Gulmarg travel guide

Kahwa

Kashmir's ceremonial spiced green tea—prepared in a traditional copper samovar with saffron, cardamom and almonds; the brass samovar keeps it warm throughout the day; central to every Kashmiri home's hospitality ritual; served to guests without exception

Rogan josh

Kashmir's most exported dish—mutton slow-cooked in a sauce of Kashmiri red chili (ratanjot), Kashmiri spices and yogurt; the deep red comes from the specific mild Kashmiri chili rather than generic red chili; authentic versions use no tomato, unlike restaurant adaptations

Yakhni

Kashmir's cooling mutton preparation—lamb cooked in yogurt, fennel, ginger and whole spices but deliberately without any chili; pale, fragrant and delicate; eaten in summer and at Eid feasts; demonstrates Kashmiri cooking's mastery of spice without heat

Gushtaba

Kashmirs supreme ceremonial dish—meatballs of hand-pounded mutton specifically served as the last meat course of a wazwan and only at the most significant occasions; cooked in a creamy yogurt sauce with fennel; the textural precision required is extraordinary

Noon chai

Kashmir's iconic pink salty tea—the baking soda and vigorous stirring technique turns the green tea pink; salted and milk-enriched; Kashmiris drink it at breakfast with kulcha bread; the salt-sweet balance is an acquired taste that becomes impossible to forget