GROWING UP in Delhi had a few unexpected perks, such as greater exposure to cuisines brought in by communities from across the country who have settled here and created an ecosystem that reminds them of home. These communities give us a glimpse of the food they enjoy. For instance, people who migrated from Kashmir in the 1940s settled in Pamposh Enclave, named after the lotus flower that grows in Dal Lake. Now an upscale locality, it still has small shops with foods of this community, for example, dried vegetables such as bottle gourd and aubergines, discs of Kashmiri masalas, large chillies that lend a beautiful hue to any dish and even local walnuts and honey.
I had my first taste of Kashmiri cuisine in a restaurant in this area, where we ordered a saag with rice. The saag had large leaves floating in oily water, quite different from the dish of mustard leaves that was available just across the road, made by people who trace their roots to Pakistan. It also did not have tomatoes, onions or garlic.
This story is from the February 16, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
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This story is from the February 16, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
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