Food habits of Kashmiri Muslims

[thinkingcap81]

Hi,

I'd like to know the food habits of Kashmiri Muslims. I'm a Hindu and have a Kashmiri woman as a cook for my family. My diet at home is vegatarian and the Kashmiri cook said that she also doesn't have money to cook non-vegetarian food everyday.

However, she does not know how to make rice, dal, most vegetable dishes (vegetables common to her region). She only makes one kind of roti, no parathas. We even asked her to just cook the stuff she knows. She is mostly blank.

Since she is from the labour class, i think that she should be knowing how to cook. I'm perplexed since i always thought that Kashmiri Muslims are good cooks.

What do you make of it?

 

[RescueRanger]

Since she is from the labour class, i think that she should be knowing how to cook. I'm perplexed since i always thought that Kashmiri Muslims are good cooks.

You assume that because she is a labor class and a woman she should automatically know how to cook?

Traditional Kashmir veg dishes are Lobia (Kidney Beans), Palak (Spinach), Dum Aaloo Salan (Potatoes), mattar Salan (peas).

Have you had a conversation with her to ask her if she is confident at cooking? perhaps she is just worried she may loose her job if she can't cook!

 

[thinkingcap81]

You assume that because she is a labor class and a woman she should automatically know how to cook?

Traditional Kashmir veg dishes are Lobia (Kidney Beans), Palak (Spinach), Dum Aaloo Salan (Potatoes), mattar Salan (peas).

Have you had a conversation with her to ask her if she is confident at cooking? perhaps she is just worried she may loose her job if she can't cook!

What i meant was that since she is not rich, she will know how to cook as she will not have people to cook for her. She lives with her husband and her 5 children. I think she cooks for her family.

She said that she knows how to cook. In the beginning she said that she does not know how to keep for rice, a couple of days later she said that she knows. When we asked her to make rice, she cut a blank face and said that her husband does it. So Pulav/Biryani is out of the question. If she talks like this then what are we supposed to understand? I do not think that she is afraid of losing her job.

So i asked if dal, rice, vegetables are part of standard dishes of Kashmiri Muslims. I'll ask her about Palak (Spinach), Dum Aaloo Salan (Potatoes), mattar Salan (peas). Any other stuff?

 

[RescueRanger]

What i meant was that since she is not rich, she will know how to cook as she will not have people to cook for her. She lives with her husband and her 5 children. I think she cooks for her family.

She said that she knows how to cook. In the beginning she said that she does not know how to keep for rice, a couple of days later she said that she knows. When we asked her to make rice, she cut a blank face and said that her husband does it. So Pulav/Biryani is out of the question. If she talks like this then what are we supposed to understand? I do not think that she is afraid of losing her job.

So i asked if dal, rice, vegetables are part of standard dishes of Kashmiri Muslims. I'll ask her about Palak (Spinach), Dum Aaloo Salan (Potatoes), mattar Salan (peas). Any other stuff?

They don't eat daal but then can cook rice, many Kashmiri dishes are served with rice. You are Vegi so I think you can't eat Paneer? (Cheese), Kashmiri's make some excellent Paneer dishes! It could be that they are very poor, one of our peons was from a very deprived family and they just eat mirchi, onions and bread at home on a daily basis.

That is why its very important to ask workers what they can and can't do. Sometimes they wont speak to you about it, get the lady of the house to speak to her. If you are struggling, perhaps show her which dishes you like and how to prepare them.

She will learn if she wants the job. My mother taught our cook how to prepare a strudel every winter, and he was a man!

Good Luck!

 

[thinkingcap81]

They don't eat daal but then can cook rice, many Kashmiri dishes are served with rice. You are Vegi so I think you can't eat Paneer? (Cheese), Kashmiri's make some excellent Paneer dishes! It could be that they are very poor, one of our peons was from a very deprived family and they just eat mirchi, onions and bread at home on a daily basis.

That is why its very important to ask workers what they can and can't do. Sometimes they wont speak to you about it, get the lady of the house to speak to her. If you are struggling, perhaps show her which dishes you like and how to prepare them.

She will learn if she wants the job. My mother taught our cook how to prepare a strudel every winter, and he was a man!

Good Luck!

My wife is perplexed with her behaviour. We can eat paneer at home, but the issue is that it is fatty. Similarly dal and rice should also be taken in moderation.

If she wants to learn then she will, we need to see about that.

I can take non-veg (chicken, mutton & fish) but i'd like to avoid those at home. In countries like ours we do not know how well animal farms are kept. Vegetarian dishes are relatively safer.

Thanks.

 

[RescueRanger]

My wife is perplexed with her behaviour. We can eat paneer at home, but the issue is that it is fatty. Similarly dal and rice should also be taken in moderation.

If she wants to learn then she will, we need to see about that.

I can take non-veg (chicken, mutton & fish) but i'd like to avoid those at home. In countries like ours we do not know how well animal farms are kept. Vegetarian dishes are relatively safer.

Thanks.

Yes that makes complete sense, Paneer is not good in large quantities but can make for a nice treat with some palak! Good luck and stay blessed!

 

[Ocean]

What i meant was that since she is not rich, she will know how to cook as she will not have people to cook for her. She lives with her husband and her 5 children. I think she cooks for her family.

She said that she knows how to cook. In the beginning she said that she does not know how to keep for rice, a couple of days later she said that she knows. When we asked her to make rice, she cut a blank face and said that her husband does it. So Pulav/Biryani is out of the question. If she talks like this then what are we supposed to understand? I do not think that she is afraid of losing her job.

