Swati's Post

An opportunity to dine with Gurugram-based chef supremo @chefbali aka Dr Parvinder Singh Bali, throws up on offer not only some palate-pampering delectable Kashmiri fare, but also rare insights about culinary legacies from the Valley. Zaika E Kashmir running for dinner @novotelhyd until March 1st Sunday is an attempt to abandon popular misnomers about Kashmiri food being mostly about Wazwan, according to the genial chef, who feels that Kashmiri Pandit and even Sikh Kashmiri often don’t get their place in the sun with regards to the Kashmiri cuisine. Mutton Yakhni, Doon (ground lamb and Daliya with a few spices) Maaz, Nadru (lotus stem) Shammi set the tone for the evening. The kebabs were excellent, especially paired with a delicious grated radish dip and walnut chutney. Gucchi mushroom pulao, Rajma (with radish added) , Kokur (chicken) Dhaniwal Korma and Kashmiri Rogan Josh constituted ths main courses and I just had to try the Moinjaa Haaq (braised kohlrabi and it’s leaves tempered in mustard oil & dried red chillies. Rogan Josh was for me the highlight and I completely binged on it, with some Saunfiyan Kesari Naan & the Gucchi rice. The meat was cooked well (falling off the bone texture) and the gravy? In one word, divine! Gobsmacking to be informed that this was a Kashmiri Pandit no onion-garlic recipe, relying instead on the OG Kashmiri red chillies , yoghurt & Mawal, the edible cockscomb flower which gives Kashmiri rogan Josh its unique red shade. Also, as the chef shared, a lot of slow cooking of the meat in its own juices so that “the next morning the curry is almost of a wobbly texture because of all the lamb/goat fat”, . The premium saffron from the Valley -imbued Phirni was literally ths sone pe Suhaaga! So was the piping hot, shuddh -ghee laden Badaam ka Halwa! Chef Bali who was with the Oberoi Centre for Learning & Development for (OCLD) for long years is now director of School for European Pastry & Culinary Arts (Sep-Gurugram) which not only teaches continental , Mediterranean & global cuisines but unique regional Indian micro cuisines too! Trust the good chef to keep the culinary flag flying high!

• @novotelhyd
• @chefbali

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This post was published on 28th February, 2026 by Swati on her Instagram handle "@sucharita_swati (Swati Sucharita)". Swati has total 3.9K followers on Instagram and has a total of 1.2K post.This post has received 629 Likes which are greater than the average likes that Swati gets. Swati receives an average engagement rate of 1.9% per post on Instagram. This post has received 9 comments which are lower than the average comments that Swati gets. Overall the engagement rate for this post was lower than the average for the profile.