Chicken Goshtaba - Chicken balls in thick yogurt based gravy

Serves 4

Calories ~ 150 \ serving

Ingredients

1. 500 grams boneless chicken breast \ ( 400 grams minced meat + 100 grams fat )
2. 500 grams curd - beaten to smooth consistency
3. 2 tablespoon ghee
4. 2 teaspoon vegetable oil 
5. Garlic water - made of 6-7 garlic pods
6. Black Cardamom - 6
7. Green Cardamom - 3
8. Shahi jeera - 1 teaspoon
9. Salt - to taste
10. Dry ginger powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Fennel powder - 3 tablespoon

Step 1 

1. Take small chicken breast pieces add few drops of oil and little salt to it and grind
2. Make small balls of the minced chicken meat
3. Boil 2 cups of water and add 2 black cardamom to it.
4. Add Chicken balls one by one and let it cook for 5 min 
5. Chicken balls will start looking like white balls 
6. Remove in a bowl with water , don't throw away this water

Step 2

1. Beat curd nice till it becomes very consistent
2. Add all powdered spices to it.
3. Add 1 teaspoon oil
4. Cook till it start boiling
5. Add garlic water to it.
6. Keep stirring till it boils
7. Now add slightly cursed dry spices
8. Add chicken balls with stock
9. Cook till gravy reduces to half
10. Add Ghee and it is ready to serve (optional)
11. Goes best with steamed basmati rice

Original recipe is done with mutton , process is same but use 75% mutton and 25% fat , That too turns out very nice.

Dum Monje - Knol Khol kashmiri

Tamatar Chaman - Panner in tomato based gravy

Serves 1

Ingredients

1. 2 medium sized red tomatoes , grate them to retain red colour, avoid using mixer grinder.
2. 150 grams paneer
3. Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tablespoon
4. Salt to taste
5. Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
6. Oil - 2 teaspoon
7. Green chilies - 2

Steps

1. In a pan heat oil
2. Add everything except green chilies and paneer on low heat
3. Once tomato starts cooking and oil separates from masala add paneer cubes
4. Add little water 
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes
6. Enjoy with rice or paratha

In original recipe , paneer cubes are pan fried first and then added to gravy , I avoid doing that to make it healthy.If you want you can add finely chopped onions ginger garlic too before adding tomatoes to oil , but this method takes just 10 min to cook a delicious curry, can be even served to guests too if you are running short on time to cook an elaborate meal . Rajma masala , Steamed rice and this curry makes a perfect meal to serve guests, or just serve it with some paratha and raita.

safedh noon chai - white salt tea kashmiri

Kashmiri Sheer Chai is very popular in Kashmir , and in some parts of Afghanistan & Pakistan.
This is different version of salt tea , usually made with same tea leaves but ready in just 2 min , for sheer chai you need bit soda for that pink colour but this is simple white tea without soda . Well hardly anyone in my generation makes or even likes the taste of this tea anymore , but since my parents have this I too have acquired the taste over years , I am trying to avoid sugar so small cup of safed noon chai at 5pm is must these days.

Ingredients

• kashmiri tea \ kehwa tea leaves - just a pinch
• milk 1/2 cup
• salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Steps

1. Boil 1/2 cup water
2. Add pinch of tealeaves 
3. Once it starts boiling add milk
4. Add salt
5. Ready

Crayei Phool - Kashmiri style gobi ( cauliflower )

Crayei Phool \ Phool Roganjosh is must for every special occasion, be it birthdays , shivratri , weddings , since it is cooked without onion , garlic and tomatoes it is satvic food it is cooked during fasting too.

