Wah Wazwan

Heading the four-member team from the Valley is Tariq Khosa who has been one of the official caterers for the government of Jammu and Kashmir. “We specialise in traditional Wazwan cuisine and have brought along our special spices and vegetables as well,” informed Khosa whose last presentation was for the Prime Minister during his recent visit to Srinagar. In Chandigarh,Khosa and his team have put together a buffet menu (lunch and dinner) bringing in a balanced mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare. “Kashmiri cuisine boasts of many non-vegetarian specialities but we have tweaked the menu to offer vegetarian fare as well like nadir ke kebab and kandhari paneer tikka,” says Khosa,who is a third generation chef and carries his family’s legacy of authentic recipes. The menu seems slightly lean but it offers popular dishes everyone is familiar with. For starters,there’s murg zafrani,mutton masala seekh,kandhari paneer tikka. The highlight however is nadir Ke Kebab which are small tikkis made from lotus stem.

It would be wise to go easy with the starters as the main course dishes are complete meals in themselves. There’s the famed gushtaba that offers minced meat balls made in a yoghurt gravy. The flavours are aromatic and Khosa’s version isn’t too spicy. “Wazwan cooking uses pure desi ghee and we have brought with us Kashmiri Mirch along with our own type of saunf (fennel) as well,” says Khosa. We equally relished kashmiri naan dipped in mutton yakhni gravy. There was a burst of flavour on the palate reminding one of the ingredients like saffron,cloves and cardamom — all essentials in Kashmiri cooking. The vegetarian main course options also put forth the best of Kashmiri cuisine. There’s hakkh,a kind of Sarson saag from the Valley which looks and tastes completely different from its Punjabi version. If you are looking for novelty,try the Kashmiri dahi baigan which comes in a thick gravy with the famed Kashmiri lal mirch giving it its unique colour. Leading the line-up of desserts is kong phirni — a creamy rice-based pudding served cold. The rice is cooked with milk and flavoured with zafran— the perfect way to wrap up a very filling meal. The Kashmiri food festival is on till March 13.

Meal for two: Rs 1,200 (tax extra)

Location: Rustles restaurant,Hotel Mountview,Sector 10,Chandigarh Contact: 0172-4671111