So i asked if dal, rice, vegetables are part of standard dishes of Kashmiri Muslims. I'll ask her about Palak (Spinach), Dum Aaloo Salan (Potatoes), mattar Salan (peas). Any other stuff?

Your thread seems like a troll thread. I am seeing no purpose behind it , u mention u have a "kashmiri muslim " cook , she does not know how to make daal, rice, vegetable dishes etc etc
But u think its weird cause u assume she should know how to cook it all as shes from labor class.

I am finding this thread very weird.
Rice is sort of a staple food with Kashmiris, they eat daals as well plus veges are very much a part of their diet. They usually eat goat meat. So in essence, their cooking methods might be different cause of some masalas but overall they cook and eat almost everything.

In ur case either u are making up, or its clearly understandable u have found a cook with little knowledge of foods.

It feels trollish cause when someone hires a cook they hire on basis of their cooking skills regardless of what cooks ethnicity they come from. So if the cook u hired whether he or she is from timbaktu or from kashmir does not know how to cook food u need tten it means they dont fulfill job requirements , so either u have to adjust with her by eating according to her cooking knowledge or simply replacing her.

 

[Jaanbaz]

Kashmiri Muslims who settled in Punjab are known to be big meat eaters. I know this becacue I have Kashmiri cousins who hate anything vegetarian, at first I thought it was just them but when I met more Kashmiris from Pakistan they all love meat specially beef.

 

[terry5]

We cook and eat

Dhaal and chawaal all the time
We mix milk/cream into our dhaal and rice
We cook mully parathas
We cook a thing called chitt curry made with just spices
We eat kari with pakoras
We fill up keralas with stuffing
We eat lots of saag
Did I mention we eat lots af rice and dhaal lol
We use lots of yogurt also

 

[thinkingcap81]

Your thread seems like a troll thread. I am seeing no purpose behind it , u mention u have a "kashmiri muslim " cook , she does not know how to make daal, rice, vegetable dishes etc etc
But u think its weird cause u assume she should know how to cook it all as shes from labor class.

I am finding this thread very weird.
Rice is sort of a staple food with Kashmiris, they eat daals as well plus veges are very much a part of their diet. They usually eat goat meat. So in essence, their cooking methods might be different cause of some masalas but overall they cook and eat almost everything.

In ur case either u are making up, or its clearly understandable u have found a cook with little knowledge of foods.

It feels trollish cause when someone hires a cook they hire on basis of their cooking skills regardless of what cooks ethnicity they come from. So if the cook u hired whether he or she is from timbaktu or from kashmir does not know how to cook food u need tten it means they dont fulfill job requirements , so either u have to adjust with her by eating according to her cooking knowledge or simply replacing her.

I didn't open this thread to troll. She lied to us on multiple occasions. As i said that i was surprised that she supposedly does not know how to cook considering that she needs to cook for her family.

We took her precisely because she said that she can cook and is willing to learn our food habits. And our food is quite simple.

When we asked her what does she cook at home she kept quiet. She also said that she cooks meat 1-2 times a week, so mostly its vegetarian and that should have been fine with us. Yet she chose not to learn.

She lied about her husband being ill, she lied about being able to come at the time we require. And our time was in the evening.

That was her nature or her behaviour towards us, we can do nothing about it.

Anyway she is no longer working for us.

We cook and eat

Dhaal and chawaal all the time
We mix milk/cream into our dhaal and rice
We cook mully parathas
We cook a thing called chitt curry made with just spices
We eat kari with pakoras
We fill up keralas with stuffing
We eat lots of saag
Did I mention we eat lots af rice and dhaal lol
We use lots of yogurt also

Thanks for the items.

 

[Ocean]

I didn't open this thread to troll. She lied to us on multiple occasions. As i said that i was surprised that she supposedly does not know how to cook considering that she needs to cook for her family.

We took her precisely because she said that she can cook and is willing to learn our food habits. And our food is quite simple.

When we asked her what does she cook at home she kept quiet. She also said that she cooks meat 1-2 times a week, so mostly its vegetarian and that should have been fine with us. Yet she chose not to learn.

She lied about her husband being ill, she lied about being able to come at the time we require. And our time was in the evening.

That was her nature or her behaviour towards us, we can do nothing about it.

Anyway she is no longer working for us.


Thanks for the items.

Yes thats why i said you may have to replace her. So new one is doing fine?

 

[thinkingcap81]

Yes thats why i said you may have to replace her. So new one is doing fine?

Na, we haven't yet taken a new one. Wifey isn't here and my office timings aren't yet fixed. Till i know my schedule i cannot give a proper time to the maid.

 

[padamchen]

You assume that because she is a labor class and a woman she should automatically know how to cook?

Traditional Kashmir veg dishes are Lobia (Kidney Beans), Palak (Spinach), Dum Aaloo Salan (Potatoes), mattar Salan (peas).

Have you had a conversation with her to ask her if she is confident at cooking? perhaps she is just worried she may loose her job if she can't cook!

Not to sound sexist, but in that class, minus procreation, and farming/urban labour, what other occupational opportunities are there for a woman in this part of the world?

My take. She would be able to make kickass meat chawal.

Cheers, Doc

 

[lastofthepatriots]

Not to sound sexist, but in that class, minus procreation, and farming/urban labour, what other occupational opportunities are there for a woman in this part of the world?

My take. She would be able to make kickass meat chawal.

Cheers, Doc

What the **** is meat chawal?

 

[padamchen]

What the **** is meat chawal?

It's what poor people eat in the mountains.

Cheers, Doc