Photos taken by ILCAA staff and associates are posted here once a month; most of them are taken during their field research in Asia and Africa.

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What is Kashmiri Curry?

If you ask someone in Japan who knows a little about curry what Kashmiri curry is, they will probably think of that black, smooth curry sauce with an extremely spicy flavor. However, the dish known in Japan as "Kashmiri curry" actually has nothing to do with Kashmir. Here’s the real story: when Toshio Tanaka, the founder of the famous Ueno restaurant Delhi, came up with the idea for a new dish, he originally intended to call it "Madras Curry." However, when he handed the manuscript over to the printer, he accidentally wrote "Kashmir Curry" instead.

If you visit a restaurant a city in the northern plains of India, you might see a dish called "Chicken Kashmiri" among the various chicken curry options on the menu. This curry is quite different from Japanese "Kashmir Curry"—it’s rather sweet and contains a lot of nuts and dried fruit. It is likely named this way because dried fruit is one of Kashmir’s specialties. However, this dish is not commonly eaten in Kashmir either.

So, what exactly is an authentic, slightly luxurious Kashmiri dish? It’s “Wazwan,” a Kashmiri multi-course meal, as shown in the photo. First, a dish with kebabs and Methi-Maaz (mutton seasoned with fenugreek) served over rice is brought out. Then, various dishes follow, such as "Rowghan Josh" (a dish with Iranian roots, made by stewing mutton or goat meat in oil and seasoning it with chili peppers), Gushtaba (meatballs cooked in a yogurt-based gravy), Rista (meatballs cooked in a red gravy), and Rowghan Cxaman (fried cheese cooked in a tomato-based gravy). These dishes are eaten by pouring them over rice.

If you are sure of having a strong stomach, you should definitely try it at least once!

March 4, 2024
Srinagar, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India
Photographed by Satoshi Ogura