Ep 4 Srinagar to Pahalgam | Saffron Fields | Pampore”s Sheermal | Awantipur Ruins | Kashmir Tourism
Hello friends ! Welcome to Visa2Explore I'm your host Harish Bali As of now, we're travelling through Kashmir We left Srinagar in the morning And, after travelling for half an hour We stopped to behold "Saffron Fields" All the plants you see around me Look down carefully These all are plants of saffron We're into 3rd week of April If you come here in August, Then you'll see the saffron grown It goes without saying, how famous Kashmir's saffron is The moment we talk about "Kesar" Where is "Kesar" cultivated the most? Answer comes out to Kashmir And where exactly in Kashmir? Then, answer comes out to be "Pampore" Now, we're in "Pampore" only This area comes under Pulwama district Moments ago, we're in Srinagar district Now, we're in Pulwama district In Pampore, Saffron is grown Saffron sellers are also here Moving 2 kms ahead will take us to few shops.. From where we'd also buy saffron This plant doesn't grow too high It gains height to 8-9 inches only Its time is around August Soil here is very much suitable for saffron Climate is also very much suitable This is the reason, wherever else, saffron is grown in Kashmir, Quality here is par excellence This is what everyone says Highway which you're seeing in front We've parked our car over there We walked for around 300 mtr Moving traffic which is visible This direction, people are going.. ..towards "Pahalgam" If someone doesn't want to go to Pahalgam Rather they want to go to Jammu This same highway connects Jammu & Kashmir If you want to go to Delhi then take this highway Means, it's a National Highway There is not much traffic on the highway And the car runs comfortably.. ..at a speed of 70-80 kmph This is almond tree this is the famous almond here Which is called "Mamra Badam" Moments later, we'll check at a shop How is it ? But I've seen the tree When will this almond ripen? After 3-4 months, Same time when saffron ripen At same time almond will ripen The taste of this mamra almond, ..is very different As I eat, only then I'll know how it is..
Let's break open it Either we can eat its inner part ..which is unripe as of now, So, we can eat its outer part as well It's not a big deal Let's check its taste It tastes bit sour Though, I'm savoring it It's juicy & chewable Great ! I liked its taste Some people told me.. When you visit this place, You'll get to see mustard flowers We're not getting flowers to see But, rather mustard fields are visible Mustard Saffron Almonds These three are primarily cultivated here Where we're standing right now ..in "Pampore" Nice weather We started our day; beholding saffron fields Let's move on now.. There're lot of "Saffron" shops in Pampore We'll randomly get into one shop Before that, to eat something, we've come to one dhaba now Here, Aloo Prantha would have taken some time So, I thought to order Maggie for now I got Maggie prepared for myself Though, in such a way, I avoid having Maggie in breakfast But, just for a change Nice ! They've prepared very spicy Maggie Little bit of vegetable has been added Rest.. They've added "Channe" additionally After finishing the Maggie, We'll visit some shop In fact, what we can do is.. ..place where we're sitting right now has an adjoining shop ..which we will visit We want to see "Saffron" from you We'll also purchase it Ok Along with that, we want to understand..
When is saffron cultivated? What is its whole process? How is its flower like? Ok Tell us something about it I'll show you the actual flower of saffron This is the actual "Saffron" flower.. ..that I've dried myself You can see three stigmas in one flower Red one which is visible in it It is "Saffron" (kesar) Other one which has leaves on it It is of yellow colour used in sweets Third one is used for "Gulkand" making No part of this flower goes waste This photo is also of it Yes, it is real photo Means, it's easily recognisable It's been captured in "zoom" mode Yes, yes.. ..what you're making us understand.. that can be easily understood by this picture Yes..
