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Good today, better tomorrow

Care for authentic Kashmiri food that's light yet flavourful, with a varied menu to boot? Rahul Verma shows the way

DELICIOUS! Delhi has limited options for Kashmiri food. One is Chor Bizzare, but it's Jammu & Kashmir House which offers Kashmiri cuisine like the one cooked in a Kashmiri home

I was in Kashmir some years ago, and I remember my short stay there not just for the beautiful valley, ringed by chinar trees and snow-capped mountains, but because of the wonderful food

I had. I remember the gastronomic delights that were rustled up every evening by our genial chef. One day he'd serve a mountain of soft keema balls in a gushtaba, another day it would be plump duck served in an apricot sauce. Since then, I have been a fond admirer of Kashmiri food.

Delhi, curiously, doesn't have enough outlets for Kashmiri fare. Long years ago, when Chor Bizarre opened up its Kashmiri table, I was really happy.

But I went there on a few occasions, and didn't feel like going back again. The food was good, no doubt, but I yearned for something more.

Then, just a few days ago, a friend told me that he had heard that the Jammu and Kashmir House in Delhi had a canteen that was open to the public. The moment I heard that, I tied up my shoelaces and loosened up my belt. Kashmiri food, here I come, I said — and set out.

This J and K House is not to be confused with the one on Prithviraj Road. This one is located on that lane near Ashok hotel where quite a few State Bhawans are to be found. I landed there, parked my car and followed my nose into the canteen — and allowed myself to be enveloped by the wonderful aroma of spices and smoking mustard oil.

It's quite a neat little place. The rates are fair — most chicken and meat dishes come for Rs.50-60. I ordered a plate of rogan josh, mutton koftas and rice.

It was a great meal. I had feared that the food would be too rich, as it sometimes is. But this was like eating Kashmiri food cooked in a Kashmiri home.

The rogan josh was tasty, yet really very light. The meat pieces were soft and had been cooked just right.

The spices were minimal, but the gravy was delicious. The koftas, succulent and meaty, lolled around in a thickish gravy. The meal was simple, yet excellent.

A day's notice

I had hoped to eat some haq, an incredible Kashmiri spinach, but the canteen manager told me they needed a day's notice for cooking vegetables that were not easily available in Delhi.

I was, however, offered a ghiya (bottle gourd) ki sabzi, which I politely declined. If I want ghiya, I won't go to a Kashmiri eatery for it.

My great favourites, the gushtaba, the mirchi korma and the yakhni, were not available the day I was there, for they only cook one or two mutton and chicken dishes every day. But the menu keeps changing, which is a good reason for me to go back there again.

And tomorrow seems like a good day.

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