Harbouring misconceptions, well, is a common practice. And these may abound, especially when it comes to food, even when it comes from different parts of the same country. Take, for instance, Kashmiri food. Many think of it as oily, spicy and heavy with an overuse of nuts and primarily catering to non-vegetarians.
However, ‘Culinary Kashmir’, a 10-day food festival, being hosted at Le Jardin, The Oberoi, will dispel all such myths. Chef Parvinder Bali, Corporate Culinary Head from the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development, has descended to the City along with 3 ‘wazas’ (Kashmiri cooks) to provide culinary enthusiasts with an authentic flavour of food from the valley.
Chef Parvinder says that for the first few days of the festival, 3 different veg and non-veg ‘kebabs’ and 8 different veg and non-veg main course dishes will be prepared each day. Post that, it would be a mix ‘n’ match menu.
“The fare that we are serving is a combination of the ‘wazwan’ and everyday dishes. The ‘wazwan’ is a typical wedding fare, an extensive spread that’s usually prepared overnight. It generally consists of about 36 dishes and can go upto 50 to 60 items. One will get to experience a few signature items from both the categories,” he explains.
Some of the highlights on the menu include the ‘rista’, ‘gushtaba’, ‘kokur mirchwangun korma’ and ‘methi maaz’. Vegetarians are also in for a feast with traditional delicacies like ‘nadru paalak’ , ‘moinja haak’ , ‘kadam haak’ and the quintessential Kashmiri ‘rajma’. Connoisseurs can savour the dishes with an assortment of breads like ‘taftan’, ‘bakharkhani’ and ‘khamiri roti’ and aromatic rice items like ‘zafrani pulao’, ‘syun pulao’ and ‘zirish pulao’ (with blackberries from Kashmir). The ‘shufta’ (cottage cheese and dry fruit pudding) is the main attraction on the dessert platter. “Kashmiri food is healthy with lots of green vegetables, either eaten on their own or paired with some meat. Unlike other Indian dishes, there is no frying, sauteing or pot roasting of onion, ginger and garlic. It’s mostly stew-based cooking where everything is put in a pot, sealed and cooked on ‘dum’ so the flavours and nutrition remain intact. The meat leaves it natural fats that float on the surface and before serving, the oil is skimmed off,” he adds. The sweet ‘kahwa’ tea and the savoury, digestive ‘sheer’ chai (also called noon ‘chai’) are also a part of the spread. This buffet menu for lunch and dinner is on till March 20.