Like most other festivals, Eid also calls for some authentic pakwan! One among the many delicacies served during the festival is Kashmiri wazwan! Their traditional, meaty, thirty-six course meal, prepared with pride and served with zest, is nothing short of an art passed on from generations but rarely passed outside of the family.
It is prepared by a team of chefs/ wazas, led by a head chef/ vasta waza with great respect. A part of their identity and culture, Kashmiris prepare this cuisine during weddings and special occasions. It is savored in the company of friends and family seated in fours, and shared from a large metal plate called the traem. Mutton/ lamb remains the primary ingredient of the cuisine.
I had the good fortune of relishing wazwan three times so far. The most recent being on my latest trip to Kashmir. We went to the restaurant of Hotel Ahdoos, one of the best there.
The hearty fare began with lip-smacking tabakh maaz. The entire spread on the table was a riot of colors, from fiery red of chilies to yellow grains of pillao and apple green curries!
Although mostly non-vegetarian, the vegetarian pillao and green apple curry were divine to taste. Aromatic with delicate blend of flavors, each preparation was better than the other!
The mirchi kebab was sharp on the taste buds! Savored with plain rice, it somewhat tempers the spice. The sheer variety of spices and their careful balance to bring out the right taste calls for mastery!
The sheekh kebab was nothing like the ones we usually get in the cities. It was skewered and stirred with condiments, unlike in cities, where it is served dry.
Next came the Lahabi Kebab, cooked in a gravy of yogurt. Traditionally all these delicacies are served with rice, albeit restaurants pamper with choice of breads and rice! Rista, meatballs cooked in spicy red gravy of saffron and chilies followed. The meatballs were made out of finely ground meat that melted in the mouth in seconds!
The meal ended on a high note with goshtaba, another meatball, cooked in yogurt with mild white gravy, a specialty!
Phirni and Kahwah, a concoction of tea, nuts and spices completed the meal. Having eaten that much, we could not (quite literally!) pull ourselves up, but kept desiring for more !
Bon Apetit…!