Enchanting valleys, snow-capped mountains, beautiful weather, all these make Kashmir what has been called ‘heaven on earth’. This heavenly state is not only popular for its beauty but also for its tantric cuisine. Be it vegetarian dishes or meat-based (especially mutton) dishes, the options are numerous, leaving us spoiled for choices. Celebrating the beauty of Kashmir and Kashmiri cuisine, Le Meridien, Gurugram brings together some authentic Kashmiri Pandit cuisine with its food festival titled Kashmiriyat.
Le Meridien Gurgaon is giving Kashmiriyat (home kitchen run by Nimmi Raina and Shweta Raina Kaul) a platform. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring home cooks forward, empower them and share some of the most authentic recipes of Kashmiri Pandit cuisine with the world. Such celebrations are a way of making people aware of the lost delicacies, which come to life through such celebrations. says Executive Chef Rajesh Roy. He further said, the heart and soul of food is in the kitchen of the home, not in the kitchen of the hotel. .” That’s why he wanted to encourage all avid home cooks to bring out the best in the culinary arts world.
In this fest, he handed over the kitchen to home chef Nimmi Raina. Born and brought up in Srinagar, she imbibed the culture and values of Kashmiri Pandits, thanks to her mother. Her mother had a gift, the gift of cooking authentic, traditional, delicious Kashmiri Pandit cuisine. This is where it all started for Nimmi Raina!
We recently visited Le Meridien, Gurugram and tried the authentic Kashmiri Pandit cuisine and what we experienced was nothing short of heaven on our taste buds. We started our Kashmiri lavish feast with a cup of kahwa along with some khatai. The main course and starter were divided into two categories- vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Initially, for non-vegetarians, we got lamb, fish and mutton kebabs with salad and three different types of chutneys- walnut, mint and radish chutney. For vegetarians, they served nadru monje, veg kebabs and talith tekman (cheese). Each of these dishes was very fragrant, tasty and indulgent.
Moving towards the main meal, we tried both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thali. Each thali had 9 bowls of different authentic dishes. We tasted sweet delicacies like Rogan Josh, Yakhni, Matsch, Gushtaba, Rista and Nadur Gaad as well as Phirni, Kheer and the very unique Lemon Curd. Whereas in the vegetarian thali, we had Tchok Wangun (Sour Eggplant), Tchaman Rogan Josh (Cheese Roganjosh), Nadur Yakhni (Lotus Stem Yakhni), Mushroom Yakhni Koshur Palak Tchaman, Dum Oluv and sweet dishes similar to the non-vegetarian thali. And from this we can definitely say that ‘we had the best Kashmiri Pandit food ever’.
Chef Rajesh Roy plans to organize a festival for cuisines from other states as well and will continue to promote home cooks as much as he can. So, visit the official website www.marriott.com for more updates about the upcoming state festivals and events.
What: Kashmiriyat festival
where: Le Meridien, Gurgaon
cost: For vegetarian thali – Rs.1800+ tax per person
Non-Vegetarian Thali – Rs. 2200+ tax per person
For reservation contact: +91 9015562244 Instagram handle: @lemeridiengurgaon
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