Critical review of the book titled “Sal-A Feast of Kashmiri Cuisine”
I wanted to prepare a typical Kashmiri sherbet at the time of Ramzaan. He was looking for Kashmiri recipes. I was not lucky enough to find out. Luckily I discovered the details of the recipe in the book called “Sal-A Feast of Kashmiri Cuisine”. It was written by Smt. Neerja Mattoo, Professor of English Literature and Teaching at the University of Kashmir. It was a colorful book with many recipes from the valley. It was published in the year of 2008. The name of the publisher was Gulshan Books, Srinagar-Kashmir. The ISBN is 81-8339-063-3. The cost of the book is Rs.495.
The book is dedicated to his mother. The contents of the book are:
1. 11 Wazwaan recipes
2. 7 non-vegetarian recipes
3. 21 vegetarian recipes
4.8 Lamb and Vegetables
5. 9 recipes prepared with fish and 1 recipe prepared with duck
6. 2 Dried Vegetables
7. 4 recipes with rice
8. 4 desserts
9. 4 Drinks
10. 7 snacks and flavors for tea time
11. 4 chutneys
12.1 Pickling
13. 2 Spice Cakes (garlic and asafetida based)
The excellent points present in the book are:
has. The author has shared different varieties of recipes.
b. The author provides a vivid introduction to Kashmiri cuisine, from seasonal dishes to festive cuisine.
against Authentic recipes shared by her are Sadre Kaenz, Sheer Chai, Bakery products, Harisa, Girda, etc.
d. It talks about the use and prevention of certain spices and vegetables during festivals and seasons as described in traditional books.
me. Very light color photographs of various dishes are shown in the book (this even includes traditional copper utensils used for different purposes).
F. His greatest contribution lies in sharing recipes with dried vegetables.
gram. This is the only book that shares the recipe for a drink called Babribyol Sherbet (drink made from chia seeds) and sadr-e-kaenz-a fermented rice water).
The weak points of the book are:
has. The sections on non-vegetarian and lamb meat and vegetables could have been taken into one category.
Contra Although the author mentions various bakery products in the Introduction of her book, however, there is no mention or discussion anywhere about how these products are prepared by Kandarvaan or the bakery.
d. The author does not show much attention towards the preparation of various dishes from dried vegetables.
me. There are other varieties of pickles prepared in Kashmir. The author also loses her points.
To sum it up at the end, the book is really an introduction to the world of Kashmiri cuisine. The author describes the steps in a very lucid way and one can follow them very well. I enjoyed cooking some of the recipes in the book.