Cover Story:Kasrod ka Achar
Kasrod ka Achar (Fiddlehead Fern Pickle)
Kasrod is a fern found in Jammu near Mansar lake but is available pan India and the pickle is famous to be made solely in Dogri style.
Cuisine: Dogri-Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir)
Ingredients
- 8 Kasrod / Fiddlehead ferns
- 8 3 tbsp Mustard oil
- 8 Salt to taste
- 8 1 tsp Red Chili powder
- 8 2 tbsp Mustard seed powder
Method
- Wash fiddlehead ferns thoroughly so that they are clean and there is no trace of sand and cut them in 1” pieces
- Boil Water in a pan and add cut pieces of fiddlehead ferns in the boiling water.
- Switch off the heat and let them stay immersed in water for 5-6 minutes, till they become somewhat tender.
- n Now drain out shoots from water and spread them on a muslin cloth to dry off excess water.
- Next heat up mustard oil till it starts to smoke, let it cool and mix salt red chili powder and mustard powder in this.
- Throw these boiled shoots along with mustard paste in a mason jar or any other glass jar and shake well.
- Keep them in sun for 2-3 days and your yummy dogri style pickle is ready for consumption.
It is a famous sweet dish of Jammu and Kashmir.
Cuisine: Kashmiri
Ingredients
- 8 Milk/Doodh
- 8 250ml Pistachios (sliced)
- 8 10g Almonds (blanched & sliced)
- 8 15g Sugar
- 8 25g Green cardamom powder (Elakka)
- 8 4 cups Rice(preferably basmati)
- 8 2 tbsp Semolina/Sooji
- 8 2 tbsp Sliced Mango & pineapple
- 8 1 tbsp (pure) Saffron/Kesar
- 8 Few threads of Kumkumapoov
Method
- First soak rice in water for 30 minutes. Grind rice adding little water to a fine paste. Keep this aside. Boil milk and simmer for a few minutes.
- Dissolve the rice paste and semolina in a little hot milk and add this to the simmering milk. Take care that no lumps are formed. Stir continuously in low heat.
- Now add sugar and mango – pineapple puree and mix well. Cook for 10-15 minutes till milk has thickened.
- Soak saffron in little warm milk and add to the milk mixture. Sprinkle cardamom powder on top.
- Transfer the contents into a serving bowl and garnish with almonds and pista. Serve chilled.