What is the season of saffron? Is it August ? No, sir Its season begins from 20th October Its season spans 20 days in total Its season ends on 10th November Do their seeds sown only once in 5-6 years? No, saffron seeds are sown after 2 years Say, I've sown seeds this year We'll sow seeds again .. ..after 2 years on same land I got your point Can we see "Saffron" now? yes, sir Along with that, tell us.. What's the speciality in Kashmir Kesar.. ..and Pampore Kesar As everyone says, best saffron.. ..in world is available in Kashmir
If you come to Kashmir, they say best Kesar is of Pampore In Kashmir, Pampore is the only place. ..where "Kesar" is grown Kesar is grown nowhere else in Kashmir Whichever place you go.. Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Even if you go to Srinagar, Nowhere will you see saffron fields Kesar lands are only seen in Pampore You will find Kesar nowhere else Ok There's only one place That is Pampore Last year, in November.. ..when you cultivated it It is of that particular period. Yes, of that time It shelf life is for ages Yes, for 20 years As such, it doesn't have expiry date what is its cost ? say , someone wants to buy 2-4 grams It costs Rs 250 per gm Yes, Rs. 2,50,000 per kg so much expensive it is Is it imported from Iran also ? Many places , from Spain , Iran.......
Weather of Kashmir is very different When rain or snow falls on this land It makes its soil fertile That's why saffron here is better than.. ..as compared to other countries I have Kesar ...that I bought from somewhere How can I identify if it's genuine ? Saffron can be identified in 2 ways Its main identify is of fragrance You can check out its fragrance Its fragrance is completely different which is its identity It has its own natural fragrance It has a very strong smell Its second identification is.. that's main identification.. Bitterness in saffron When you bite it with your teeth, You'll feel its little bitterness on your teeth This aspect is its main identity Can it take it a little? You can take any one petal Bite it properly with your teeth Not in this way.. I didn't bite it rather I swallowed it Hearty Laughter Take another one It is too small to bite You need to bite it only with your teeth In this way.. Yes, in this way Yes, it has bitterness in it Did you feel the bitterness? Yes, on my tongue, I felt bitterness Very good Can it also be checked by dipping in water? Yes, it can be checked with water If we dip it into water, after waiting for some time, Wait for 2-3 minutes then..
Slowly saffron's color will come in water. It will lose its color After losing the color, will it still remain red? Yes, it'll remain red This is its identity If it remains in water for 3-4 days, It'll completely dissolve in it Then, it'll have white color If you rub it a little, then after rubbing it, it will lose its existence Do you also have Mamra Badam ? A lot of While coming here, we saw its tree Yes, I'll show you the Mamra Badam What is the speciality of this almond? Sweetness is its speciality And when you press it inwards, Oil will come out of it I'll show you See, this is Kashmiri Badam As I completely press it, ..so much oil will emerge.. You just check it out Oh! oil came out of it This is its speciality Ok How is its taste? It is too tasty You can check it out yourself One is sufficient Well there's one thing Eating this almond fills in your mouth with oil Usually, the almonds which we eat Such feeling is lacked in those types This is its identity And identity of Kashmiri Almonds is that.. You'll feel oil as you eat them It has a lot of protein content Yes, you just showed us the demo What is its cost? We sell it around Rs.1300- 1400 per kg "Mamra Badam" When will its season come? Its season is in October Means, Kesar is in October Almonds also in October Almonds & Apples are also in October Walnut? Walnut is also cultivated in October Everything is cultivated around the same time Let me show walnut to you See, our walnut Snow white walnuts Look at it These are called "Full Snow White Walnuts" And they are very fresh It also has one speciality As you eat this walnut, It is full of sweetness You'll feel freshness in it As you put them in your mouth, You'll get a lot of taste You can see, as I press this walnut, lot of oil come out of it Have a look at it Oh, really ! Look at it Well, the walnut we eat, We never tried, but still I've doubt, if those walnuts have oil in them They might have oil but no taste Look at the oil in it A lot of oil came out of it Now, let's taste it It is very fresh Taste of walnut is awesome To say frankly, I don't feel in last few years if .. ..I've tasted such type of walnut Owing to its freshness Awesome Tell me its rate Its rate is Rs. 1800/- per kg Pampore; we've been told is famous for..
Kesar, Walnuts, almonds, How many shops are here approximately? Almost 80-90 shops in this market only Spread over an area of around 1-1.5 kms They all have their own lands They all have their own fields People must be doing for many years I've been doing it for almost 12 years As of now, we'll buy 2 items from you Ok 250 gms almonds 250 gms walnuts Ok And 2 gms of Kesar You give it to us Will we get the bill? Yes, sir Ok, then prepare the bill We'll leave from here within 5-7 minutes And then we...Kashmir Bakery.. Bakery means..
