Sabrina Suri
I was born in Kashmir, bought up in Delhi. My dad was from Punjab (early in Lahore) and my mom is a Kashmiri Muslim. So I have grown with a plethora of cuisine ,tradition and culture.
Both my maternal and paternal families believed in treating our guests as Gods blessings.I have grown up seeing my grandparents inculcating zero wastage and preserving food techniques.
After 13 years working with airlines. I got married at the age of 20 and by 25, I was a mother of two boys.
I was looking for an opportunity to start work from home but was dissuaded by most people who said it was only possible to work at a job. In a Whatsapp Group, I saw handmade products by different ladies and ordered pickle from one of the ladies to understand how a home enterprise worked. I had made Shahi Tukda and I decided to put it in the group. When you’re first starting off, there’s a lot of trepidation of whether you’ll be able to do it or not. And to my surprise, I got orders and was sold out. And then I remembered what my Nani and my mother in law always taught me. They always believed to have good intention when cooking a meal. They taught me how a persons’ mood would reflect in the food. Food absorbs energy.The happier the person is the tastier food will turn out. But the moment of truth was the challenge of packing, pricing and delivery. I took it on my chin and jumped in with both feet into the deep end and went for it. I would deliver myself till I found delivery solutions. I was so excited and passionate about people trying my food and the appreciation I got after they tasted my food was another level . One of the lady who is now based in the UK had ordered food couple of times from me. she made a group called Sabrina‘s Kitchen and I wake up seeing my WhatsApp flooded with people joining the group. I had absolutely no clue how it works what it was about, so I called the lady and I asked her why she did that to which I thank her every time I speak to her now . I think the gauntlet was really thrown down. She was kind enough to add people in that group and every day whatever I used to cook at home, I used to put it in the group. People used to order and so that’s how slowly and steadily people started ordering in bulk and I got party orders. With time I became
I wanted more and more people to taste my food.. Born in Kashmir with a history of growing up eating Kashmir cuisine, I took a short trip to Kashmir where I spent time with the local wazaas learnt the techniques and science behind the Kashmiri food. That’s where I learnt how our cuisines emphasise slow-cooking, smoking, and fermentation to produce hearty, warming food, where ingredients like dried fruits, yaks’ milk, sheep,cheese, rmeat and staples like buckwheat and rice are used to make the meals.
I came back to Mumbai and got my first opportunity with The Lalit’s in Mumbai, and we got an outstanding response, and after that, I did many more pop pops, which went really well. As time passed by I realised that for most people Kashmiri food was only about Wazwaan. As all my childhood memories kept flashing on my mind. How my grandmother would emphasise on optimal osmolality, preservation of the vegetables and meat by Fermentation. So I decided to do lost recipes.We have lot of greens which chefs aren’t introducing to Kashmiri cuisine outside Kashmir.
Shab deg is slow-cooked turnip and mutton stew, traditionally left to simmer overnight. “Shab” means ‘night’ and “daig” means ‘cooking pot’ in the Persian language.
Shufta i a traditional, rich Kashmiri dessert often served at weddings and celebrations, featuring a luxurious mixture of dry fruits, nuts, and paneer coated in a spiced sugar syrup. It is a nutritious, high-energy dish, commonly prepared during winters, and typically includes almonds, cashews, raisins, walnuts, dried coconut, and dates.
Kaleeng is the thick membrane that covers the sheep’s head, skull and all. Grandma used to lightly roast the skin over glowing charcoal to burn off any unwanted bits. Then the pieces would be chopped coarsely and set to cook with spices and minimal liquid over a low fire for hours. The gelatinous nature of the membrane would develop on low heat – long before sous-vide cooking these techniques were used!
Tchaap Maaz was made, as far as I can tell, only in Ganz Khod, the little alley of Srinagar’s Old City It was the alley of sheepskin curers who did a side business of making sausages using the sheep gut as casing and chopped entrails as the filling.
Hokh Syun (or Houk Sun) is a traditional Kashmiri culinary practice of sun-drying vegetables during summer and autumn to be consumed during the harsh, snow-covered winters. Common items include tomatoes ruwaang hachi bottle gourd all hatchi aubergines Wanan hachi and lotus stems (nadur), which are preserved to maintain food supply, accordingly. I used to see my grandmother doing this every time I went for my summer vacation. We had a huge attic where she would spent hours tying ropes and then hang all these vegetables to sun-dry. Every few days she would go and toss and turn around all of these vegetables, as well as meat and fish too were sun dried.
Yaajji is enjoyed with Noon chai – it is a rice flour snack made with walnut which many people are still not familiar with.
While Wazwan dominates the culinary narrative of Jammu and Kashmir, several micro-regional and community-based dishes from the valley and Jammu region remain under-promoted and largely restricted to home kitchens or specific rural areas.
So every time I do a food festival, I make sure I add some lost recipe from parts of Gurez, Banihal and other cuisine .
Khatta Meat is a popular Dogra community mutton delicacy from Jammu known for its distinctive sour taste, typically achieved using dry mango powder (amchur), tamarind, or pomegranate seeds (anardana). The dish is characterized by tender mutton cooked in mustard oil, often finished with a unique smoking technique using red-hot coal and ghee.
