SrinagarGood evening.
The Wazwan — Kashmir's royal feast
Wazwan Way · The Royal Feast

The Wazwan.

Thirty-six courses, one copper trami — the feast Kashmir is named for.

Begin the feast
Need help?

Waza is here.

A concierge that has eaten everywhere and slept nowhere — ask it anything about Kashmir.

Wazwan

Dhaniwal Korma

Daniwal Korma is a refined Wazwan meat course made with mutton, yogurt, spices, and coriander. It is gentler than the fiercer red gravies and brings freshness through its coriander finish.

Non-vegMediumINR 420-7804.3 / 5 popularity★ Traditional Wazwan Course

Waza AI Culinary Authority Scores

Authenticity4.7/5
Tourist Friendliness3.5/5
Luxury & Comfort4.5/5
Dhaniwal Korma
History

Dhaniwal Korma in Kashmiri tradition

Daniwal Korma represents the refined, aromatic side of Kashmiri meat preparations, offering a gentler counterpoint to the fiery red gravies of the feast. The extensive use of fresh coriander (daniwal) and yogurt creates a light, fragrant curry that historical texts and oral traditions identify as one of the essential seven courses of a classic Wazwan. Its evolution showcases the influence of milder, herb-forward Central Asian cooking styles, beautifully adapted by local chefs to create a dish that is both rich and surprisingly refreshing.

Tourist Tip

Try this if you want something fragrant and balanced rather than fiery. It pairs especially well with rice in the middle of a larger Wazwan meal.

Where To Try It

Restaurants serving Dhaniwal Korma

The Recipe

How to make Dhaniwal Korma(Daniwal Korma)

Daniwal is Kashmiri for coriander, and this korma is a pale, yogurt-based braise finished under a green drift of the fresh herb. Against the reds of the Wazwan it reads almost restrained — cardamom, clove and black pepper over slow-cooked mutton, with no chilli at all in the classic rendering.

Prep 23 minCook 68 minServes 4–6ModerateKashmiri Muslim
Ingredients
  • ·1 kg mutton on the bone, medium pieces
  • ·300 g plain whole-milk yogurt, churned smooth
  • ·60 ml mustard oil or ghee
  • ·2 tbsp praan (shallot) paste, fried and ground (or 2 fried and ground regular shallots)
  • ·1 tsp garlic paste
  • ·5 green cardamom pods, crushed
  • ·1 black cardamom pod
  • ·4 cloves
  • ·1 small stick cinnamon
  • ·1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • ·1 tsp dry ginger powder (sonth)
  • ·1 tsp fennel (saunf) powder
  • ·1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ·1/4 tsp turmeric (optional — see flags)
  • ·100 g fresh coriander, washed and chopped, divided into two-thirds and one-third
  • ·1 tsp ground coriander seed
  • ·Salt to taste (about 2 tsp)
  • ·300–400 ml hot water or light mutton stock

Waza Tips

  • Add the coriander twice — cooked into the braise for depth, then raw at the end for fragrance; one addition alone gives half the dish.
  • Churn the yogurt completely smooth and add it off the boil; a grainy daniwal korma is a failed one.
  • Black pepper goes in at the end so its aroma stays lively.
  • Keep the gravy pale — if it is turning brown, your heat is too high or your onions too dark.
Method
  1. 1

    Heat the oil or ghee in a heavy pot; add cumin, cloves, both cardamoms and cinnamon and let them sizzle.

  2. 2

    Add the mutton with salt and sear over medium heat until its moisture dries and the pieces are lightly golden (10–12 minutes).

  3. 3

    Stir in the garlic paste, praan paste, ground coriander, sonth, fennel powder and turmeric if using; fry for two minutes.

  4. 4

    Take the pot briefly off the heat and stir in the churned yogurt gradually, stirring constantly in one direction, then return to a low flame and keep stirring until it comes to a gentle boil without splitting and the oil begins to show.

  5. 5

    Add the hot water or stock and two-thirds of the chopped coriander. Cover and simmer gently until the meat is tender (40–50 minutes).

  6. 6

    Uncover, reduce to a light gravy that coats the meat loosely, and stir in the black pepper.

  7. 7

    Scatter the remaining fresh coriander over, cover for two minutes off the heat so it wilts into the gravy, and serve.

Common Mistakes
  • ×Splitting the yogurt by adding it cold to a hot pot or boiling it hard before it has emulsified.
  • ×Adding red chilli, which erases the dish's deliberate contrast role in the feast.
  • ×Using dried coriander leaf — the dish depends on fresh herb in quantity.
  • ×Browning the base too far and ending with a dull, khaki gravy instead of a pale one.
At Home

This is among the easiest Wazwan dishes to reproduce at home: every ingredient is supermarket-standard once shallots stand in for praan. A pressure cooker works after the yogurt has been stabilised (3 whistles, then reduce). Chicken versions exist and cook in half the time, though mutton is traditional.

Serving

Served over rice in the Wazwan's middle courses as the mild, green-flecked counterweight to Marchwangan Korma. At home it pairs well with plain rice and a sharp mooli (radish) chutney.