Not that biscuit bakery For example, Where different types of breads are made We want to visit that bakery shop Shop means.. ..how they prepare the whole set-up For that, we'll go 3-4 kms reverse Did you ask way to Hema Malini shop? What did they say? Take left from here & right from ahead It will be easy to find out We can ask about Dargah from anyone Means, we got the landmark So, your shop's name is.. Hema Malini Yes Somebody told me to visit you.. ..as you're supposed to have a lot of experience Hema Malini in itself is a unique name Well, the matter is.. My father & mother both would do this work Sheeramal of Pampore His friend then chose this name Dharmendra & Hema Malini Dharmendra's name didn't appear on it It got famous by Hema Malini's name rather Ok By this name, whoever customer from Srinagar.. ..came to Pampore or their relatives.. They'd purchase Sheermal from here only What is this dough made of? What? Is it maida (fine flour)? Yes, it is fine flour To prepare Sheermal, do you start very early morning? Yes, at 6:00 AM Sheermal will be prepared here..
..and it is sent to Srinagar Yes, Srinagar Customers come from Srinagar & outside Tandoor is getting heated up.. Yes, we've stoked wooden sticks into it Once it's properly heated up And then.. Would you apply poppy seeds to it? Yes What all types of "rotis" (breads) are made here? One is Sheermal One is Sheermal and 2nd is.. .."Kulcha" Kulcha? yes, kulcha upon which.. ..poppy seeds are applied to it That we call as 'Kulcha' Would you also make Kulcha now? No, not now Is dough for Sheermal & Kulcha same? ..made of "Maida" Same "Maida" dough is used for both What all things have you added in Maida? We've added Dalda Ghee in it Ok Dalda and Amrit Ghee Amrit ghee which is used for biscuits Same is used for making it also Hmm.. Does it also contain salt? Yes, salt needs to be added in it OK Salt needs to be added in it Does same egg used in Kulcha also? No Firstly, he kneaded dough of Sheermal He employed his own style in which..
..he gave a shape to the dough What he is applying now is a.. ..whisked paste of milk and egg Yes, milk and egg are mixed He's applying little paste of that Awesome Manzoor Sahib said, by the time.. Sheermal gets ready in Tandoor till then.. ..we can have one already made Sheermal Along with it, he brought tea for us It broke just like a biscuit Yes, it's very crispy Yes Very nice I really enjoyed it Does it have best combination with tea? Yes, with tea While eating it, I'm feeling like... Both with Kahwa as well as Tea Also with salty tea There's one thing You've kept salt in it on lighter side Yes, very light salt If we add more salt into it, Customers also don't like it then It'd be also tasty in eating It's indeed savoury What is its shelf life? You can keep it for 10 or even 20 days.. ..till the time it remains fresh to eat Its taste won't differ No issues to keep it for 10-20 days Yes, no issues This item is very delectable Honestly, I didn't have idea that..
Though, in photo, I'd seen.. ..how it looks ..but.. ..it tastes great It took almost half an hour, Sheermal has been fully roasted in Tandoor Ok Very nice When I was in Srinagar I asked many people there I wanted to see How is it made? Some people said, as you go to.. "Pahalgam" See it in Pampore, you'd like it It means people in Srinagar also know.. Sheermal of this place is famous Yes, everyone knows about it In Srinagar, in J&K everyone knows...
It is only made in Pampore Ok, very good Basically, I was waiting to see.. After coming out of Tandoor, how Sheermal would look like We'd already made a few Sheermal These have been freshly made You also taste them Ok, give it to me You won't find any difference in taste Wow! The only thing is.. It feels hot to hold ..rest.. I'm feeling like.. ..the cold Sheermal I ate was tastier This is what I am perceiving Some people like it eating hot Some people like it eating cold But, both are tasty otherwise Their taste is not that different Yes, overall, they both taste the same Manzoor Sahib, thank you so much I really enjoyed having Sheermal I found it quite tasty We'll leave within 5-10 minutes We'll join you in a while While exploring around our travelling route, We'll have our tonight's stay in Pahalgam We've travelled for around half hour Now, we've reached "Awantipora" To come to Awantipora, We took an inside route Means, we left the highway Few years back, when highway wasn't made People went to Pahalgam from here only Are you seeing traffic on front road? We parked our car over there in front We stopped here to see old temple ruins We took entry ticket Rs. 25 per person..
