Kimb chaat, Shufta: Kashmiri cuisine finds its way to plates in banquet for Swiss President in Delhi

Kashmir, known as the Switzerland of India, found its cuisine on President Guy Parmelin’s plate at the banquet held in his honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

The President of the Swiss Confederation is in India on a three-day official visit to India.

According to people aware of the details, the dignitaries were served cuisine featuring dishes from both the Jammu region and Kashmir, along with some delicacies from Ladakh, which was earlier part of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.

What was on the menu?

Za Thuk, a nourishing Ladakhi wild nettle soup with winter peas, garnished with roasted millet pearls, was on the menu, as was Labo-Nat-Tsonma, a salad made from local cheese from Ladakh and Jammu, known as Kalari, dried apples, walnuts, wild capers, sea buckthorn and honey.

Apricot jam, again a speciality from Ladakh, was also on the menu.

The appetisers included the Kimb chaat, a Jammu speciality made from boiled taro root, sweet potatoes and rice flour crispies. It is sweetened with yoghurt and has tamarind sauce and star fruit for added flavour.

Lotus stem patties with Walnut dip from Kashmir and charcoal roasted whole dumplings from Ladakh, served with turnip greens and capper leaves, were also served as appetisers.

The guests were served Tsegu Narmo, a barley and dry fruit Fudge from Ladakh, chocolate barfi from Jammu and Mongavaer, a cutlet made from whole green lentils made in Kashmir.

The main course included chaman kaliya, a cottage cheese dish made with turmeric and fennel. The Kashmiri Collard greens, Dum Oluv, deep-fried whole potato cooked in Kashmiri red chilli, dried ginger, and fennel powder; Tsok Wangun, a tangy eggplant dish; Pulav made with Morrels; Mujj Chttin, a chutney made with grated white radish and yoghurt.

Kashmiri breads, Kalam and Sherman, were also on the menu.

For deserts, the guests were served Shufta, a sweetened mix of dates, cashew nuts, and raisins, garnished with Poppy seeds; Phirin, a sweet milk pudding made with semolina; and Phayner, a Ladakhi dessert made from jaggery, butter, and roasted barley.