What to Eat in Srinagar Today?

The Wazwan, explained

The Wazwan is the formal Kashmiri feast, cooked by a head chef called a waza and served at weddings on a large copper platter shared by four people. A full Wazwan runs to many courses, but you do not need a wedding invitation to try its best dishes. Restaurants in Srinagar serve them one by one, or as a smaller set platter for two to four people.

The dishes to know

Rogan josh is lamb cooked slowly in a deep red gravy. The colour comes from Kashmiri chilli and cockscomb flower, and it is aromatic rather than fiery. Yakhni is its pale opposite: mutton in a yoghurt gravy scented with fennel and dried mint. Gushtaba is the last meat course of the Wazwan, soft pounded-mutton balls in a creamy yoghurt gravy. Kashmiris say you should not eat anything after it.

For vegetarians

Nadru yakhni uses lotus stem (nadru) harvested from Dal and the other lakes, cooked in a mild yoghurt gravy. It is crisp, slightly nutty and worth ordering even if you eat meat. Pure-vegetarian dhabas around Durga Nag cater to pilgrims and serve it alongside North Indian food.

Kahwa and tea

Kahwa is green tea brewed with saffron, cardamom and cinnamon, served with crushed almonds. You will be offered it in shops, on houseboats and in homes. Accept it; it is how business starts here. The salty pink noon chai is the breakfast tea, usually drunk with bread from the local baker.

How to eat it

Wazwan dishes are rich, so order fewer than you think and share. Mutton dominates menus; chicken and fish versions exist but are not the classic. Lunch is the main meal for many Kashmiris, and many old-style restaurants are busiest at midday. During Ramadan, some eateries in the old city close by day and open for iftar. The where to eat page lists places that do these dishes well.