KAN SHARBET

KAN SHARBAT

KAN SHARBAT

The Kan Sharbat is not the street snack, however, it is a sharbet usually prepared during the times Holy Month Of Ramadhan.Again I never heard of this sharbet at all. I was searching to find out whether there were some special sharbets being prepared in Kashmir as such. I had heard about Apple Sharbet, Apricot Sharbets, Almonds Sharbet, Walnut Sharbet, etc. However, I never heard this one before from anyone.

I would like to thank Nusrat Jan for this. She was the one who shared the information. Thus, my hunt to learn this special sharbet began.It is very hygienic and good for health. I would love to share with all those who are reading this blog at this time.Thanks a lot Nusrat. The Great Allah should bless you in all your endeavours in future.

I would also like to thank Abdul Rashid Bhat, Khalid Rashid Bhat and Nazia Rashid Bhat for their enduring help to me in this venture of mine. I really respect them and the kind support provided from their end. I would never forget their help towards this project. I do believe that Almighty Allah  always blesses us through certain individuals.And this particular family is a blessing for me. Thank you all of you. I really appreciate for guiding and correcting me in preparing the sharbet.

 RECIPE FOR THE KAN SHARBET

BABRI BEOUL

INGREDIENTS

Babri Beoul-10 grams

Milk-1 kg

Sugar-6 to 7 tablespoons

Dry Coconut

Water

Cardamoms-3 to 4 pieces

METHOD

• Clean the seeds of babri beoul
• Place babri beoul in a small utensil
• Add 1/2 a glass of luke warm water to the utensil containing babri beoul seeds and immediately cover it with a plate.
• Let the seeds soak in water for 5 to 6 hours
• Boil the milk and let it cool.
• Add sugar and mix well.
• Dessicate the dry coconut.
• Crush the cardamoms' seeds
• Mix the powdered cardamom seeds, dessicated dry coconut to the milk
• Add the soaked babri beoul seeds along with the water into the milk.
• Keep it in the refrigerator for few hours

This is again a very simple sharbet prepared during the Holy Month Of Ramadhan and distributed to all the guests and well wishers. I really adore the simplicity of this sherbet. Thank you Abdul Rashidji for guiding me in the preparation of this sharbet. There are again variations of this which would be posted in the blog later on.

In kashmiri language,"KAN" means small gemstones.Thus,the meaning of the sherbet means one which appears to be small gemstones surrounded by coconut pieces in milk and water.The scientific name of bari beoul is Ocimum sanctum Linn. Following is the list of its name in different languages-


Arabic Name : Raihaan, Baadharooj, Habaq
Bengali Name : Tulasi
Chinese Name : Lo le, Yu xiang cai, Yu-heung, Hun que
English Name : Holy Basil, Sacred Basil, St. Joseph’s Wort, Sweet Basil
French Name : Basilic Saint
German Name : Indisches Basilikum, Tulsi-Basilikum
Gujarati Name : Tulasi, Tulsi
Hindi Name : Tulsi
Kannada Name : Kamakasturi, Ramakasturi, Tulasi
Kashmiri Name : Babri Beol (Seeds)
Latin name : Ocimum sanctum Linn.
Marathi Name : Tulasi
Persian Name : Baadhrooj, Baadhrooz, Nazbo
Punjabi Name : Tulasi
Sanskrit Name : Tulasi, Ajaka, Arjaka, Parnasa, Krishnamul
Urdu Name : Raihan, Tulsi, Franjmushk

Though it is prepared with the Holy Basil seeds,nevertheless,I have never heard of any sherbet prepared from it among the Hindu religion.In various temples of India,I have only observed the leaves of the Holy Tulasi being added to water before the Pooja and distributed to all the devotees present in the temple.The seeds are used only in the Ayurvedic medicines and specific decoction.

SABZ PAKODAS

SABZ PAKODAS OR MIX VEGETABLES PAKODAS

MIX VEGETABLES PAKODAS

The sabz pakodas are also available very easily. It is prepared from major vegetables available in the markets like potatoes, green chillies, onions, cauliflowers, brinjals, etc.It is not at all difficult to prepare the snack. Individuals love to relish it during winters and rainy seasons. Imagine a cold winter day...and hot delicious plate full of pakodas with a cup of tea...

THE RECIPE FOR THE  MIX VEGETABLES PAKODAS

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes-3 

Onions-3 large ones

Green chillies-5-6

Cauliflower florets-1 cup

Brinjals-3

Salt to taste

Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

Gram Flour or Besan-1/2 kg

Water

Oil for frying

Turmeric powder-A pinch

METHOD

• Wash all the vegetables running water.
• Cut them in long pieces
• Place all of them in an open utensil
• Add salt.
• Add kashmiri red chilli powder
• Add pinch of turmeric powder
• Add gram flour
• Mix all of them together so that gram flour soaks all the moisture from the vegetables.
• If required add little quantity of water to the above batter and mix well.
• One should take the precaution that the consistency of the batter is not too liquid by nature.It should be bit dry one.
• Place a wok on the gas stove.
• Add oil to the three fourth level of the wok.
• Put the pieces of the vegetables in the oil 
• Deep fry them and keep turning them continuously
• Remove them from the oil with the help of the laddle.   