..from the front counter Let's move ahead... Then I'll share information of this place.. ..whatever knowledge I have with me The same I would share with you all Come During 9th century, Utpala dynasty ruled Kashmir ..that spanned over 100-125 years During that period, Awantipora was then Kashmir's Capital The temple ruins you're seeing in front During 9th century, Raja Avantivaraman built the temple.. ..of Lord Vishnu at this place ..whose ruins we've come to see now Let's go closer to it Raja Avantivaraman built..
..two temples here It was Lord Vishnu's temple Half kilometre back from here.. Lord Shiva temple was contructed The ruins which we're seeing today Two reasons are said to be behind them One is Earthquake that came 500 years ago This whole place then turned into ruins During that time, Jhelum river used to flow next to temple Means, almost flowing touching it But, owing to earthquake ..river changed its course and went 70-80 mtrs further that side Means, it began flowing across the road We'll also show you the place from where river flows now 2nd reason of ruins is.. Foreign invasions and attacks.. One more thing is important.. All the ancient temples in Kashmir Valley ..are of Lord Shiva It's the only temple of Lord Vishnu ..whose ruins we're seeing today Walking from side to side, we've now come to this side of temple Between 1913-1923 period, Excavation was done here, then, Then ruins were found out Initially, we're standing on that platform From there to this point, this entire portion was covered Means, after earthquake it got covered Nobody knew what was beneath it Only upper portion of temple's..
..main entry gate was above ground Some researcher learnt about it So, excavation work started We're telling you about British Period Because it is between 1913-1923 After gaining independence, As ASI started looking after monuments, Similarly, these ruins are looked after.. ...by the ASI nowadays So, those tourists who go to Pahalgam via inner route They make a stopover here ..to see ruins and take pictures ..the way we stopped here The information that I shared with you.. Some things I'd researched before coming here.. Some things I learnt after coming here Let's do one thing now Let's go outside Across the road, where our car is parked There's one restaurant next to it We'll have our lunch From that point over there, let's also have a view of Jhelum river Having crossed the road, I've come to view the Jhelum river Look at it How beautiful the view is River is flowing in our front There's one place named "Verinag"... ..in district "Anantnag" Jhelum starts from that place Then, rivers & streams keep on ..merging with Jhelum We'd seen Jhelum in Srinagar also ..that further flows into Pakistan Lovely I'm feeling good Place where I'm standing right now Here, at this side, Adjoining this building, This building is basically.. ..a boundary wall to a restaurant ..by the name "Desire Inn"
We'll have our lunch here Come I've ordered "Kashmiri Pulao" for myself ..along with "Nadru Palak" Two days ago, I ate Nadru Yakhni ..that was prepared in curd So, today, I thought, for variety, let's try Nadru with some other combination "Nadru" means Lotus Stem This is the stem ..visible at the bottom It has different taste and flavor The combination Nadru & Curd had.. ..in that curd gravy That taste I found better This is average While eating it, let's taste Kashmiri Pulao as well Too much oil has been used in preparation It is all oil Cashew, almond, and raisin They're evidently noticable I liked the taste of Kashmiri Pulao Little sugar has been added in it It's also exuding "Kesar" flavour After finishing our lunch, We'll go towards Sangam called "Hallamulla" where there're lot of Kashmiri bat factories We'll visit that and thereon, we'd advance towards Pahalgam because our tonight's stay is in Pahalgam We're 45 kms far from Pahalgam now Kashmiri Bat which is famous .. ..comes from this area Hallamulla So many factories are here Woods you're seeing atop these shops ..which are being put out to dry Same wood is used to prepare..
