There’s more to Kashmiri food than Wazwan and rogan josh. The cuisine of the Kashmiri Pandits is one of them, showcased at the pop-up Zaika Kashmir Ka at Yagna in Vedic Village Spa Resort earlier this month. t2 sampled the delicious menu curated by Rajni Jinsi, a home chef from a Kashmiri Pandit family, as part of the resort’s Curating Cuisines series. Before digging in, we got Rajni to decode Kashmiri Pandit food for us.

How is Kashmiri Pandit cuisine different from general Kashmiri food? 

In Wazwan, items such as garlic, onion and tomatoes are used. Kashmiri Pandit cuisine focuses on whole spices, ginger powder, fennel powder, yogurt, and particularly asafoetida (heeng). Not even a bit of garlic, onion and tomatoes are found in our dishes. 

Are there any similarities? 

Both cuisines must be cooked very slowly to perfection. You cannot rush with the dishes. 

Is fish an important part of a Kashmiri menu? 

Fish is a big deal... you cook it on occasions or invite your friends over for dinner because you have cooked fish. Meat is more common when it comes to Kashmiri Pandit food because of the weather. 

What was the first Kashmiri Pandit dish you cooked?

I actually started cooking after my marriage. It was my brother who had asked me to make rogan josh in our style. That was the first time I cooked the proper Kashmiri Pandit way.

Do you have any favourite dish? 

I really like Shalgam Meat, a dish cooked with turnip and lamb meat.

Who is your kitchen inspiration?

I am inspired by my mother, Mahalakshmi Kaul, who was a great cook. When I was growing up, she used to do all the cooking herself despite having cooks at home. I have been inspired by my mother-in-law, Gauri Jinsi, too. She was a very good cook who taught me many a cooking technique. You could say cooking runs in my family. Even my sisters cook quite well.

We have heard that your mother had once impressed the Maharaja of Kashmir? 

Oh yes, once the king (Maharaja Hari Singh) had come to our house and loved the food he was served so much that he wanted to hire the cook for the royal kitchen. Then my grandfather revealed that the cook was my mother!

To enjoy Kashmiri Pandit food, one must eat it hot and right out of the kitchen. You must eat it with your hands, that’s where all the fun lies
— Deepak Jinsi, Rajni’s husband

One doesn’t get to sample this kind of cuisine very often at restaurants. For us at Vedic Village, the preparation of delicious non-vegetarian dishes without using onion or garlic was a great learning 
— Azad Taslim Arif, executive chef, Vedic Village Spa Resort

Text: Urvashi Bhattacharya
Pictures: Shuvo Roychaudhury