Kashmir produces tons of vegetables and forest produce. The traditional dishes are:
Dum Olav.
Dum olav/Dum aloo, potato cooked with ginger powder, fennel and other hot spices. The most skilful part is to prick potatoes after frying them so that the gravy or the sauce gets absorbed in the potato, making them spongy and enhancing the flavour profile of the multiple potato-folds.
Wazel aelwa, forgotten aloo recipe mostly cooked in the villages.
Matar olav, potatoes peas curry. A classic side dish that is regularly paired with white rice (batta).
Olav dude legit, potatoes in yoghurt.
Gande te matar, onions and peas.
Gande te hemb, green beans and onions gravy.
Boda razmaah ta olav, green beans and potatoes.
Dum Phul Gupi (cauliflower).Razmah hemb ta nadir, spicy French beans with lotus stems.
Razmah hemb ta vangan, French beans with aubergine.
Band gupi ta tamatar, cabbage cooked with tomatoes.
Nadir palak, lotus roots and spinach. This is a side dish served in big feasts and dinners.
Ranith bam chunth khanji, cooked quince. Quince is a very popular fruit with Kashmiri people. In olden days, it was baked in daans (clay ovens).> The simmering heat of the leftover embers would turn them yummy.
Bam chunth vangun, quince and eggplants.
Bam chunth nadir, quince with lotus stem.
Dued vangan, eggplants with yoghurt.
Karel ta vangun, Kashmiri karela baingan (bitter gourd and eggplants).
Al lanej ta vangan, pumpkin greens with aubergine.
Tsounth vangan, green apple curry. Apples and aubergines, both are sliced long and fried. The oil is tempered with asafoetida (yangu) and the usual spices. If apples are on the sweeter side, a few drops of lemon juice are added. This sweet and tangy creation made from sour apple and aubergines is a popular one once autumn arrives in the valley.
Choek vangan-hachi, sundried eggplant instead of the fresh vegetable.
Gole al doon gooje, pumpkin with walnuts.
Gande dued, fried onions mixed with milk.
Hoch haand, dried dandelion greens, boiled and ground to a pasty texture.
Ruwangun hachi, dried tomatoes.
Monje Haakh, kholrabi being a delicacy.
Dum Monje, knol khol (karam/gaanth gobhi/kohlrabi/ German turnip) in Yoghurt.
Dum Phul Gupi, cauliflowers cooked in their own moisture.
Phul Gupi Olav, cauliflower with potatoes.
Haakh, wosteh haakh (red orach), heanz haakh, sotchal (mallow), kretch (knapweed), haand (dandelion), obuj (sorrel), lissa (amaranth), among others. Collard greens is enjoyed by Kashmiri people and they have their own versions of cooking the same with cottage cheese, mutton or chicken.
Nunnar, purslane.
Bhat haakh, also known as Sabz Haakh. Bhat is Kashmiri for Pandit. Haakh is eaten by everyone in Kashmir, but is a Kashmiri Pandit speciality.
Dagith haakh, mashed collard greens.
Gogjee haakh, turnip greens with a pinch of asafoetida. The hardy leafy green, thrives in winter conditions and becomes a crucial ingredient in the local cuisine. By using mustard oil, cumin seeds, and a medley of aromatic spices, the dish infuses the flavours of its distinctive blend.
Wapal haakh, teasel leaves (Dipsacus Inermis).
Wosteh haakh ta zombre thool, orach paired with hard-boiled eggs.
Haakh nadir, collards or kales cooked with lotus roots.
Haakh ta olav, potatoes and greens.
Haakh vangan, collard greens with brinjal.
Sotchal nadur, mallow (Malva Parviflora) is a wild vegetable found anywhere on the roadsides, parks, playgrounds, grazing lands, etc. The earliest account of this plant appears to have been written by a Greek author named Pedamus Dioscorides in the first century AD. The dish is liked by all, young and old particularly because of its limited availability in foreign markets.
Sotchal vangan, mallow leaves and baigan. The dish is made from sotchal and thool-vangan. Thool-Vangan is a small eggplant that has not grown into its full size. It is soft and fleshy with a minimal amount of seeds.
Mujji mulivian, mashed radish leaves curry.
Mujje patar ta vangan, radish leaves with aubergine.
Zamutdodh cuar, yoghurt curry stirred continuously on low heat.
Olav bum, a delicious dry dish prepared with potatoes and water lily plant commonly found in ponds and lakes of Kashmir.
Bandh roghan josh, cabbage simmered in a fusion of authentic spices, and yoghurt to create the signature vegetarian 'sibling' of Roghan Josh.
Nadir roghan josh, lotus root cooked on low heat until the nadur is tender.
Cshte gogjee, turnips.
Cshte mujji, boiled and mildly spiced radishes.
Cshte band gupi, boiled and mildly spiced cabbage (with asafoetida).
Choek nadir, lotus-root with tartaric acid (tatri).
Choek mujji/mujji kalaa, long radishes with tamarind paste.
Choek al, gourd with tamarind.
Al yakhean, bottle-gourd cooked in yoghurt based gravy and flavoured with Kashmiri condiments.
Hedar yakhean, mushrooms yakhni.
Nadir yakhean, lotus root cooked with yoghurt.
Nutree yakhean, soya chunks yakhni.
Karel yakhean, prepared bitter gourds cooked until gravy thickens with yogurt.
Vangan yakhean, fried aubergine in yoghurt.
Pudna al, pumpkin with mint.
Torreil ta vangan, ridged gourd with eggplant. This vegetable is available in the summer and is sweet in taste and very easy to cook.
Torreil ta tamatar, ridged gourd with tomatoes.
Variphali olav, potato curry with hot lentil dumplings. This dish is a Punjabi preparation but very much enjoyed by Kashmiris.