Ingredients

1. 250 grams cauliflower
2. Mustard \ Vegetable oil 
3. Potato ( exceptional - not used to original recipe)
4. Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
5. Fennel powder - 1 tablespoon
6. Jeera - 1 teaspoon
7. Ginger - 1 small pc
8. Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Cloves - 4
10. Dry ginger powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Step 1

• Deep fry cauliflower in mustard oil
• Remove fried cauliflower in a bowl

Step 2
Mix all powdered spices in water

Step 3

1. Take little oil in a pan
2. Add jeera & cloves to oil
3. Add spice mix and let it boil
4. Add fried pieces of cauliflower
5. Cover with a lid on slow flame
6. Cook till water dries out and oil separates
7. Enjoy with rice 

Hedar - Kashmiri mushroom

Ingredients

1. Button mushrooms - 250 grams
2. Oil - 1 table spoon
3. Kashmiri red chilli powder - 2 teaspoon
4. Salt - to taste
5. asafoetida (heeng) - 2 pinch 

Step

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Add chopped mushrooms
3. Add asafoetida , salt & chili powder
4. Keep cooking gas on low heat
5. Let it cook till all the water is absorbed and oil separated. 
6. Enjoy with rice \ roti.

Tips

• You can add onions & peas too to this recipe
• Avoid using tomatoes in mushroom recipe

Kashmiri Authentic dum aloo

Ingredients

1. 4 medium equal sized potatoes
2. 2 teaspoon curd
3. Mustard oil - generous amount for deep frying
4. tejjpatta - bay leaf - 2 (refer pic below - naming spices clockwise in pic)
5. Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon
6. Jeera - Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Badi Ilachi - Black Cardamom - 2 slightly crushed 
8. Laung - cloves - 2
9. Choti ilachi - Green Cardamom - 2 crush slightly
10. Dalchicni- Cinnamon - 1 stick
11. Shahi Jeera - Black Cumin - 1 teaspoon
12. Sonth - dry ginger powder - 1/2 teaspoon
13. Salt to taste ( 2 teaspoon - adjust later)
14. Chakra Phool - Star anise - 1 (optional)
15. Kali Mirch - Black pepper - 6 pods
16. Heeng - asfodeta - 1 pinch
17. Kashmiri red chilli powder - 4 teaspoon - Use only this one for authentic colour
18. Souf powder - Fennel powder - 1.5 teaspoon

Step 1

1. Pressure cook whole potatoes to 2 whistles only
2. Let them cool down 
3. Remove skin with hand
4. Prick with a toothpick

Step 2

1. Heat lots of mustard oil in a kadai , cook oil to its smoking point
2. Now lower the heat and deep fry potatoes
3. Potatoes should be submerged on oil
4. Once they turn golden brown remove from oil in a separate bowl

Step 3

1. Remove excess oil from kadai \ pan
2. Just use 4 tablespoon full of oil from this oil
3. Add all whole spices to this oil
4. Cook for 1 minute
5. Mix Kashmiri chilli powder in 3 teaspoon water and add this mix to pan
6. Now add 1 tablespoon curd
7. Mix everything well and keep stirring continuously till oil separates
8. Ensure Spices don't get burnt
9. Add 2 glasses of warm water
10. Add Fried potatoes
11. Now add powdered spices and salt
12. Cover and let it cook for 20 min till all the spices are absorbed by potatoes
13. Or You can even pressure cook this to 1 whistle(only 1) at this stage
14. Adjust salt
15. Simmer till very little gravy remains and oil floats on top
16. Enjoy Yummy Curry with steamed rice

All Yakhin - Lauki ki yakhni - bottle-gourd in curd based gravy

Ingredients

1. bottle gourd 500 grams peeled and sliced
2. curd 150 grams
3. shahi jeera 1 teaspoon
4. salt to taste
5. mustard oil - any oil is fine but kashmiri cuisine tastes best in mustard oil
6. Fennel powder - saunf powder 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Deep fry sliced bottle gourd in mustard oil ( ensure you heat mustard oil first to smoking point)
2. Remove extra oil from the pan just use 1 tablespoon of oil
3. To this add shahi jeera 
4. Now add fennel powder
5. Cook for 1 minute
6. Add Curd and keep stirring continuously till it starts boiling
7. Add fried slices of lauki
8. Add salt 
9. Let it cook till slices absorb gravy
10. Enjoy with steamed rice :)