The best part about road trips is the scenery, companions, songs and the food. Travelling through the meandering roads, spiralling around the mountains, soaking the slightly warm sunlight filtering through the windows, glancing at the tall pine trees are all integral moments of a mountain journey.
The best part about road trips is the scenery, companions, songs and the food. Travelling through the meandering roads, spiralling around the mountains, soaking the slightly warm sunlight filtering through the windows, glancing at the tall pine trees are all integral moments of a mountain journey.
Do you remember when you were done with munching on the snacks in your car and were getting restless to stop at a local shop to have something ‘garma garam’(hot)? Your popular preferences were ‘pahadon ki maggi’ (maggi in the mountains) and Chai (tea)!
But there’s so much more on the way! All the mountain journeys are going to be somewhat the same but the one thing that keeps calling you back is the food. Why not eat the authentic?
Route Map- Jammu- Udhampur- Samroli- Peerah- Ramban- Banihal- Qazigund-Srinagar-Gulmarg
Let's go!
Patisa at Prem Di Hatti- Patisa is a flaky sweet which is served loose and has a very strong flavour of ‘ghee’ in it. It is like a crumbled ‘Soan Papdi’ (a popular dessert in Pakistan and India).
You can also try their Chocolate Barfi. It has a very clay like texture and is soft and chewy. Then there’s Kalakand too. It is made from solidified sweetened milk and desi mawa (khoya). It is also very soft and easily compressible.
For Dramatic Effect- This shop is on the edge of the road with a vast valley and lofty mountains in the backdrop.
Makai Sout at Zaika Sweets- Different from the rest of the world, the people of this place have a different way of eating and drinking things! Here, you should try Sout (roasted cornflour), Makai Roti (flat bread made from cornflour) and Noon Chai (salty tea).
Makai Roti has a crisp, fried version in this place. When you tear a morsel, you will get a crunchy sound! A small spoon of Sout is put on the bite and then eaten.
Another way is putting the Sout in the tea and drinking it with the powder in it. It is probably done, so that it imparts some ‘saundhapan’ (earthy smell) to the tea.
It is definitely something interesting and different to try!
Rajma Chawal at Khajuria Vaishno Dhaba- Two words for it would be ‘simple’ and ‘excellent’. Here they serve the locally grown Rajma (beans) with rice boiled over a wooden fire. They take at least three to four hours to prepare this ‘sabji’. It only has salt, turmeric and no spices as such.
First, the groundwork is done, boiled rice is laid on the plate. Then, some Rajma curry is poured with a ladle full of clarified butter or ghee put in the centre. It is served with chopped onions topped with pomegranate chutney. The chutney is made from ground pomegranate seeds and ghee.
Thought- The locals put so much ghee in everything that you could sustain a mini pond with it! But their eating style could have developed this way because of their work habits which might include a lot of physical activities in it. So, to give them strength, perhaps.
Kebab and Rista at Greenz Hotel- The kebab here is hand pound and it looks like a pipe. Its texture is very granular and greasy. The mark of eating meat in and around Kashmir is that you can taste its raw flavour. Usually meat is veiled with spices everywhere but it is not like that here!
Rista is a big meatball (like a big ladoo) sitting in its gravy. It is both soft and packed and tastes delightful. When everything is put on a plate, it looks very rich. Looks like a simple wholesome meal that could have been enjoyed during the Mughal times.
It is served with a crisp roti and your hands might not stop even to discuss something important!
Dhaniwal Korma at Hotel Nedous- This place is definitely a big thumbs up! Here, you get to try meat which has a white gravy. It has a hint of cardamom in it and lots of coriander. The meat is cooked so well that it keeps melting off the bone. It has a very mushy consistency to it. It is served with rotis.
Its visuals are mouth watering!
Tip- The chefs of this place take some time to cook because everything is cooked fresh. While you might have to wait a little bit, when the food arrives, it is going to be worth all the time!
Are you travelling from Jammu to Kashmir? Are your friends travelling from Jammu to Kashmir?
Make someone’s trip special and refer this list to them!
