Harissa: Kashmir’s warm hug in a bowl
This article was written by one of our Young Reporters, a scheme that gives 14 to 18-year-old school students a chance to write for a real newspaper. Find out more at the Young Reporter website.
The place my parents call home, where I grew up visiting, and hearing tales of their childhood in the valley.
Kashmir is a gorgeous valley in northern India, even described as Heaven on Earth.
But it is also incredibly rich in cuisine, culture, and tradition.
Growing up, my parents often told me about the brutal winters there, the sub-zero temperatures, freezing taps and roads drowning in snow.
But a fond winter memory my mother often shared with me was Harissa.
Harissa is a rich, gooey paste of slow-cooked mutton, rice, and spices.
For centuries, this tradition of having harissa on the frosty winter mornings has persisted through the valley.
My mother reminisced about how her father used to wake up at the crack of dawn, waiting in line at a local harissa shop and then bringing the liquid gold home.
She described how her family would indulge together in the delicacy, her mother even specifically setting some aside for my mum’s friend (who she walked to school with).
It is believed that the predecessor of Harissa came to the valley from Persia in the 14th century, over time evolving with local ingredients, variations, and culture to form the Kashmiri Harissa.
Preparing harissa is a tedious and labour-intensive process.
An earthen pot is warmed up with coal before adding mutton.
Then the mutton is slowly cooked overnight, infused with aromatic spices like fennel seeds, cinnamon and cardamom, occasionally adding ghee (clarified butter).
After pounding it into a paste-like consistency, rice, flour and sometimes milk are mixed in.
It is then served with traditional Kashmiri flatbread and garnished with mini kebabs.
It is even used as a cultural gift, filled with love and prayers.
A common tradition for bridal families is to send over harissa to the groom’s family after their marriage is decided.
Ultimately, Harissa is one of the few glimpses of Kashmiri culture I have experienced living outside of the valley.
And as culture is meant to be shared, here I am sharing it with you, my dear reader.
