When I came to Mumbai, my father asked me how I would keep the spirit of Kashmir alive. My answer was through food,” says Om Takoo, chef and owner of Poush, a Kashmiri Pandit who came to the city many years ago. He remembers his grandma’s Qahwa tea, made of green tea leaves, cardamom, saffron, cinnamon and almonds. “It is the poor man’s brandy, and if one catches a cold, a hot cup is the ideal remedy. We even serve a chilled Qahwa, owing to the city’s weather.” The Gushtaba, meanwhile, is a Kashmiri delicacy served as the last dish of a 36-course meal. “It signifies the end, a full stop to the meal. The mutton is hand-pounded, using a wooden hammer on a stone slab,” explains Takoo.

Gushtaba