"Kashmiri Bat" We've stopped our car to visit.. ..any one shop at random ..to see the Kashmiri Bat Weather has got too cold here Due to strong winds, We're feeling too cold We're inside Good Luck Unit Basically, we've got into a showroom We've brother Sameer with us Kashmiri Willow is famous Yes, sir So, tell us one thing How long has bat work been done here? Around 55 years For so many years Actually, this willow tree was planted.. before partition by Britishers That time we didn't know.. how would this tree be put to use? Willow trees are found in 2 places in world One is in England, 2nd is in Kashmir English willow & Kashmir willow English willow is lighter in weight while Kashmiri willow is relatively heavier If you want for long life use..
Kashmiri willow is better, because.. ..it's better stroke capacity But its weight needs a little adjustment Willow comes in varying qualities Though, we've willow of one type only Kashmiri Willow Willow is based on grades We do grading in such a way Suppose, out of 1000 pieces, 50 to 100 pieces will have grains in it That depends on wood quality This willow bearing grains.. It comes from middle part of the tree Tree should be 20-25 years old More grains mean better quality This way we measure the quality Its second main thing is..
..that's Bat's handle Handle is of two types One is wooden handle which we normally use for tennis ball Like when we play gully cricket for that tennis bat is used ..with normal handle 2nd type is of cane handle Bamboo ..which we call "Baans" It is also available in Andaman & Nicobar We need to get it from Singapore or Malaysia Do you import it from there? Yes, we do import it Or we pick it up from Jalandhar Means, in Cane handle I just mentioned, You get such flexibility It is shock absorber Your hand will feel no jerk or vibration This is the point worth noticing yes, it's worth noticing As we see in match, bowl comes at a speed of 100-150 kmph Batsman does this at that time ..to hit a six or a four At that time, we don't notice, As use the bat's handle, why there's no vibration in their hands Or, why handle isn't coming off It is due to this reason ..owing to its flexibility You mean to say, this cane handle, ..is used for professional game It's also used for hard tennis Are these both cane handles? Yes, both are cane handles Also show us the one in which.. ..wooden handle is used rather than cane handle That also I will show to you For comparison purpose We use willow for the reason that.. ..it remains soft When we compress it, It'll get compressed but..
..it'll regain its original shape The bat that gets compressed.. ..gives off a different sound Non-compressible will emit different sound Sticker is also pasted onto them Sticker has nothing to do with quality That mainly depends on willow & handle As per the weight.. Every bat weighs differently Weight is decided by the player So, what's its price? Its starting price is Rs. 1500/- Seasoned Bat As I told you, difference will of grains, As I compare these two bats, We'll see both these boards Grains will be straight in it ..locally called as "Resha" It will be sold first which can be used in proper matches I'll show its stroke to you It'll emit such kind of sound Now, we'll test the second one ..that is of second quality We can practise with it Though, we can't play regular match It's better for practice match It emits different sound Yes, its sound is different Sound will definitely vary Wood will also vary What is its price range? Its price is Rs. 3500/- Price range differs greatly When we're on our way, we saw there's is a lot of bat work here. At least, around 200 units are operational here Really ! Some makes 50 bats Some makes 100 bats We're into wholesale business 90% of our supply is to Maharashtra We make 500 bats per day 500 bats? Daily? 500 bats supplied across Maharashtra daily From there, it's also exported 500 bats; it's a big figure Factory is in 2 parts Are bats made in Punjab also? It's in Jalandhar, Punjab It is in Meerut also In Ludhiana also? Yes, but the willow tree..
