Different spices of Kashmir and their uses in your kitchen

Amir commented, “You can never get the taste of Kashmiri food in Delhi.” I was electrocuted and wanted to know the reason behind it. I heard the people of the Valley remind me over and over again that Kashmiri vegetables and dishes can never be found anywhere other than Kashmir. I always introspect on this and wanted to know more about Kashmiri food. This led me to know various things about Kashmiri cuisine, recipes, dishes, vegetables, spices etc.

Genuine Kashmiri cuisine is recognizable through the different spices that are added to the various dishes. I never knew this fact, although I tried many Kashmiri dishes. One fine day, the lady – my guest my Kashmir – exhibited the contents of the bag. She said, “These are the spices or masalas of the land of Kashmir. They are unique in themselves, in flavor and taste. When I am cooking in your kitchen, I want you to perceive it very carefully.” Hmmm, I thought.

He handed me different packages so that they could be filled into jars and stored properly. He opened the first package and said: “This is called PUDINI”. She poured them into her palm and wanted her to smell them. They were dried mint leaves. They had a very strong smell. She added, “I bought these leaves in the summer season and dry them in the sun. Once they are dry, I use them in some dishes during the winter months.” She impressive and she was curious to know the dishes in which they are added.

He picked up the next package. His name was KOSHUR MARTSIVAGUN OR KOSHUR MARCHWAGAN. It is in the form of a pod. It is pulverized and used in kitchens. It is a very important ingredient for most dishes where chili powder is added along with the tomatoes for a nice bright red color. It is nothing more than red chili powder from Kashmir. It was absolutely red. He said that this chili powder is not very hot, however, it gives the typical red color to dishes.

The next spice was DALCHINI or CINNAMON. It has a unique smell and is added to some dishes to achieve that special flavor. It is not added in all Kashmiri cuisine dishes. Only special dishes and drinks require this spice. I came to know that it is used in different ways-

a) Large pieces of cinnamon

b) Cinnamon bits

c) Cinnamon powder

d) Cinnamon added directly to boiling water

e) Cinnamon fried in oil or butter (saturated butter)

f) The oil is heated and removed from the heat and then the cinnamon powder or powder is added

g) Sprinkle cinnamon powder on the plate and pour over the hot oil

I was impressed with these simple tips that really give different flavors for the same spice in various dishes.

The other spice in the row was CLOVE. It is called RONG or LAUNG. It can be differentiated in its size and smell. Sometimes even the color is the main difference between KOSHUR RONG and other cloves available in India. It is also used in different ways just like cinnamon.

Turmeric is also widely used in Kashmiri dishes. It’s called LAIDER. I observed the difference in the two shades of YELLOW color. The koshur layer is a slightly finer yellow in color. Turmeric powder available in other states of India is deep yellow in color. Islamic koshur cuisines do not use laider in all dishes. However, it is added to vegetables, legumes and meat products while they are boiled in water.

Cumin seeds are called ZEER or Z’UER in the Kashmiri language. There are two varieties available in the markets and they are

a) Slender thin brown seeds

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b) Brown and slightly thick seeds

Unlike other North Indian dishes, these seeds are not added in all koshur curries or biryanis. Its use is of limited use. In addition to these seeds, there is one more variety that is widely used in Islamic koshur food. They are deep black. They have a characteristic smell and taste. They are expensive too. These are called SHAHI ZEERA. In other words, they are limited to rich and special dishes.

I was shown one more spice. His name was BAED A’EUL. It’s black cardamom. It is used in most Islamic koshur cuisine. Once again, there are different ways it is used. It is not used in large quantities. I have observed Kashmiri women wearing one or five in number. It definitely has extraordinary taste and flavor for dishes. I understood it when I started cooking more and more Kashmiri dishes at home.

There is one more common spice in Kashmir and other northern states of India. Yes, it is KASOORI METHI. It is nothing more than dried fenugreek leaves. I was surprised to see its use in Islamic koshur dishes. Again, these sheets are limited to a few dishes only. They really bring the EXCELLENT AROMA to the dish and the moment they are added you can smell their typical fragrance throughout the house. I recognize his scent immediately. One tip I learned about using this spice is that the dried leaves should be crushed and crumbled between our two palms and sprinkled evenly over the curry and instantly coat the utensil or pan. This gives a special smell to the dish.

The lady picked up a package and told me that the spice is very special. In fact, it is grown especially in Kashmir. It is called SAFFRON or KONG or ZAFRAAN. It is the SOUL of koshur cuisine. It is added in different food dishes and drinks as well. It has the special yellow color. In fact, I got to know to identify its authenticity from Rajoun (one of my Kashmiri friends). He took a few strands of saffron and put them in his mouth. After a few seconds, she opened her mouth and asked me if she could see any color or not. If the color is present on the tip of the tongue, then saffron is naturally authentic. Otherwise, it is not.

The other package was full of dried flowers. It is called MAWAL in Kashmiri language. These are dried cockscomb flowers. I used to make the chicken curry. However, I was not convinced by the color of the plate. I was informed by the lady of my house that mawal should be added to non-vegetarian dishes to get the typical red color in the dish. That is the secret behind the red color present in some chicken or lamb dishes.

The moment I saw the contents of the package, I screamed at the top of my lungs and recognized that they were coriander seeds. These are called DHANIWAL. My guest told me that dhaniwal is used in the following ways:

a) Fresh coriander leaves

b) Dried coriander seeds

c) Dried coriander leaves

d) coriander powder

The varieties mentioned above are used to prepare different dishes in Kashmir. The fresh leaves have an extraordinary smell. I noticed that these leaves are not chopped or cut into fine pieces with a knife or chopper. They are simply broken into three parts and added to dishes (obviously after washing the twigs under running water).

The content of the next packet was a light brown powder. I was told this is called SONTH or SHOUNT. It is nothing more than dried ginger powder. It is a commonly used spice in the Kashmir valley. Again, its presence is easily identified and it is added only to special dishes. This is a unique spice found and used in Kashmiri cuisine. It is used by both Islamic and Hindu people of Kashmir.

Another spice that is widely used in genuine Kashmiri food is BAEDYN. It’s fennel seed powder. Kashmiri Hindus use both solid and powdered fennel seeds. However, the Islamic people of Kashmir use it only in powder form. This definitely enhances the flavor and smell of the dish.

Green cardamoms are always in storage and present in Kashmiri cuisines. They are widely used in many food and beverage dishes. It’s called A’EUL. I have not observed people using the powdered form. It is crushed and the seeds are simply added to curry or rice. Koshur a’eul are slightly long and slim in shape.

To my surprise, I found tamarind used in Kashmiri dishes. It’s called TAEMBER. It is spicy and gives that extra touch to dishes. It is seen on the kitchen shelves. It is usually added in sauces and the pulp is extracted from the tamarind.

Praan is another special spice from Kashmiri Islamic cuisines. They are completely different types of onions available exclusively in Kashmir. I came to know that they are very expensive and not readily available in the Valley either. It has a very characteristic smell. It is especially used in WAZWAAN. It is also called shallots.

ZERESHK is another Kashmiri spice. They are the Ordinary Berries and are used in few special dishes. I know for a fact that these seeds are used a lot in Persian dishes. Hence, I understood that these are especially used by the Islamic people of Kashmir rather than the Hindus. Its use is limited to certain dishes only.

Apart from these Kashmiri spices, other lesser known spices are listed below:

a) Sesame seeds

b) poppy seeds

c) pomegranate seeds

d) Dried red pomegranate peel

These are not widely used in kitchens. However, their additions to specific dishes are present and known only to a few women.