“As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks—on your body or on your heart—are beautiful.”
Anthony Bourdain
I start this journey in Kashmir.
“Where are you from?” An innocuous conversation starter that still gets me tied up in knots. Sometimes, others answer that question for me – “She is from the Valley, from Kashmir!” “Of course, you look like a Kashmiri!
While living abroad, I generally get away with a simplistic, “I am from India”, until someone asks, “Where in India?”. I pause… and say, ” I am from Delhi.” I pause again… it feels like an incomplete answer. If I really like you, I may add, “That’s the short answer!”
I was born in Kashmir and spent my early years in a small town, Baramulla. I walked to school, went to picnics in the mountains, watched movies in the only movie hall in the city, and knew almost everyone in town. I hardly ever had lunch at home, choosing, instead, simple meals of haak saag, lal chutney (red chutney) and salty lassi at our neighbor’s.
Although we moved away from Kashmir over 3 decades back, the memories, love and warmth of my Kashmiri family (who started off as our family friends) and the Kashmiri food still fuels my soul. I often joke, that if I was ever stranded on an island, i would just need some haak to never miss home.
I hesitate from claiming that my recipes are “Authentic Kashmiri” recipes. Instead, they are “Kashmir Inspired”, a reflection from my memory, a recollection of all the love I received in Kashmir and the nostalgia of my parent’s kitchen. These recipes have had their own journey – from Kashmiri home cooks, to my parents, who adopted it for their kitchen, to my Bengali-Kashmiri-Punjabi influenced kitchen.
I encourage you to continue this journey – experiment with the ingredients, make mistakes, find new methods, use the recipes and pantry as a guide, rather than a gospel. Most important, remember to enjoy the process!
