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The Wazwan is Kashmir’s greatest culinary tradition. A ceremonial feast of 36 courses, prepared by specialist chefs called wazas who train for years under masters of the craft. It is served at weddings, at royal occasions, at moments of profound communal celebration. Hundreds of guests sit together on long floor cloths, eating from shared copper vessels called tramis. It is, by any measure, one of the most extraordinary food traditions on earth.

You are going to make it for yourself. On a Tuesday. Because you deserve it.

Before You Begin

Clear your schedule. Not just the afternoon — the day. Possibly the day before as well, for soaking and marinating. Tell no one what you are doing. This is between you and Kashmir.

Traditional Wazwan is cooked overnight in large copper pots over wood fires by a team of wazas. You will be working alone, in your kitchen, probably in socks. Adjust your expectations accordingly, but do not adjust your ambitions.

The 36 Courses

A traditional Wazwan proceeds as follows. Each dish is listed with brief preparation notes scaled for a single diner of serious commitment.

Course 1: Sheer Chai — Pink Kashmiri salt tea, made with green tea, milk, and baking soda. Sip slowly. You have 35 courses ahead of you.

Course 2: Lavasa — Thin Kashmiri flatbread. Buy it if you can find it. Make it if you cannot. It is bread. You will need it.

Course 3: Rista — Minced lamb meatballs in a deeply red, aromatic sauce built on Kashmiri chillies, fennel, and ginger. The mince must be pounded by hand until silky smooth. Yes, by hand. This is the Wazwan. There are no shortcuts, only 33 more courses.

Course 4: Rogan Josh — Braised lamb in a rich sauce of dried Kashmiri chillies, yogurt, and whole spices. Slow. Deeply fragrant. A dish the rest of the world knows, served here in its proper home.

Course 5: Methi Maaz — Offal cooked with fenugreek leaves. Specifically: the parts of the lamb that require courage. Proceed without judgment.

Course 6: Tabak Maaz — Ribs braised in milk and spices until tender, then shallow-fried until crisp. Two techniques. One dish. Eat with your hands.

Course 7: Daniwal Korma — A korma of lamb fragrant with fresh coriander. Gentle and aromatic. You may be starting to feel full. Push through.

Course 8: Aab Gosht — Lamb simmered gently in milk with whole spices until the sauce is pale, creamy, and quietly magnificent. Cardamom. Fennel. Nothing else needs to be said.

Course 9: Marchwangan Korma — The fiery one. Red as urgency. Lamb cooked with an abundance of whole Kashmiri chillies. Pause and assess your situation.

Course 10: Waza Palak — Spinach preparation from the waza’s hand. A moment of green. The Wazwan acknowledges that vegetables exist.

Courses 11 through 34 — Continue in this spirit. There will be more lamb. There will be more rice — long-grain, fragrant, steamed to precise perfection and mounded high. There will be Yakhni, a yogurt-based lamb curry of extraordinary subtlety. There will be Shami Kebab, pressed flat and pan-fried. There will be Seekh Kebab. There will be Haak, a simple Kashmiri greens dish that arrives like a small mercy between the meat courses. There will be mutton prepared in ways that have no direct translation. Eat all of it. You are a party of one and the waza — also you — has prepared everything.

Course 35: Zarda — Sweet saffron rice, coloured gold, studded with dried fruit and nuts. You are almost there.

Course 36: Gushtaba — The final and most prestigious course. Large, perfectly smooth meatballs made from pounded lamb, simmered in a yogurt gravy with whole spices. The Gushtaba signals the end of the feast. It is the closing statement. It is, by tradition, the dish that tells the guests: it is finished. You may go home.

You are already home. You have been home the whole time.

After the Feast

Lie down. Do not move. Drink the remaining Sheer Chai if you made extra. Reflect on what you have accomplished. You have, alone and in socks, honored one of the great culinary traditions of the Himalayan region. You have eaten 36 courses prepared by your own hand, consumed at your own table, in your own company.

The wazas train for years. You did it in a day. Treat yourself.