SARPOSH - A Kashmiri Oasis in Bengaluru

An unusual restaurant, styled after a living room in a Kashmiri home, Sarposh presents a new style of dining as it explores a vast and nuanced regional cuisine. Sarposh introduces a different kind of restaurateur. Azmat Ali Mir, an engineer by training, left corporate life to take on the challenging role of showcasing a cuisine that is frequently misrepresented. Her interest lies in sourcing the best ingredients and presenting a menu that is embedded in the wider culture of Kashmir. Kaveri Ponnapa speaks with Azmat Ali Mir, who is slowly changing people’s perceptions of Kashmiri cuisine and through it, of Kashmir itself.

- Kaveri Ponnapa

What prompted you to set up Sarposh? Kashmir lies literally at the other end of the country from Bengaluru. Popular knowledge about it is superficial and people’s perceptions of the place are coloured by mainstream news which paints a picture that is far from encouraging. 

Kashmir is perceived through the binaries represented in popular perceptions of a paradise — or the other extreme. But there is an entire world in between, filled with ordinary people. I grew up during the peak of the militancy while there were complex events playing out around us. Food was a focal point of life. My grandmother would, on an impulse, fill a samovar with noon chai, pack some kebabs, pick up breads from the local bakers and take us on a picnic, despite the roadblocks and tensions around us. When I re-located to Bengaluru, I suddenly became aware that the nuances of my culture and food were inaccessible to other people. I realised that this change of location was permanent and I wanted to feel connected to where I came from. What began as a one-time culinary and cultural event for dislocated Kashmiris in Bengaluru went on to become a catering enterprise via a Cloud Kitchen. The challenge was that we were sourcing all our raw materials from Kashmir, which made it impossible to price the food competitively. Also, I very much wanted to present a complete dining experience that presented the cultural background to the food. So Sarposh was born.

You have chosen to present a menu drawn from the classic wazwan of Kashmir but like many localized culinary traditions, it suffers from misrepresentation. Please tell us a little about it.