Taste of the Dal Lake, Srinagar, India

The last 10 days, I spent trekking in Kashmir Valley in India. Often in the news for the wrong reasons this beautiful lush green valley presents one of the tastiest cuisines of India. Dal Lake is the toast of Srinagar the beautiful capital city of Kashmir. The evening preceding the trek we went on a Shikara Ride (manually rowed long boats) on the Dal Lake watching other tourists float by while the sun slowly vanished beyond the clouds in the horizon.

Soon we were approached by a floating Shikara, selling Kebabs (barbecued meat and fish) and the aroma of it all deflected my attention from the mesmerizing sun set on the Dal. The foodie in me wanted to taste all that he had and my friend Sushila, who was sharing the Shikara with me was instantly excited.Dal Lake Kabab

He quickly barbecued fish, chicken and lamb and needless to say while all were great, the soft trout lingers on my tongue. Marinated to perfection with a combination of home-made Kashmiri Spices and roasted just right the juicy succulent chicken and the chewy yet soft lamb served with different dips made with walnuts, carrots, cucumber in a curd and chilly paste base stole my heart. Dal Lake Kabab

The dips were absolutely awesome and Sushila was floored by the tangy, spicy taste that she did not notice me relishing that extra bite of fish 🙂 The rich culture of the land presented itself on the plate, to experience which I had traveled hundreds of miles.Dal Lake Kabab

The restaurants along the lake serve similar food but it is not everyday that you sit in the middle of a vast lake watching the sunset and getting pampered with the finest food. Naah !! Saturation with food and travel does not exist in my dictionary- Life is a Vacation and always will be. If you are floating on the Dal do not miss this opportunity!!

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32 thoughts on “Taste of the Dal Lake, Srinagar, India

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  13. Devvrat

    We definately did miss the kebabs Sangeeta…but the memory of fresh alu and pyaaz pakoda and kehwa on dal lake is what my mind turns to every time I wake up in the morning…

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  17. hemadamani

    Hi, I’ d been to Kashmir too 2 yrs back and as luck would have it America decidef to eliminate Osama-bin- Laden the day we reached. We were worried as were our families but the people were wonderful and we had agreat trip. You brought back memories.

    1. Sangeeta Post author

      I will be full of Kashmir in the next few posts. Even I could not visit the old part of the city since it was closed and considered unsafe for tourists!! I pretty much did what you did…

  18. Shakti Ghosal

    Great post Sangeeta. It is only such writings that can help tilt the balance in our minds regarding the beauty and allure that Kashmir and Srinagar continue to possess. What is it that makes our media only write about only negative aspects, totally forgetting to mention about the positives that you have so nicely portrayed. So Thank you.

    Shakti

    1. Sangeeta Post author

      While I was there in the hills cut off from the world, trouble brewed in the valley !! Everyone was frantically trying to reach us but to tell the truth, life was as usual which is hard to explain to people who are constantly in fear. There is so much to see that I have to go again. I have experienced a lot of love and respect from people there and additional attention for being a Bengali who they believe sustain their tourism. I can never forget my houseboat owner who came all the way to the restaurant, patiently waiting outside and standing guard for a bunch of girls dining or the horseman who carried my luggage on the trek gifting me the horse shoe for good luck. People are good everywhere some people politicize it !!

    1. Sangeeta Post author

      I had the Kahwa too and liked it since I do not drink tea otherwise. I loved the Kashmiri Bread and Wazwaan. I can go on and on about the Kashmir Valley as I trekked from lake to lake.

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