..is found in 2 places That is mainly found here If someone asks you to courier it, Would you do it? We do have courier option as well And that is a better option Rs.100 per bat is courier charge ..anywhere across India That's a better option Rs.100 per bat is courier charge Generally, what is bat's starting price? These are professional bats General price for kids' perspective Kids' bat starts from Rs. 300/-
Which one? This.. Rs. 300/- Rs. 400/-
Rs. 600/- Rs. 800/- In tennis ball category, this is ..the best quality This one When we're coming to Hallamulla Sangam We noticed atop many shops, Bats were put to dry How long does this wood need to dry? We need to dry it for 1 year 1 year means.. We keep them upon our roofs for 6 months Then, next 6 months, we keep them under roof It will do natural seasoning As you just told it's made in Meerut And also in Jalandhar They've a seasoning plant over there The work we do in one year, they get same work done in 2 days They've seasoning plant by Government They season the bats over there We do have a seasoning plant there But, it's non-operational for 10 years No work is being done there If it gets restarted, what we call as cluster Very big problem of ours will be solved We need to keep wood in 5-10 days only It'll get dry there We don't have to wait for 1 year Moreover, you get snowfall here Yes, we do get snowfall We've warm weather for 3-4 months only Rest is cold Drying is a long process in itself Yes, it's too much lengthy We need to wait for 1 year for the same It's a big sticking point for us ..especially of seasoning plant Thank you so much From the place where we saw the bat we've hardly come 200 mtrs ahead while standing on one bridge I'm going to show you confluence of 2 rivers I myself will also see it See, Jhelum river from this side Look at the Jhelum river Are you getting the view? Jhelum is flowing down from upstream Jhelum flows past under this bridge Means, this bridge is over the Jhelum Called as "Hallamulla Sangam Point" Also, "Hallamulla Sangam Bridge" Now, we'll go across to other side To watch Jhelum's confluence with "Vishav Nallah" I've come across to this side of bridge I will make you show from here Here comes the Jhelum river And from over there, ..comes flowing "Vishav Nallah" Call it Nallah or River Nallah is because.. ..it's not proper river Streams that originate from mountains They join to form Nallah Their merging is happening here which we call as Hallamulla Sangam which become Jhelum here It further flows into Srinagar Very nice Well, I could have gone there I'd have seen the confluence closely I always like it ..watching two water bodies merge closely At moment, rain has started Our car is parked in front Let's walk up to our car Otherwise we'll get wet Looking at clouds in the sky, it seems.. rain would have a long spell We've come 4 kms ahead of Sangam point Suddenly, I've noticed, Road has got too broad It seems as if we're on 8-10 lanes highway So, I tell you the reason why it happened..
Around 2-3 years ago, The highway we're seeing right now, same highway was here Then a thought prevailed, Air connectivity in Kashmir at present.. ..is entirely via Srinagar Airport So, the plan B of that situation was.. Say, for some reason, if landing.. ..couldn't happen on Srinagar Airport So, this wide road was made Lengthwise; it's 4-5 kms long So that emergency landing.. .. could be done here in future Suddenly, I just observed this Then, I came to know about this fact So, I thought it to share with you Let's go towards Pahalgam from here If we go non-stop to Pahalgam It'll take us quarter of an hour to get there And it's already 6:10 PM Tell me one thing As we set off our journey at 8:30 AM From Srinagar to Pahalgam At 6:15 PM, we're 45 KMs far from Pahalgam In the last 3-4 years, how many tourists you met who..
..couldn't reach Pahalgam by evening Means, despite leaving at 8:30 AM, it's already 6:15 PM and... Pahalgam is still very far See, sir, we left Srinagar at 8:00 AM Maximum, it takes us 2-2.30 hours.. ..to reach Pahalgam Say, by 10:30-11:00 AM, we fully explore Pahalgam Thereon, we reserve sightseeing for 4 hours There you get two exploring options One is Mini Switzerland Whether you go to Aru Valley Sir, you've two options Both options will take 4 hours each Sightseeing gets completed in 4 hours By around 5:00-5:30 PM, we return to Srinagar But we left Srinagar in morning Nevertheless, we're yet to reach Pahalgam What are you talking about? Means, you touch Pahalgam by 11:00 AM Yes, sir, very easily How come? I wonder how it's possible Sir, it only takes around 3 hours only Why did it take us 10 hours? Still, we've not reached our destination Sir, because, we covered all main points Ok We don't show our tourists round.. the way you explored.. We just show them saffron fields, bat factories.. within few minutes You explored them all practically We don't show that way usually --Hearty Laughter-- Also, tourists also don't go to eat Sheermal Yes, sir, main is Sheermal ..which tourists usually don't have with us How much efforts we made for Sheermal..
