Nalini Sadhu
Kashmiri Food
Spoken of in the same breath as ‘Kashmiri Pandit cuisine’, Nalini Sadhu is the owner of the Matamaal chain of restaurants and the Kanz and Mahul e-commerce site.
Here’s How Nalini Has Showcased Kashmiri Food To The World
If Kashmiri Pandit cuisine is today recognised in its own capacity, a lot of the credit must be given to Nalini Sadhu and her family. Nalini’s journey with Kashmiri cuisine began when she got married and inherited age-old family recipes from her mother-in-law. Together with her husband Surender, she dedicated herself to showcasing Kashmiri Pandit cuisine, starting with cooking for friends and family who loved their food. Encouraged, Nalini went on to curate menus for the Hilton Bahrain and successfully curated a Kashmiri Food Festival at the Raffles hotel in Singapore. In 2012, observing the opportunities presented by the rising popularity of the home chef culture, Nalini began to offer Kashmiri cuisine from her home. Eventually, her dream of opening a restaurant became a reality with the opening of Matamaal in Gurugram. Over time, realising that the culinary treasures of Kashmir extended far beyond Pandit cuisine, the family expanded their offerings. Today, Matamaal’s menu also boasts a selection of wazwan (banquet-style) offerings prepared by seasoned wazas (cooks) from Kashmir, and the Matamaal Bakehouse specialises in Kashmiri breads. They also began Kanz and Muhul (www.kanzandmuhul.com), an e-commerce platform that offers ingredients from Kashmir. Nalini has been featured on numerous national and international television shows, and has won many awards including Emerging Woman Entrepreneur from MSME, Government of India.
Things Nalini Believes You Need To Know About Kashmiri Food
– Contrary to popular belief, Kashmiri Pandit cuisine is traditionally cooked without onions, garlic and ginger, giving it a unique flavour profile. The Kashmiri Pandit cuisine relies heavily on the use of aromatic spices, including Kashmiri red chilli powder, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and saffron. These spices add depth and complexity to the dishes.
– A wide assortment of fresh vegetables graces the thali, either as standalone dishes or cooked with meat and fish. The Kashmiri Pandit community holds a special affection for haak (leafy greens), as well as nadru (lotus stem), muji (radish) and wangun (eggplant).
– Nadru holds a special place in Kashmiri cuisine. Almost every part of the lotus is consumed, but the stem carries particular significance and is intrinsic to ceremonial and religious feasts, either prepared on its own or in combination with fish and meat. Its versatility is such that having nadru in one’s kitchen on any given day is said to ensure a satisfying family meal without any worries.
Here’s How You Can Keep Up With What Nalini Is Doing
Instagram: @nalini.sadhu @matamaal
Website: kanzandmuhul.com/blogs/culture-recipes where she shares recipes and culture-related stories