Ambal Ambal is the pumpkin cooked with saunf, sweetness of gur, fenugreek seeds, tanginess of tamarind paste and namak, mirch, haldi. These dishes are traditionally cooked on the day before wedding on the occasion of Saant
Masale Tchot is a traditional Kashmiri street food wrap, often enjoyed as a spicy and tangy breakfast or snack. It features warm lavasa bread (a soft, thin Kashmiri flatbread) filled with boiled, mashed white peas and a pungent chutney made from radish, green chilies, yogurt, and spices.
Chaman qaliya or Tchaman is a classic vegetarian dish from Kashmiri cuisine particularly popular within the Kashmiri pandit community. It features cubes of fried cottage cheese (called chaman in Kashmiri) simmered in an aromatic, milk-based yellow gravy
Gogji ta maaz combined turnips and meat. We all love turnips in Kashmir. Fresh dried any kind. IEvery single one of us.
These dishes are minimalist when it comes to ingredients but yet so flavourful on your palate. Traditionally all are slow cooked in copper vessels.
Haaq most commonly refers to a staple Kashmiri dish of leafy green (collard greens, spinach, or knol khol) cooked simply with mustard oil and spices.
Rogan Josh is one of the main dishes in the wazwan, the traditional multi-course Kashmiri feast
Tabak maaz, also called qabargah is a traditional Kashmiri dish made from lamb ribs that are simmered in milk and spices and then fried. It is often served during special occasions, festivals, and as part of the traditional multi-course meal known as wazwan
Rainbow and brown trout was introduced by the British in the early 1900s, and still thrives in the region’s cold, pristine glacial streams. These fish are a highly prized, protein-rich local delicacy commonly prepared as fried fish or in traditional, flavorful recipes, with major rearing units in places like Kokernag.
Kashmiri Pulav also served as Meeta pulav in some parts of undivided Kashmir is influenced by Persian zerkish pulav
For me gathering lost Kashmiri recipes required a combination of oral history, traditional culinary techniques, and a focus on specific, fast-disappearing dishes like Kondour. Kashmiri Kandur (Girda/Czot) is a traditional fermented flatbread, often baked in a tandoor with a crispy exterior and soft, chewy center. It is prepared by fermenting wheat flour/maida, yogurt, salt, sugar, and yeast (or overnight rest) to form a soft dough, flattened with fingers, coated in poppy seeds, and baked until golden
Tahar (or Tehri) is a traditional Kashmiri yellow rice dish, cooked with turmeric, mustard oil, and salt. Often prepared on Fridays or special occasions, it serves as a, symbol of community, togetherness, and cultural heritage, usually served alongside curries or distributed as a sacred offering. Sometimes Lamb or choice of protein is added too.
Researching this cuisine requires focusing on the two distinct, yet interconnected, culinary traditions: Kashmiri MuslimS incorporate heavy use of onion, garlic, and yogurt) and Kashmiri Hindus use yogurt and subtle spices, focusing on aromatics like fennel powder and dry ginger.
Promoting lesser-known culinary traditions involves a mix of storytelling, digital marketing, experiential events, and strategic partnerships. Key approaches include highlighting the history and community context behind dishes, adapting recipes for modern kitchens, and leveraging social media influencers to reach broader audience
So I have started a supper club in the name of Malun T Variv Khen Chen( where malun means moms house variv means in-laws house and khen chen means eating gathering). Where stories are shared. Food is served in a traem (A large, traditional copper plate designed for communal dining) . The conversations are very interesting.
We have a very famous dish in wazwaan called gostab. Often referred to as the king of Kashmiri wazwan, The origins of goshtaab are rooted in the culinary traditions of Kashmir, which have been influenced by Central Asian, Persian, and Mughal cuisine. The dish is believed to have been introduced to the region during the reign of the Mughal emperors, who brought with them a tradition of meat-based dishes. Over time, goshtaab evolved into a distinctive Kashmiri specialty, reflecting the region’s unique blend of spices and cooking This is also known as the full stop of the for the feast as it is served in the end of the wazwaan.
Where it comes to fusion, I have curated Yakhni risotto for an Italian restaurant, topped with Tabak Maaz for meat lovers or feta for vegetarians
In March 2020 I won the best home chef award category at JW Marriott.
I have curated meals for celebrities like Kunickaa Sadanand ( I got featured in her blog),
DLF Camellias, Meros, and even Akash Ohri for his mother’s private birthday party.where guests were flown from all over the world.
I have done meals for DLF Westpark Mumbai under my brand called Fairy food by the Sabrinas kitchen which is largely into end-to-end catering where some percentage of the revenue goes to underprivileged children and for women empowerment.
Future aspirations are not only evolving from technical mastery to leadership, owning a restaurant, and mastering in niche culinary arts but also to pay it forward to the world. I want to eventually build a community where there is work for underprivileged people not only women. Where vegetables and staples would be procured from local vendors, where women will come together by scaling up their skills, and buying spices pickles and daily needs from families working from home.
