Paneer, Kashmir style

BY DHANYA SAMUEL

The cuisine of Jammu and Kashmir has always been a fascinating and exciting one for me.

It is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and underrepresented cuisines from India. A classic example of this would be Mutton Roganjosh, a dish that has been bastardized by Indian restaurants across the world.

Kashmiri cuisine is often thought of as meat-heavy (using mutton particularly). And most of us have heard of the magnificent

Kashmiri wazwan, a feast fit for the Gods.

Yet there are scores of vegetarian dishes from this region that are a delight to the tastebuds. Today, we cook one of the more popular ones - Chaman Qaliya, or paneer cubes simmered with spices and milk.

This dish is fascinating because of its clever use of whole spices and saffron to lend flavour. Popular among the Kashmiri Pandit community, Chaman Qaliya is made devoid of garlic and onions. This style of cooking is popular among those who follow a diet that does not include garlic and onions.

Hing or asafoetida is an essential ingredient in such dishes to mimic the flavours of onion and garlic. Saffron and dry ginger are deeply integral to Kashmiri cuisine, along with other whole spices like fennel, cumin, cardamom etc.

But what makes Chaman Qaliya special is the use of fresh milk as the base, making it creamy yet light. The creaminess here is the flavour and not the texture, so don’t mistake it to be a thick gravy. It has a thin, runny base and hence is best paired with soft fluffy long grained rice which soaks up the flavours beautifully.

Chaman Qaliya is the perfect weeknight dish especially for our Australian summer. It’s simple to make, with no complex ingredients, and is healthy. Ready in under 30 minutes, it is ideal after a day’s work. But it works equally well on a celebratory weekend thali with rice, rotis and an assortment of other dishes. Either way, enjoyment is guaranteed!

71.22 from 229 innings is second only to Don Bradman’s first-class average of 95.14.

Leading India in the West Indies in 1962, Contractor became the first Test cricketer to almost die on the field when a chucker from Charlie Griffith hit him on his head.

Charles Turner captured 101 wickets at 16.53 in only 17 Tests from 1886 to 1894 and was nicknamed Terror.

In my ‘Professional’ World XI, Malcolm Marshall and Keith Miller will open the attack, ‘Terror’ Turner coming in at first change, then Bishop. ‘Funky’ Miller will be the lone spinner, colouring the occasion by dyeing his hair rainbow. Engineer will be the wicketkeeper.

A ‘Professional’ XI needs professional umpires – I pick England’s David Shepherd and India’s Piloo Reporter.

PS: This list of “professional” cricketers is not complete by any means, and I invite readers of Indian Link to add to it.