The husband and I were at Saffron recently, to partake of Kashmiri Wazwan, the Kashmiri food festival that they have going on right now. We ended up having an absolutely lovely time here, with some great food being served.
We started with Sabzi Badami Shorba, a light vegetable soup with slivers of almond in it. It was subtly spiced, the perfect foil for all the beautiful dishes that we were about to taste over the course of the meal.
Along with the soup, we were presented a basket of papads and fries, with an assortment of Kashmiri dips. The dips – spicy onion, walnut and curd, radish, and green chilly and mint – were so very lovely.
Then came the starters. The Paneer Tikka (cottage cheese marinated in spices and grilled) and Makai Malai Tikki (corn and cream cutlets) were presented first, both of which were decent. The paneer was supremely soft and the corn tikkis melt-in-your-mouth, but, again, I felt they could have done with a bit more flavour.
The next starter, Nadru Ki Shaami, cutlets made with lotus stem, didn’t really titillate my tastebuds. They were really well done, but I would have loved some more flavour to them.
The Zaam Doodh Kebab or hung curd patties that were brought to the table next were beautiful – the star of the starters for me. They were just the right amount of sour, perfectly made, and the walnut stuffing within took the taste up several notches.
And then, it was time to move on to the main course.
With some wonderful, pillow soft flatbreads, I sampled four vegetarian Kashmiri curries.
The Kashmiri Dum Aloo, baby potatoes cooked Kashmir-style with a yogurt- and tomato-based gravy, was just beautiful.
The Tamatar Chaman, deep-fried cottage cheese cooked in a tomato-fennel gravy, though, was just average.
The Schuk Wangun, baby eggplants cooked the Kashmiri way, with a tomato-and-tamarind base literally had me licking my fingers. Yes, it was that delish!
It was the Al Yakhni, a yogurt-based preparation with bottlegourd, that stole the show for me. It was so mild, so simple, yet so delicious! Who would have thought bottlegourd could be this fantastic?!
The Modur Pulav that came next – a sweet Kashmiri preparation with basmati rice, dry fruits, nuts and herbs – was brilliant too. It was so fragrant, so subtle, yet an absolute delight to eat.
We washed the food down with some Kashmiri Kahwah, a warm and mildly sweet concoction that was very well brewed.
Our meal ended with the two desserts that are on offer as part of the Kashmiri Wazwan menu – Phirni and Kesar Ras Malai.
I have never been a big fan of the grainy texture of phirni or its taste so, as always, it didn’t excite me too much. The Kesar Ras Malai? Now, that was a different story altogether. It was so very well done, with just the right amount of sweet and thickness. Served cold, with a hint of saffron to it, it was heavenly!
I loved most of the food that was served to us, and Saffron’s wonderful hospitality ensured that we had a great experience overall.
Like I was saying earlier, the food took us back to our holidays in Kashmir, making us remember some lovely meals we have had there. The food is, indeed, true-blue Kashmiri, or at least to the extent that that is possible in Bangalore.
The special menu curated for the Kashmiri Wazwan food festival is available only for dinner at Saffron, on an a la carte basis. There are loads of options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, which is something I loved. I also loved that the menu encompasses more than Kashmiri pulao, kahwah and dum aloo, which is what Kashmiri food means to a lot of people. The food for the festival is being cooked by an actual Kashmiri chef and his team, and is hence as authentic as can be. How cool is that!
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