How to make Kahwah (Kashmiri Green Tea)

Yields: 4 cups

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 tsp Kashmiri Tea
a pinch saffron strands
Sugar or Honey to taste
1 small piece cinnamon stick crushed coarsely
2 tbsp finely flaked Almonds
4 Cardamom pods, bruised

Directions

Boil the water and transfer to a teapot.

Put in the tea and cinnamon, saffron strands and cardamoms.

Allow to steep for about 5 minutes.

Put a teaspoonful of almonds in each cup.

Pour the tea over the almonds, sweeten to taste and serve hot.

Tip:  Do not discard strained tea leaves. Add them to the soil of rose plants, to act as an excellent Manure. If you have many plants, feed one a day, in rotation.


source: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/taste-of-kashmir/id390017842?mt=8

Taste Of Kashmir App

Last few months  of my time went in building Taste Of Kashmir that is a mobile application containing  authentic recipes of Kashmir. Currently the app is available for iphone and ipod touch users and I am planning to extend it to other mobile platforms as well somewhere in near future.


More details at 
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/taste-of-kashmir/id390017842?mt=8

Turnips and Chicken Stew

Preparation time: 1hr 20 minutes

1 Whole Chicken around 2.5lbs (Skinless).
6 to 8 medium size Turnips
1 tsp black cumin seeds
1 tsp Peppercorns
4 cloves
3 black Cardamoms crushed
3 dried whole red peppers
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp Fennel powder
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp Canola Oil

About the Recipe

Chicken with Turnips is a very tasty and a healthy dish.
The dish usually can be had either as a stew or with rice.
Turnips are available all year round but the best ones
come during fall.These are root vegetables and very high
in Vitamin C.

Directions

Cut the Chicken into small/medium Size Pieces.
Wash the Turnips and peel off the skin. Discard the leaves if any
Cut each turnip into 4 to 6 pieces depending on its size.

In a thick bottomed cooking pot, heat oil on medium heat.
Add cloves, peppercorns, cardamoms, dried red peppers and cumin seeds.
Add Turnips and keep on stirring for a few minutes.
Add Chicken followed by salt and paprika and sauté it for another 5 minutes.
Add all other remaining spices and stir well.
Add around 3 to 4 cups of water and lower the heat to a minimum
Cover the vessel let it simmer for around 1 hour.

Grilled Salmon

Ingredients

2.5 lbs salmon fillet cut to roughly 6 pieces.
1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt
1 tbsp fresh coriander or parsley, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Fennel powder
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Cannola Oil


Directions

In a deep bottom bowl,combine all the above ingredients except the Salmon and whisk them.
Rub the mixture all over the salmon.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat grill for medium heat.
Lightly oil grill grate.
Place salmon on the preheated grill,
Cook salmon for around 10 minutes each side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Authentic Rogan Josh (Lamb Curry)

Ingredients

* 2 lbs Lamb preferably Shank or Shoulder.
* 4 tablespoon Canola/Vegetable oil.
* 1/2 Cup Yogurt preferably 2% Fat whisked.
* 5 whole Cloves.
* 1/2 cinnamon stick.
* 4 small or 2 large bay leaves.
* 4 pods coarsely grounded Black cardamom.
* 5 peppercorns
* 1 teaspoon sugar.
* 1 tablespoon dried Kashmiri Chili Powder.
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder.
* 1 tablespoon dried ginger powder.
* 1 tablespoon Fennel Powder.
* 1 teaspoon Salt.
* pinch of Asafoetida Powder.




Directions

For cooking Roganjosh, generally shank or shoulder part of the lamb is used. Make sure the pieces are of appropriate size. Two Lbs of lamb should be cut roughly into 10 to 12 pieces.

Wash the meat pieces and keep in a colander till the water drains. You could also pat them dry with a paper towel. The whole idea is to get rid of any excess water that the meat would absorb during washing.

In a bowl,mix the meat and yogurt together and leave it aside for five minutes.Make sure all the meat pieces are evenly marinated.Yogurt also acts like a natural tenderizer.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.When the oil heats up add asafoetida powder and bay leaves followed by meat and yogurt marinade that you left aside.

Add cloves,cinnamon stick,coarsely grounded black cardamom,peppercorns and keep on constantly stirring for a few minutes .

Stir fry till the meat turns brown . Now this is the most important step . let the meat fry till you see the oil and yogurt as separate layers and that would happen when all the water dries up. If you have more water in the meat it would obviously take more time and that is one of the reasons for drying the meat after washing.Secondly this is important because when you add spices they will stick to the meat well rather than float in the curry.

Add Red chilli powder, turmeric powder,sugar and salt and constantly stir for about 30 seconds till the spices stick to the meat and almost all water dries up .Red chilli powder is another major ingredient that decides the fate of this recipe. Kashmiri red chilli powder are less pungent and give a very vibrant red color to the dish. In other words you can feel the taste of the spice without sweating.

Next add 2 cups of water, ginger powder and fennel powder. Fennel powder has a property of thickening the curry.

Stir well and let simmer on low heat for around 30 to 45 minutes till the meat is tender and gravy is thick and red.The time would also depend upon the quality of lamb. If it is tender it would take less time.So it would be a good idea to let it simmer till it is tender and also to make sure that no caking takes place .

Imagine yourself in a valley surrounded by snow clad mountains with fresh snow all around you and while looking outside from your kitchen window enjoying your Roganjosh with hot rice or Naan Bread !!

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