Srinagar travel guide

Wazwan feast

Kashmir's ceremonial 36-course feast—the wazwan is cooked by hereditary Waza (master cooks) for weddings and festivals; dishes include rista, gushtaba, rogan josh, tabak maaz, methi maaz and seekh kebab; guests eat four to a shared plate (traami)

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

Kahwa tea

Kashmir's ancient saffron-spiced green tea—Kashmiri saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and crushed almonds brewed in a copper samovar (samavar); served in tiny cups; the specific combination was traded on the Silk Road; central to Kashmiri hospitality

Noon chai (pink tea)

Kashmirs startling pink salted tea—green tea leaves brewed with bicarbonate of soda, milk and salt until it turns pink; stirred vigorously to deepen the color; slightly salty, fragrant and warming; consumed at breakfast throughout Kashmir with samovars and bread