Winter was just setting in and the temperature was steadily dipping. Bundled up in warm, soft woollens, I resolved to brave the slowly intensifying Kashmiri cold winds just to see the famous Floating Market on Dal Lake. Anchored in the midst of millions of pink lotuses were hundreds of hand-painted Kashmiri shikaras, full of flowers and vegetables of every colour imaginable. I hopped from shikara to shikara, buying the choicest of ingredients and taking in the blissful aroma of saffron stacked in tiny boxes in some of them.
From the corner of my eye I noticed a little mauve mound on one of the shikaras. On closer inspection, I realized they were turnips (shalgam)! In winter in Kashmir, turnips the size of medium onions are one of the few vegetables available. These make for a fabulous dish when cooked with minced mutton. So the next time you’re in Kashmir, don’t forget to visit the Floating Market and gorge on some lovely kheema shalgam.
3 tbsp oil
2 (large) bay leaves
4 pods green cardamom
1" stick cinnamon
4 cloves
2 (medium) onions, finely sliced
2" piece ginger, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500 g mutton mince
½ tsp turmeric powder
1½ tsp red chilli powder
¾ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 (medium) turnip, diced and blanched for 1 minute
2 (medium) tomatoes, diced
½ tbsp clarified butter
¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp garam masala powder
Put oil in a kadhai (wok) over medium-high heat. When hot, add bay leaves, cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves. When the spices crackle, add onions, ginger and garlic and sauté till onions turn translucent. Add mince, mix well and cook for 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle in turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt with 2 tbsp water and cook for 5 minutes, till spices blend well into the mince. Add turnip and tomatoes and fry for 4–5 minutes. Pour in 1 cup of water. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, till mince and turnip are cooked. Add some more water, if required. Mix in clarified butter, coriander leaves and garam masala powder and cook uncovered for 2–3 minutes longer for the flavours to blend. Remove from heat and serve hot with roti.