From the top of the world

Kashmiri cuisine is famous for its aromatic appeal, the other interesting aspect of this cuisine is the aesthetic appeal of the palate itself

India is a vast country with a conglomerate of cultures. These cultures are devoid of each other but there is one thing that finally culminates all Indians as one, which is their love for food. Be it Kashmir or Kanyakumari, the populace of this country will not leave any scope of doubt with their delectable delicacies. As fine as the nuances are with the culture so it is with the cuisine. Every place in India has a different approach to their food, in Hyderabad there is a wide variety of subtle spices that is used in the food. There is heavy use of these spices which happen to be both aromatic and appealing to the lingua.

Another such cuisine is Kashmiri cuisine, which has a very aromatic spice palate. Apart from the spice palate another interesting aspect is the aesthetic appeal of its palate. The Deccan Pavilion at ITC Kakatiya is giving the cuisine of Kashmir the crown it deserves, from the September 6 to 15. Presenting this wide variety of delectable tastes and aromas is Chef Suman Kaul. Born into a Kashmiri pandit family, it was inevitable that she would inherit the culinary legacy.

The chef began her career with ITC Maurya, in 2006, the challenge of working in a small property operation brought out the best in her. For the Kashmiri spread, the chef has whipped up a variety of delicacies. Some of them are Rogan Gosh, Dum Aloo, Chicken Yakhni and a few more. Speaking about her food she says, “Kashmiri cuisine does use a lot of chillies but unlike Hyderabadi cuisine the chillies are just used to add a dash of colour to the food rather give it a strum of spiciness. The use of dry fruits and nuts in the food is quite abundant. The food is very rich.”

She further goes on to say that the food she will be serving at Deccan Pavilion is something a regular Kashmiri would have for a daily meal and is more of a lavish spread. She points out that unlike the popular belief people, Kashmir actually prefer eating rice rather than rotis. To give the food a twinge of spice she says she used Asafoetedia powder (hing). In Kashmiri pandit cuisine there is no use of onions or garlic. The method for cooking is on a slow simmering flame. The food also has dollops of mint and saffron in their food which can leave anyone feeling like a rich glutton.