A new delivery kitchen in Andheri makes a sincere attempt to introduce your palate to Kashmiri cuisine
Rogan Josh and Kashmiri Pulao. Pics/Shadab Khan
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In the past six years, Mumbai residents who visited Srinagar and signed up with Gulaam Gouse Dewani's travel firm, OMG Luxury Holidays, often returned with one thing — traditional Rogan Josh and Tabak Maas prepared by Dewani and frozen to survive the journey back home. "They would tell me that I should start a restaurant. When tourism took a hit because of the political turmoil in Jammu & Kashmir, I had to shut down the firm," says Dewani, who came to Mumbai last November, and launched Trami three months ago.
Khubani Rista
A delivery kitchen in Andheri West, its name refers to the traditional platter in which Kashmiris enjoy a shared meal. From a menu offering fare prepared by chefs Dewani has roped in from Kashmir, we ordered Nadru Yakhni (Rs 245), Rogan Josh (Rs 380), Khubani Rista (Rs 395), Kashmiri Pulao (Rs 450), Waza-style Mushroom (Rs 245) and Firni (Rs 300). While they deliver only till Juhu, we ordered a day in advance and received it in Bandra, with an additional delivery charge. Packed in sturdy containers, the dishes came in generous portions. Slices of lotus stem bobbed in a mild gravy in Nadru Yakhni. While the stems lent crunch and a robust flavour to the dish, the oily gravy didn't appeal to us. Nor did the Waza-style Mushroom, which had an overpowering tang of curd.
Nadru Yakhni
Instead, we found solace in the maroon depths of Rogan Josh, where fall-off-the-bone, succulent lamb chunks were stewed in a gravy cooked with chillies sourced from Kashmir. We polished it off with Kashmiri Pulao laced with dry fruit and slivers of dessicated coconut. We also enjoyed the rice with Khubani Rista. Though it didn't offer any sweetness from the apricot, the curd-based gravy with soft mutton balls packed a punch. We ended the meal with Firni. Hidden under a thick layer of malai was the rice pudding, not too sweet, and speckled with slivers of dessicated coconut.
Firni
Trami may not transport you to a Wazwan, but in a city starved of fare from the Valley, it makes a sincere attempt.