The sabz pakodas are ready to be relished and enjoy the evenings.

ONION PAKODAS

THE ONION PAKODAS

The onion pakodas are another favorite snack available in the streets of Srinagar.One would find them easily available in all the famous and popular streets of markets and tourists' places of Srinagar.There are varieties of it. I would be sharing in this post only the one which is considered to be the STREET FOOD OF SRINAGAR.

The snack is very easy to prepare. It does not consume much time as it is required for other popular dishes of Kashmir.It is a snack popular for all age groups and not at all expensive also.One might observe that the snacks are easily prepared and are highly cost and time effective ones.I have observed and heard people telling me that one can mint a lot of money by entering into the food industry in Srinagar.

Let's begin with the recipe of this snack-

INGREDIENTS

Onions-1/2 kg

Gram Flour or Besan

Salt to taste

Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

Turmeric Powder

Water

Oil for frying

METHOD 

• Remove the dried upper layer of the onions.
• Wash them thoroughly under water.
• Chop them in large pieces.
• Add Gram flour to it.
• Add Kashmiri Red Chilli powder to it.
• Add Salt to it.
• Add 1/4 the tablespoon of turmeric powder to it.
• Add 1/2 a glass of water and mix all the ingredients.
• Place the wok on the gas stove.
• Add oil to the three fourth level of the wok.
• Let the oil reach to its maximum temperature so that we can fry the onions.
• Place the onion pieces well battered with the gram flour into the oil.
• Turn them over once they are well fried on one side.
• Remove them from the oil once both the sides are well fried with the help of the laddle.

The snack is ready to be consumed.As simple as that.

TIL KARA

THE TIL KARA

The Til Kara is yet another popular snack prepared exclusively in Srinagar. I never heard about this snack prepared in any another state.It is very easy to prepare and delicious also.The best part of this snack is that it is prepared from dried yellow peas. There is no need for someone to search for the fresh peas from the market. The dried yellow peas are easily available throughout the year and not expensive also. 

The most amazing thing to observe is that it is again  A COMMON MAN'S SNACK.Everybody, no matter which age group they belong to, enjoy it munching. It is seen as a common roadside snack. It is one of the street food snack of Srinagar. It is commonly consumed by the Kashmiri Muslim folks. It is found in almost every market of Srinagar and at Hazrat Bal Shrine.

When I saw this for the first time, I was wondering how it was prepared and really wanted to taste it. Once I got the taste of it, I could not stop myself from preparing this snack at home.EASY TO MAKE  GREAT TO TASTE EASY FOR THE POCKETS AND FOR THE STOMACH TOO.

THE RECIPE OF TIL KARA   

INGREDIENTS

Dried Yellow Peas-1/2 kg

Salt To taste

Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder-1 tablespoon

Food Colour-1 pinch

Water-1/2 a glass

Oil To Fry

Gram Flour or Besan-1/2 kg

METHOD

• Soak the dried yellow peas in water for three to four hours
• Wash the soaked dried yellow peas after four hours
• In an open utensil,place all the soaked dried yellow peas.
• Add salt.
• Add Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
• Add one pinch of food colour
• Add the gram flour
• Add some quantity of water to the mixture and mix well.
• Take a wok
• Add oil upto three-fourth level of wok.
• Start placing the mixture of dried yellow peas and gram flour into the oil.
• Deep fry them till they are properly done.
• Remove them from the wok with the help of a large laddle.
• Strain the excess oil from them.

See I told you...its a very simple snack easily prepared to be enjoyed by everyone.

ALOO PAKODA

THE ALOO PAKODAS(THE POTATO FRITTERS)

The Aloo Pakodas are the common and easily available snack of Srinagar. It is seen in every nook and corner of the local markets and main tourist places of Srinagar. It is a snack of everybody and not an expensive one.It is easily prepared throughout the day and sold off within few minutes of its preparations. 

The snack is again prepared in many ways. The teenagers and younger folks gather around Dal lake and other joints to relish their taste buds through the HOT ALOO PAKODAS. They enjoy their meetings with lots of fun and frolic while munching the aloo pakodas.I am not going to focus on the calorie contents of the snacks. It is better to enjoy them as the locals do.

