Inside The Dogra Cuisine Of Jammu And Dishes You Can Try

The culture and food practices of Indian people change at every step. Jammu is a very beautiful part of India and is known for its natural bounty. It is a famous tourist place and is visited by thousands of people every year. Like other parts of India, the people of Jammu also have a unique cuisine of their own. This is called the Dogra Cusine which was introduced by the Dogra community in Jammu. This community ruled Jammu and Kashmir in the 19th century and since then has permanently inhabited the place. There is a wide range of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. All of these dishes are propelled by the union of many famous and lesser-known spices. Here are three of the most celebrated dishes from the Dogra Cusine, that you can try making at home.

Also Read: Modur Pulao To Kahwa: Exploring 8 Famous Foods Of Jammu and Kashmir

* Ghyoor

This dish is also spelt as Gheur and from its outer appearance, it may resemble the South Indian Appam. This is a very important part of the Dogra Cusine and is a welcome gesture done by the people of the community to welcome someone new to the family. This may be a bride or groom on most occasions. It is a quick recipe that only needs all-purpose, flour, water and salt to be prepared. You can also replace salt with sugar if you want to eat a sweet gheur. To make this dish, you have to mix all-purpose flour, water and salt. Remember that water and all-purpose flour have to be mixed in equal quantities. You can add sugar or salt as per your taste preference in your likeable quantities. 

Now mix everything properly and make sure that the batter has a flowy consistency. After making this mixture, you have to keep it aside for 20 minutes. In a separate pen, you have to heat some ghee and then pour the batter using a bottle. Just like you do for making jalebis, make a circle in the pan. Now let the mixture cook on one side and as soon as it gets crisp, turn it with the help of a spatula. You can then serve this with some curd or pickle.

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* Khatta Meat 

This is a delicious curry made in the Dogra community that is also a staple. This is traditionally made by using mutton and some pomegranate seeds. Along with pomegranate seeds, a little bit of lime juice is also used to make the flavour of the dish, a little bit Tangy and sweet. You can also use dry mango powder. In case you do not have pomegranate seeds available at your home. This can be combined with roti or rice to have an elaborate meal at home. To make this curry, you will need some mutton, depending upon the quantity you want to make. Along with this, you have to arrange for your common spices, including cardamom, Kasuri methi, turmeric, chilli, salt, human seeds, and some finely chopped onion. Also, arrange for some ginger garlic paste if you want. The most important ingredients for making this curry are pomegranate seeds and lime juice.

As stated above, you can also use dry mango powder. Now to make the curry you have to heat some mustard oil and add spices like black, cardamom, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and some onions. Now fry everything until it becomes pink in colour. Add ginger and garlic paste and stir everything until it becomes brown. Now add your red chilli powder, salt and turmeric and also add one cup of water. Put your small pieces of mutton in the gravy and let it cook for 5 to 7 minutes nicely. In the end, add 2 cups of more water and let everything come to a boil. The last step is to add your pomegranate seeds or dry mango powder. Once the meat is properly cooked, you can switch off the heat. Garnish everything with some coriander leaves and sprinkle some onion juice on the top.

* Ambal

This is a sweet and sour dish that is made from pumpkin and jaggery. A lot of tamarind is also used in making this dish. This is a quick meal that is also quite light. To prepare this, you have to take some pumpkin and chop it into small pieces. Now you have to soak the pumpkin pieces in water and also soak your tamarind. Make sure that you soak both of these things in warm water for at least 10 minutes. After that, you can squeeze the pumpkin pulp out and your tamarind paste will be ready.

 Now in a separate pan take some oil and add cumin seeds and ginger. Let them cook and then add your other spices like red, chilli, salt and turmeric. Now add your water-dipped pieces of pumpkin and toss everything well. Mix some jaggery powder and tamarind paste. This is for 3 to 4 minutes on a very high flame. In the end, add half a cup of water and cover the pan. Let the mixture cook until everything becomes soft and mushy.

These three recipes are a very important part of the Dogra community. You can try making them at home and enjoy the flavours of Jammu.