Being in India right now, it's hard to think of much else besides the horrors from Mumbai. Still, it's been good and comforting and the right kind of distraction to be researching Kashmiri cuisine. Their food -- so made-from-scratch, so nourishing -- provides some reassurance against these difficult times.
With that said, I want to write about Froot Loops. Kids in the States like Froot Loops. Kids in Kashmir like to mix fresh raw milk with their rice and curried potatoes. (To be fair, plenty of Kashmiri children have the recently-introduced Corn Flakes and sugar with their morning tea.)
This rice, milk, potatoes combination is readily available: there’s always rice at lunch and dinner, everyday; homes that can afford it get a daily delivery of a few liters of fresh milk in a stainless steel canister; and potatoes are a staple, year-round vegetable.
This guy's a little young but after another year or two he'll be doing what the other children do: using their fingers to mash the very soft and spicy half-silver-dollar potato slices into their rice, pouring on a little milk, mixing well, and eating. The milk, warmed on the stove, is thick and creamy and with the potatoes’ chili gravy forms a spicy cream sauce to coat the rice.
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