Dinner at Saffron House.

Hand-minced lamb, rose petal and a spice blend kept in the family for four generations. Melts on the tongue. Served on a saffron ulte tawa paratha.

Mud crab from Pulicat, tossed with crushed black pepper, curry leaf and roasted kalpasi. Best eaten with the hands.

Charred in the tandoor. Hung-curd and aged cheddar marinade, toasted almond, a dusting of chaat masala.

Lotus stem from the Dal Lake in a crisp rice-flour batter. Walnut chutney, fresh mint.

Seer fish rubbed with kokum and Byadgi chilli, crusted in semolina, crisped in coconut oil. Lime on the side.

Fermented rice and lentil dumplings. Crisp at the edge, soft at the heart. Tomato thokku, coconut chutney.

Lamb shank slow-cooked for twelve hours. Bone-marrow jus, fried shallot, a thread of fresh ginger.

Kid goat braised in Kashmiri chilli and ratan jot. Deep red, gently warm, finished with fennel and dry ginger.

Tiger prawns in a coconut and teppal masala, soured with kokum. Served with hand-pounded red rice.

Wild morels from the Himalayan foothills, aged basmati, saffron and ghee. Cooked dum under a sealed lid.

House-pressed paneer in a slow-reduced tomato and cashew gravy. Finished with cream and kasuri methi.

Country chicken in a masala of twenty-one roasted spices, ground on stone. Star anise, marathi mogga, curry leaf.

Baby aubergines stuffed with roasted peanut, coconut and goda masala. Braised until they give at a touch.

Lamb and aged basmati layered with saffron, rose and kewra. Sealed in dough and slow-cooked in its own steam.

Saffron and milk flatbread, faintly sweet, baked against the wall of the tandoor.

Leavened overnight. Brushed with brown butter, scattered with nigella seed.

Lace-edged rice and coconut hoppers, fermented overnight. Soft and pillowed at the centre.

The Srinagar baker’s morning bread. Finger-dimpled, sesame-topped, from the wood-fired oven.

Milk reduced for six hours. Kashmiri saffron, slivered pistachio. Set in clay.

Baked cheesecake on a khoya crumb. Warm gulab jamun, rose syrup, a little gold leaf.

Savoiardi soaked in Kumbakonam degree coffee. Mascarpone, palm jaggery. A Madras morning, reconsidered.

Ground rice set with cardamom and rose. Walnut praline, dried apricot.

Tart kokum sorbet, coconut cream snow, toasted cashew. Bright and clean.

Single-barrel bourbon rested on Pampore saffron. Jaggery syrup, orange bitters. Stirred over one clear cube.

Kokum shrub, prosecco, soda and a twist of lime. Tart, bright, coastal.

Gin, curry-leaf cordial, a drop of black-pepper tincture, fresh lime. Served up.

Aged rum, rose, green cardamom and lemon under a soft aquafaba foam.

Cashew feni, tamarind, palm jaggery and lime. Short and sharp.

Cold-brewed Kashmiri kahwa, green cardamom, almond and tonic. Alcohol-free.

Charred raw mango, roasted cumin, black salt and soda. Alcohol-free.