in bits and pieces
Kashmiri word for Makhanay – Jewer’go’tch. These are usually consumed – raw, roasted or cooked – on holy ‘fast’ days as they are considered to be ‘Kand mool‘, food-root , hence Sroo’tch or pure. Makhanay are a actually seeds of plant that belongs to lily family and to the English speaking world these are better known as Fox Nut
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Kand Mool khati thi woh, Kand Mool khati thi
– a Hindi saying.
Placed, on the metal, in the space between two burnt-black burners of the Gas daan, right in the place meant for a matchbox and just next to the weeks old crisp taher myet, was a lump of took noon – the rock salt that came from Pakistan.
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An upset stomach! Why that’s no worry at all, Kid. Have some rice with zaamdod la’yiss and a piece of took noon thrown in on the side. Add la’yiss to rice, place took noon in the middle and rub it on the plate surface. Eat. Rub some more. Eat. Strike the crystal on the plate surface. Took. Took. Took. Eat
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Tahaer tastes great with tcharvan -aulov, or Dum aloo, and it even tastes great with plain zaam’d’odh.
But this yellow doesn’t look right. What’s wrong with this turmeric. The yellow doesn’t come out right anymore. It’s all pale.
Koshur tamul was sweet. It came from villages, certain villages. You had to pay a sort of excise duty if you bought food items – rice, vegetables, or a duck and much else- from village to the city. But often, one could, with some planning, sneak them along.
Is today a bod doh? Did you survive something? Are you taking this to a shrine? Is it yellow enough? Do you know how to add the oil properly? Is this the oil? Is it oil of teel gogul? Is it mustard? Does tahaer give you heartburn?
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You may check out some Kashmiri cooking at A Mad Tea Party
These Hindu bakehouses, usually operating from rented shop spaces near localities with sizable population of Kashmiri Pandits, are mostly run by Hindus of Kistawar.
Often near the oven, you can find a sketch of a pooch-bellied woman, Lal Ded. Pooch belly a cover for her nakedness.
Kashmiris tell a strange story in which this woman dived into a burning oven of a Kandur on seeing a ‘man’. Some say it wasn’t like that. Nonsense! Bring the baker to the witness stand.
Don but such apparel as will cause the cold to flee.
Eat but so much food as will cause hunger to cease.
O Mind! devote thyself to discernment of the Self and of the Supreme,
And recognize thy body as but food for forest crows.
– Lal Ded
Another bakery at night.
All breads, and kashmiris have variety of breads, have shrunk in size. Lavaasa now come in size of Girda and size of Girda is inching towards kulcha. And all of them seem to have too much baking soda.
Parant’e, monj gooyl (nadir monj of Kashmiri pandits) and other assorted fine Kashmiri snacks.
Deep in Talks. A Shop near Hazratbal.
Gogji. Turnip. Gonglu.
A vegetabele.
A place in Srinagar called Gogji Bagh, Turnip garden.
A pandit who left Kashmir ages ago, but misses kashmir: Gogji Batt’e.
A song to be sung like a Kashmiri singing a Punjabi or a dogri song: Asi Gonglu pakaya, tusi khaan nahi aya. hata lo lo.
Nadru have to be soaked overnight in saline water before you actual cook them.
Kashmiri Kahwa is probably of Turkish origins.
“The word ‘coffee’ is a modified form of the Turkish word ‘kahveh’ which is derived from the Arabic word Kahwa (meaning: ‘exiting the spirit’).”
Did you know that Almonds are not always the main ingredient in a Kahwa?
Here’s some more related brew from an old article that appeared in The Hindu.
Okay, so what’s the relation between Turkey and Kashmir?
We must remember that Kashmir one of the important trading centre along the Silk Route. A lot more than just goods were exchanged there. Kahwa is probably the outcome of one of these exchanges.
Why do we Pandits drink this Muslim poison of choice and apparently, we enjoy it immensely ?
What type of a socio-religious mixture was brewing in Kashmir?
Found this in an old Edition of an online Kp magazine.
“ Tea:
Kashmiris must have been one of the earliest addicts to this brew in the subcontinent. Tea, as we know today was introduced by the British tea companies in India. But Kashmiris used to get their stuff long before that from China through Tibet. Later, it used to be imported from Shungla via Bombay. That is why, in Kashmir it is still called Bombay Chai. But this tea is the green untreated variety of tea. Its brew is called Kahwa. No milk is added to it. It is sweetened with sugar. Often, Dalchini (cinnamon), Elaichi (cardamom), Badam (almonds) and sometimes a little Kesar (saffron) are added to it to give taste and flavour.
The tea taken with salt and milk, is called Sheeri Chai (perhaps adaptation from Ladakh and Tibet). It is very popular among Muslims and to an extent among Hindus. Hindus however prefer Kahwa to Sheer Chai
Tea is prepared in a special vessel called Samawar. It is a pot in which tea is made by burning charcoal in the small chimney at its centre, having a seive at the bottom. The ash is collected in the space below the seive. There is a nozzled outlet for pouring the tea, hot into the cup. Russians also have a Samowar, but it slightly differs in looks. Hindus used to take tea in a bronze cup called Khos, while Muslims prefer Chinpyala, the cup made of china clay. The Samawar used by Muslims is made of copper while that used by Hindus is made of brass.
Hindus eat their food in a Thal, which earlier used to be of bronze. Muslims prefer copper bowl (with tin lining). At feasts, Muslims ( eat from a single plate and ) are served four persons in one big copper plate called Traami.”
We adapted and personalized the culture of other civilizations that crisscrossed Kashmir. Yet, we Pandits maintained an identity of our own by our unique habits and customs. As we observed, we distinguished ourselves from the Kashmiri Muslims through slight changes in our habits and age-old customs. That’s how we survived through constant adaptation.
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Ways to enjoy Kahwa:
dalcheen kahwa (cinnamon tea): Most common flavor of this brew.
noon chai (salt tea): this is same as
Sheer chai. Gets its pinkish color from baking soda ( called phul in kashmir. pherni is usually added while drinking.
zaffarn kahwa (Saffon tea): Usually gets served in tourist guest houses 🙂
damm tueth: Kahwa with lemon squashed in.
Besides these, black pepper Kahwa is thought to be good for sour throat.
