No visit to Kashmir is complete without feasting on Wazwan , the sinfully rich traditional banquet that leaves every one worth their salt and spice licking their fingers. more than a feast ,W azwan is an art perfected over the centuries by wazas , the master chefs of Kashmir . These days many renowned restaurants outside Kashmir offer Wazwan on their menus but you will always find them wanting once you have tasted it here.
maybe because such meticulous planning and hours of cooking go into making it just right for the taste buds of connoisseurs .
Wazwan is a feast of more than a dozen mostly meat - based dishes served on eccasions of celebraion . it is cooked on open fire in copper cauldrons and served in Tarami , a large circular plate of copper. four people sit around a Tarami , usually on the floor , and are served dish after delicious dish,cooked with various aromatic herbs and spices , by the Waza (chef ). The ingredients and hand - picked and it is ensured that each dish in this cuisine is one -of - a- kind .
The meal begins with washin of hands in a basin called Tash - t - Nare , which is carried around by attendants. then the Taramis are laid ,heaped with rice , quartered by two Seekh Kababs,Methi Korma (chicken or mutton flavored with a spice mixture containing dried methi), Tabak Maaz (twice - cooked lamb ribs ,initially braised with ground spices and milk , then browned in butter),a Safed Murg (chicken with white sauce), a Zafrani murg (chicken witha saffron sauce),and the first few courses . yogurt and chutney are served separately in small earthen pots . then delicacies such as Roganjosh ,Rista, a minced meatball cooked with gravy , a few vegetable preparations and several different dishes of meat are served . The meal concludes with Gusthaba, a very exclusive dish and one that is never refused .
Gusthaba is a minced meatball larger than a rista - a Tarami is served just one Gusthaba but four Rista - slow cooked in curd and a assortment of herbs and spices. preparing a Gustaba takes a lot of effort. fresh meat is sheared off the bones and cut into small pieces. it is then beaten , hammered really , on slab of stone that resembles the bottom half of a grindstone for a few hours till it becomes smooth and non-fibrous. Spices are added when the meat is finely minced and eggs are then beatan into it to make is smooth enough to be rolled into meatballs.
The craft of Gustaba is not only in how it's cooked but how it is beaten and rolled. in fact, the craft of a Waza is, in part, evaluated from how smooth and spherical the Gustaba is . The meatballs are boiled for awhile and then cooked in curd and ghee.
Gustaba is always the last dish to be served . once the guests are done, Taramis are taken away and attendants return with Tash - t - Nare so they can wash their hands
for dessert, there is phirni or halwa if it is winter. one can also gulp down a cup of kahwah, green - tea flavored with saffron, cardamom and almonds
maybe because such meticulous planning and hours of cooking go into making it just right for the taste buds of connoisseurs .
Wazwan is a feast of more than a dozen mostly meat - based dishes served on eccasions of celebraion . it is cooked on open fire in copper cauldrons and served in Tarami , a large circular plate of copper. four people sit around a Tarami , usually on the floor , and are served dish after delicious dish,cooked with various aromatic herbs and spices , by the Waza (chef ). The ingredients and hand - picked and it is ensured that each dish in this cuisine is one -of - a- kind .
The meal begins with washin of hands in a basin called Tash - t - Nare , which is carried around by attendants. then the Taramis are laid ,heaped with rice , quartered by two Seekh Kababs,Methi Korma (chicken or mutton flavored with a spice mixture containing dried methi), Tabak Maaz (twice - cooked lamb ribs ,initially braised with ground spices and milk , then browned in butter),a Safed Murg (chicken with white sauce), a Zafrani murg (chicken witha saffron sauce),and the first few courses . yogurt and chutney are served separately in small earthen pots . then delicacies such as Roganjosh ,Rista, a minced meatball cooked with gravy , a few vegetable preparations and several different dishes of meat are served . The meal concludes with Gusthaba, a very exclusive dish and one that is never refused .
Gusthaba is a minced meatball larger than a rista - a Tarami is served just one Gusthaba but four Rista - slow cooked in curd and a assortment of herbs and spices. preparing a Gustaba takes a lot of effort. fresh meat is sheared off the bones and cut into small pieces. it is then beaten , hammered really , on slab of stone that resembles the bottom half of a grindstone for a few hours till it becomes smooth and non-fibrous. Spices are added when the meat is finely minced and eggs are then beatan into it to make is smooth enough to be rolled into meatballs.
The craft of Gustaba is not only in how it's cooked but how it is beaten and rolled. in fact, the craft of a Waza is, in part, evaluated from how smooth and spherical the Gustaba is . The meatballs are boiled for awhile and then cooked in curd and ghee.
Gustaba is always the last dish to be served . once the guests are done, Taramis are taken away and attendants return with Tash - t - Nare so they can wash their hands
for dessert, there is phirni or halwa if it is winter. one can also gulp down a cup of kahwah, green - tea flavored with saffron, cardamom and almonds
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