiced ground meat into cylindrical-shaped sausages; prepare the liquid for cooking the sausages; cook sausages in the liquid.

Ingredients for Sausages

1.25-1.5 pounds ground sheep/goat meat or ground turkey (I use 85% lean)
½ tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tablespoon fennel powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2 well-crushed black cardamoms without the husks
½ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons mustard oil (smoked and cooled)

Ingredients for Gravy

3 tablespoons mustard oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida
3 well-crushed cloves
1, 2-inch long and ½ inch-wide well-crushed cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
2 tablespoons whipped yogurt
2 crushed black cardamoms with husks
2 tablespoons fennel powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2-3 teaspoons salt
2/3 cups water

1. Mix the following: ½ tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tablespoon fennel powder, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, 2 well-crushed black cardamoms without the husks, ½ teaspoon salt
2. Spread the ground meat on a wide plate. Sprinkle the spice mix from Step 1 on the ground meat and knead with your hand until the spices mix uniformly.
3. Add 1½ tablespoons of mustard oil to the ground meat and mix well. If you use 99% lean turkey, you should add 3 tablespoons of oil.
4. Scoop a two-inch ball of meat and use your palm and fingers to roll it into a cylindrical-shaped sausage about three inches long and ½-¾ inch wide. When done, set aside the sausages for 30 minutes—they will firm up, and the spice flavors will spread.
5. Heat 3 tablespoons of mustard oil until it smokes. Let the oil cool until it is moderately hot. Add ¼ teaspoon asafetida, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 3 crushed cloves, and crushed cinnamon stick, and let sizzle for 30 seconds.
6. Set heat to very low and make sure that the oil is not hot. Add 2 tablespoons chili powder quickly followed by 2 tablespoons whipped yogurt. Stir well until the white yogurt color disappears.
7. Add 1 tablespoon fennel powder, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, 2 crushed black cardamoms, 2 teaspoons salt and stir for a few minutes to cook the spices. Add 2 cups of water.
8. Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat. Gently slide the sausages one by one into the liquid.
9. Cook the sausages on medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes or until the sauce reduces to half.

Notes

In the United States, you can buy mustard oil in Indian grocery stores. In compliance with FDA regulations, mustard oil sold in the United States is labeled “for external use only.” The erucic acid in mustard oil is considered harmful for cardiovascular health—evidence is sketchy, though. Millions of South Asian households use mustard oil as a cooking medium every day.

If you must, you can substitute canola oil for mustard oil                     

Do not substitute regular red chili powder for Kashmiri red chili powder. Kashmiri chili powder is much milder in heat and imparts a deep red color to the dish.

Spices burn if the oil is very hot. Make sure that the oil is not very hot and use low heat when adding and frying red chili powder.

If you want to make a less spicy version, use three-quarters of the following: chili powder, ginger powder, and fennel powder.

In this recipe, cinnamon is not the whole quill but a flat piece.

Confusion alert: Chili powder in the United States sometimes refers to a mix of spices.

Confession

I belong to the small minority that likes cooking more than eating. I grew up in a meat-loving household and have had my fair share of meat. However, since my early twenties, I have been an ovo-lacto vegetarian. I have never tasted any meat dish that I have cooked.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo (slow-cooked potatoes)

The key to cooking dum aloo is to have the spicy sauce permeate the potatoes. Dum aloo should be soft, crumbly, and spice-colored inside. The ideal potatoes are medium-sized, starchy, and absorbent. Try and use potatoes that are between two and three inches in diameter.

Ingredients

12 medium-sized potatoes
Mustard oil as needed for deep frying potatoes
3 tablespoons mustard oil for cooking
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon asafetida
2 bay leaves
3 crushed cloves
1, 3-inch long and ½ inch-wide well-crushed cinnamon stick
1½ tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder
2 tablespoons whipped yogurt
2 crushed black cardamoms
2 tablespoons fennel powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
2-3 teaspoons salt
2/3 cups water

1. Boil potatoes in water just enough to peel the skins easily. Make sure not to overboil lest the potatoes become soft and break. Let the boiled potatoes cool. Peel potato skins and discard them.
2. With a toothpick/thick needle, prick end-to-end holes all over the potatoes.
3. Deep fry potatoes on medium-high heat until they turn golden and fry on low heat until they take a deep rust color. The hot oil will seep through the holes and make the potatoes crispy from inside. Cooking on low heat toward the end will ensure that the potatoes get crispy inside and do not burn outside.
4. Carefully prick holes in the fried potatoes. This step is insurance for the possibility that the holes created in step 2 might have gotten sealed during frying. You must be careful not to break the potatoes.
5. Pour 3 tablespoons of mustard oil into a pan and heat the oil until it smokes. Turn down the heat and let the smoking oil cool until it is moderately hot.
6. Add ¼ teaspoon asafetida and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds to hot oil. Let sizzle for a few seconds.
7. Add 3 crushed cloves, crushed cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, and heat for 30 seconds.
8. Turn heat to low. Add 1½ tablespoons of Kashmiri red chili powder and stir. Right away, add 2 tablespoons of whipped yogurt and stir with a spoon until the white yogurt color disappears. Low heat must be maintained so that the yogurt does not curdle, and the chili powder does not burn.
9. Add 2 tablespoons of fennel powder, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, and stir until the oil separates from the spice mix. Add 2 crushed black cardamoms and mix well.
10. Add the fried potatoes to the sauce and stir until the potatoes get coated with the sauce. Cover the pan and cook on very low heat for five minutes.
11. Add 2/3 cups of water. Cook on a low flame until the gravy thickens. Alternatively, you can cook the potatoes in a pressure cooker for about 10 minutes. I believe pressure cooking aids the permeation of sauce into the potatoes.

Notes

Frying potatoes is a critical step; they must be crispy from the inside.

Make sure the potatoes do not break while cooking and serving. They should be whole when served but should crumble when pressed a little. The inside of dum aloo should be moist and have the same color as the gravy.

Reduce the gravy until it is mostly oil and spices. Serve dum aloo with minimal gravy. Because the sauce has seeped inside the potatoes, you can enjoy dum aloo with plain rice without any sauce.

Haakh (collard greens)

Haakh is an easy-to-prepare dish in which collard greens are simmered in water. The critical element is to use small-sized soft greens. Haakh is to Kashmiris what dal is to most people in Northern India.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons mustard oil
2 dried red Kashmiri chilies
¼ teaspoon asafetida
¾ cups water
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ pounds collard greens

1. Thoroughly wash the greens and drain. If the greens are large cut them into hand-sized pieces. Cut and discard any thick stems.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in a pot. After the oil smokes, let it cool until it is medium hot. Add ¼ teaspoon asafetida and 2 dried red chilies.
3. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
4. Add a pinch of baking soda. Baking soda will prevent the discoloration of the greens. Add two teaspoons salt.
5. Add the greens in small batches. Press the greens so that they submerge in water. They will wilt after a while.
6. Lower the heat. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until the greens are tender. A long cooking time will smoothen the bitterness of the greens.

Notes

You will have a lot of nutritious broth/pot liquor. You can discard it and only eat the greens. Kashmiris have the pot liquor with rice; some add yogurt to the pot liquor and drink it.

Haakh has a subtle and slightly bitter taste; there is nothing fancy about this dish. I would, however, be remiss if I didn’t have the humble haakh as part of a sample Kashmiri meal.

Kashmiri collard greens are soft and small sized; American collard greens are hard, thick, and low on taste. The best American collard greens are available at farm markets during late fall.

A few stores in major Indian metros sell Kashmiri food supplies, including collard greens. Collard greens are widely available in supermarkets in the United States.

Bon Appetit