Kashmiri Food in Hyderabad: Chef Rahul Wali Brings the Flavors of the Valley

If Hyderabadis are on a quest to discover the true soul of Kashmir, you don’t need to directly travel 2000 kilometers, to the paradise in Earth. You can almost find it in a Trami, the huge copper plate in which 'Wousta Waza' (Master Chef) Rahul Wali has specially curated an authentic mouth-watering Kashmiri Wazwan for our very own city of pearls, now at Bidri in Marriott Hyderabad.

Chef Rahul gave all the attendees a small suggestion to eat with their hands once the table was arranged and the food had started to arrive. Explaining that this habit has actually been extracted out of the vedas, he reminded us that the act of eating food with one's hands turns it into a meditative experience.

Rather than overstuffing up the entire plate with all of the 36 dishes found in Wazwan, we were introduced to only 12 of them. We began our meal with the 'tabakh maaz’, which were lamb ribs – with each piece succulently crisp on the outside, and tender within. The rich, melting fat mingled with the meat, lifting the delightful experience to a new height. Beneath the tabakh maaz, an aromatic Kashmiri mutton pulao was revealed, which was delicate and light to the palate, but yet it was unforgettable when savored alongside the authentic Kashmiri seekh kabab as an Entree, along with a side of meaty gravies to pair it up with.

Speaking of the gravies which were all based off of mutton, the main star of this show was the 'Goshtaba', a meatball dish that is drenched in a tangy yogurt based Yakhni. The chef told that they manually hand pound the meat on a flat stone to get that texture rather than simply using a machine. "The meat that we use is from the raan (leg)", explained the chef and emphasized that it has to be freshly slaughtered so that it maintains that warmth in it and doesn't work as a cold cut.

Among the other two non-vegetarian gravy's on the plate were the mutton rogan josh made with Kashmiri red chilies which although by the looks of it one might assume the dish to be spicy. But it flips the coin instead. "Kashmiri chilies are not spicy at all, they do contain a bit of punch though but what I like about them is that they provide natural colors to this dish", said the chef and also debunked that, "When people think about Rogan Josh, they misunderstand it to be drenched heavily in oil. But that's not the case." Catching up behind it was the 'Methi Maaz', a dish combining minced lamb along with Fenugreek whose taste needs to extra compliment.

The vegetarians weren't ignored either, with some amazing dishes in their plates consisting of 'Nadru Yakhni', a dish where lotus stem is combined in a similar khattapan yogurt based concoction. Then there was the 'Dum Olav' which was a slow cooked and rich and velvety potato gravy, standing as a strong rivals to it's non vegetarian contemporaries.

After that scrumptious experience, who wouldn't want to end their kashmiri odyssey with a dessert that originated from the very own region. It went by the name shufta and the hidden part behind this decadent dessert involved an amalgamation of lot of dry fruits like cashews, almonds . Chef had also mentioned that no sugar is added to the dish and the sweetness evolves from dates and raisins that are present in there. poppy seeds are also present in it contributing to the nutty flavor and crunch making shufta simple and at the very same time more potent. There's also the phirni if you aren't fond of dry fruits which is marvelous to say the least.

Generally, many Indians are not perceived as open towards experimenting with their taste buds and tend to neglect to try local cuisines whenever they to travel to different destinations. And chef Rahul had also noted that he is not only representing Kashmiri food and vouched that he speak for all the regional foods of our nation." Everybody going anywhere in India or abroad, I think we all should respect each other's cuisine. But, not make fun of each other".

"I've seen a lot of people making fun of other state's cuisine, like people from... For instance from west will make fun of people from, let’s say, east such as Mizoram or Tripura.

"They're not aware of the cuisine. But have this strange misconception that these people eat only insects and pork, without getting to know about their actual cultural and social significance".

"People should keep their mind open in terms of food especially. Because food is something that connects the entire nation." And as people we should stay open minded and hold less expectations while travelling, because it is what makes us the best travelers in this world.

Food is an artistic expression for every chef and when asked about what it means to him personally, he expressed that, "Food for me is not only art but also science, geography, chemistry and everything" he laughed and noted, " It is even mathematics. Because we calculate the portions and in today's time we are accustomed to even count calories. "

This 'Trails of Kashmir' event is taking place from 20th of February to March 1st, , 2026. It is an exceptional feast that no foodie cannot miss.

This article is written by Yoga Adithya & Naga Adithya, students of Loyola Academy, Secunderabad, interning with Deccan Chronicle.