RECIPE FOR THE ALOO PAKODA

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes- 1/2 kg

Gram Flour or Besan-1/2 kg

Salt to taste

Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder-1 tablespoon

Water to prepare the batter-1/2 glass

Food Colour-1 gram

Oil to fry

METHOD

• Wash the potatoes under the running water.
• Slice the potatoes in round shapes
• Mix gram flour,salt,food colour and kashmiri red chilli powder with little amount of water till it reaches to a thick consistency.
• Add the round potato slices few at a time in the prepared gram flour batter.
• Place a deep wok on the gas stove.
• Add oil to a level of three-fourth of the wok.
• Let the oil reach to its maximum temperature.
• Add the potato slices one by one in the hot oil.
• Once we see that the slices of the potato are well fried, turn them round with the help of the laddle.
• Observe that both sides are well fried.
• Remove them from the wok.
• Place them in an open large plate as shown in the photograph.

These are the simple steps used by the local vendors to prepare the popular road side snack. See I told you it is the most simple way to prepare the aloo pakodas.

RECIPE FOR NADRU MONJE

                                   NADRU MONJE

The Bundle Of Lotus Stem On The Yamuna Banks,Delhi

BISMILLAH

This is the first snack that I tasted from Srinagar.I can never forget  

the day I was handed over the entire packet of Nadru Monje. I was munching them and relishing the taste of this famous road side snack of Srinagar.

 

The Young Boy Selling The Nadru

I searched the website to find out the origins of this snack,I came to know that this snack is distributed near all the Sufi shrines in Srinagar. The devotees offer their prayers and salutations at the Holy Shrines and on their way back to homes, they buy this snack and enjoy it.

There is another version to it. It is also said that NADRU, as it is called by all Kashmiris-whether Hindus or Islamic. It is the LOTUS STEM. Absolutely right- THE STATE FLOWER of JAMMU AND KASHMIR is LOTUS. This is one of the reasons why I picked up with this particular snack to start off my blog on Kashmiri Islamic food.It is said that the sufi saints or peers wanted their devotees to take something while returning back from the holy places. They believed in SIMPLICITY IN EVERYTHING and there should not be any kind of exhibition or show casing of something. They prepared this snack and started distributing to their devotees with lots of love and happiness.

There are three kinds of recipes to prepare this awesome yet simple snack.The first one is the most simplest way to prepare it as it is found in the streets of the Srinagar. This particular photograph was clicked at Khanyar Market and I would like to thank some of my friends who helped me a lot to understand the snack as it is understood in Srinagar.

THE FIRST RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1) Nadru- 1/2 kg

2) Gram Flour or Besan- 1/2 kg

3) Salt to taste

4) Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder- 1 tablespoon ( or more in case one wants the Nadru Monje to be spicy)

5) Orange food colour

6) Oil to fry

7)Water-1/2 a glass

METHOD

• Peel off the epidermal layer of the nadru or the lotus stem(I was taught by Ammijaan how to scrape off this layer also and thsi would be shared in the separate Post on cleaning and chopping the vegetables in the kashmiri manner).
• Cut the nadru in 4 inches long pieces.
• Wash them thoroughly under the running water so that the mud and other soil particles are completely removed from it.
• Cut the tuber into long pieces along the length wise as shown in the adjacent photograph.
• Add gram flour powder, salt, kashmiri red chilli powder and orange food colour.
• Mix them thoroughly with hands so that the moisture present in the nadrus are well mixed with the rest of the ingredients.
• In case the moisture is less, then add some water and mix well in such a manner that all the    ingredients blend with each other.
• In a deep wok, add oil and heat it nicely.
• Place the nadru pieces one by one in the wok.
• After some time , turn them around on the next side also.
• Deep fry the nadru pieces.
• Remove them from the oil.

This is the simple recipe of the NADRU MONJE prepared in the streets of Srinagar.

Other variations of this snack would be shared in the later posts under this blog only. So keep watching to read more on this snack.... 

THE STREET FOOD OF SRINAGAR

NADRU MONJE

THE STREET FOODS OF SRINAGAR

In this post, I would love to introduce the street food of Srinagar. The food items are very simple ones, however, they are delicious and very tasty.I really freak out and their tempting nature allows me to cook these dishes at home also. It would be wonderful to see the simplicity in kashmiri cooking and yet so tasty.Usually I heard people telling me that Srinagar is a very beautiful place and one should visit this place in their lifetime.

ONION PAKODA

 My journey with the kashmiri food started off by chance and slowly I picked up with the food of this awesome place. In this blog,I would be introducing the common man's food available in the streets of Srinagar.There would be many posts under this title as I keep discovering each and every item.

Good way to remember certain things in life and thank those who gave me a break from other things...I think it would be better for me to introduce the item, give the recipe for each one of them and explain a little about each one of them.

 SO LET'Z BEGIN THE JOURNEY WITH THE STREET FOOD OF BEAUTIFUL SRINAGAR...