In total 3-4 years, you don't have any.. ..such tourist No, sir Sir, this is my first experience We left at 8:00 AM in the morning It's almost 6:30 PM We've still not reached Pahalgam Pahalgam is still one and half hour far ..plus this traffic jam We don't know if it's going.. ..to take more than half an hour Really! Yes, sir Means, you made a new record for yourself You got that tourist, who.. ..took evening to reach That's why it's my first experience All my friends who're calling me.. to check, whether or not, I reached Pahalgam I told it'd take 2 more hours at least My friends are awaiting me in hotel for long They're asking me to come soon Oh My God ! They might be thinking what kind of tourists we're Well, I tell you one thing frankly As we travel from place to place, After 3-4 days, I ask my drivers, If we come again, Anywhere... Say, it might be Karnataka, Kerala, Or, it might be Chhattisgarh Everywhere I asked the same question Nobody ever replied to me with a smile ..that they'd go with me again Everyone said that they'd think over it --Hearty Laughter-- Would you like to answer the same query? Sir, I'm not that kind of driver In life, this is what I've learnt ..to exercise patience Those who've patience go a long way This is the main thing Person should have patience Person with patience gets success It's 7:45 PM To have tea, we stopped at..
Evergreen Restaurant The road leading to Pahalgam Along that main road lies this restaurant Look, how much crowded it is I've ordered fritters with tea for myself Earlier, I was thinking, By 6:00 PM, we'd easily reach Pahalgam Then, we'd have early dinner there See, at 7:45 PM, we're still here Onion & Gobhi fritters are more No potato fritter Nice Fritters are tasty let's drink hot tea with it We'll leave from here within 10-15 minutes We're 31 kms far from Pahalgam It'll take us 45-50 minutes to reach there It's 7:45 PM We'll reach at around 8:45 PM We've got too late Finally, we reached Pahalgam at 9:45 PM Now, I'm standing in Pahalgam market Look, no shop is open on both left & right side Entire market got closed Little bit market area is on this side also Means, 10-15 shops will be on this side 10-15 shops are on that side This is the main market here For dinner, I've come here to... "Dana Pani" restaurant By getting in, I've already asked them They're about to close the restaurant I came at the right time As soon as I came here, I told them to quickly get this item ready They told us to wash our hands We'll get your meal ready within 10 minutes So, I thought to show you.. ...all the outer view at night By that time, our food will get ready It's raining here If I stay here like this for next 5-10 minutes I'll completely get wet Weather is cold here As I reached Pahalgam, I checked its weather Temperature is 1* C at this moment It means at night, temperature may.. ..drop two-three notches further We're having 2 items in our dinner One is Kadai Paneer Along with it, we'll have Rajma It's full-on North Indian texture Ever since I came to Jammu-Kashmir Whenever Rajma is mentioned, I'm reminded of Bhaderwah Rajma That reminds me, I've not booked my return ticket yet If it's possible..
in lieu of going from Srinagar.. ..to Delhi by air I'll prefer going by road So that, we could eat.. Peerah's Rajma Chawal with ghee poured over it And get Bhaderwah Rajma packed for home I'm not sure, it all depends on.. how rest of our journey progresses If I get window of 2-3 days in between, then, I'll surely go by road We must admit, preparation is brilliant To be very frank, Such type of taste of Kadai Paneer.. ..to expect is Kashmir is difficult Because it's full-on Punjabi taste For example, in Delhi or Punjab side, You get authentic Punjabi food restaurants They provide such kind of taste Very tasty Rajma has nice taste overall Rajma more has homely taste It doesn't have restaurant like taste It's more homely in taste ..which is also good All in all, these food choices are very good Tomorrow, we'll explore Pahalgam We'll be here till about 2:00-2:30 PM Then, we'll return to Srinagar Through this journey so far, ..the best food items I'd eaten.. One was..
Aloo Prantha at Krishna in morning 2nd was Pindi Chana at Pushpa I'm talking about Srinagar Sheermal of today And, Kadai Paneer These are top four till now In the vegetarian category Right ! Tell me how this episode was As always, I'll await your comments We'll see you again soon till then, Thanks for your time !
2023-05-29 09:00
