25 June

I feel if you are a person who loves nature and verdant greenery then May- June is the perfect time to travel to Kashmir. This is the period between Spring (March to early May) and Summer (early May to late August). If you are doing the regular places like Gulmarg, Sonmarg etc, then even April - May is good. But if you are doing the northern circuits like Gurez, Bangus and Lolab valley then mid May to first week of June is perfect. Since these are at higher elevation so by this time the snow especially around the passes starts to melt, there are occasional showers which enhances the greenery of the valleys, flowers bloom along the way and the weather is a mix of temperate during the day and cold during the night. So you get to experience the best of both temperatures. From June onwards the actually summer starts so it becomes quite warm in all of these areas. 

We travelled between 21st May and 28th May. Srinagar had the warmest temperature conditions at this time while Gurez and Bangus had the coldest. I am mentioning the range of temperatures we got at each of these locations:

• Srinagar ( 18 - 25 degrees)
• Gurez ( 3 - 10 degrees with rain)
• Reshawari Bangus ( 4 - 20 degrees)
• Chandigam Lolab ( 10 - 30 degrees)

Check the temperature predictions

So first thing before you pack, make sure to check on google the temperature you are going to get in the areas you are travelling. If it is very remote you might not find the temperature of the exact place but try to look up for nearby areas temperature, it should be nearly on the same lines.

Warm Clothes

If you are not sure about the night temperature then I would recommend as a backup pack some good woolens and an umbrella. Its better to be a little over prepared (especially if you are travelling with old people and kids) than unprepared. If it rains the temperature plummets easily in the mountains. Also, you might not easily get quality warm clothes stores in the remote villages where you can purchase them on the fly. So just carry some extra warm clothes with you. Also instead of carry big heavy woolens which takes lot of space and adds to the weight, focus on layering. Like take a thermal, a light sweater, shawls, scarfs. Layering helps you keep warm better than one single piece of heavy clothing. Plus if the weather starts to get warm you can just shed some of the layers instead of the complete warm clothing. 

Regular Clothes

The clothes you should carry to any place should align to the culture and tradition of that region. You should take a note that in any religious shrines or dargahs in Srinagar, ladies you need to wear clothes that cover your hand and feet and a head scarf or dupatta to cover your head. So you can take any kurta or dress which has long sleeves and carry a scarf or dupatta to cover your head. If you are not planning to visit any religious places then normal clothes like jeans, tee-shirts, tops, kurti would be okay. You can also opt for dresses which are not too revealing. While I did not see any issues with any kind of dressing here, but make sure to dress appropriately to not stand out in the crowd for wrong reasons. 

For men, the usual clothes works. 

Raingear/ Sun shade

Always carry umbrella during this kind of transition weather (Spring to summer). There is a good chance of rains in the high altitude and weather changes anytime. If the prediction shoes heavy rain or continuous rain then carrying a raincoat/ waterproof jackets is also recommended.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a must. The sun is very harsh during the when you go to mountains in the summers. You might not realize then but once you are back home you will realize how much sunburnt you got. Plus you will be doing lot of sightseeing and activities like hiking or trekking so there will be considerable amount of sun exposure. Carry a good sunscreen with you and use it everyday even if it is cloudy. 

Footwear

Good walking shoes are very essential. I usually carry 3 pairs of shoes - 

• Closed shoes - sneakers or any kind of sports shoes
• Semi formal shoes - these go well with any Indian dress or kurtas as well as jeans when you dont want to wear sports shoes
• Home slippers - I definitely carry these if I know I wont be staying in business hotels or 4 stars. (Though in Kashmir even in the govt guest houses we were provided with one pair of bathroom slippers)

Bedsheet/ Pillow covers

Post covid this has become a mandatory thing for us. Even if we are travelling to good hotels, we carry either single queen bed sheet or 2 single bed sheets and 1 pillow cover per individual. If you are going to stay in government guest houses this is a must. Pillow cover because your face touches the pillow and bedsheet mainly to cover the underneath of the blankets. Even though the bedsheets and pillow covers are washed after every checkout, the blankets are something which are hardly washed. So it is more hygienic if you cover the upper edges of the blanket with a bedsheet so that the part that touches your face is covered. 

Travel Towel

I carry a very thin and small travel towel (gamcha) which gets dried in half and hour (max.) and takes up as little space as a hanky. Whenever you are not sure about the towel you get this is a handy option.

Toiletries

A small body wash or facewash which can double up as body wash. This also comes more handy than regular soap after your morning washroom routine. Shampoo sachets are good options for your hair. Keep those Rs.1 sachets which are good for single use. Apart from this a travel toothbrush and toothpaste is a must. I prefer using my own toothbrush no matter what. If you want to carry some body or hair oil then you can get the travel size almond oil bottle. I carried a small bottle of hair serum instead of oil. And finally keep a good moisturizer handy. Your hands are feet are bound to get dry in the cold.

Snacks and munchies

Carry some chocolates, snacks. This is not specific to Kashmir but whenever you are visiting some remote villages its good to have some snacks and chocolates with you. Before starting from Srinagar, buy some biscuits, namkeen, chips and chocolates. At this moment this particular circuit mainly has government tourist guest houses ( apart from Gurez) . When they serve you tea, it wont come with any biscuits or snacks. So its a good idea to carry some yourself. Also, you wont find many restaurants on the way to sightseeing points in this circuit,  it will help satiate any between the meals hunger pangs. When in Gurez or any of the villages around, you might happen to come across village kids. I have seen the kids feel very happy if you give them some chocolates or snacks. So keep some with you during the trip.

Medicines/ First aid

Since medicine shops and hospitals/ medical facilities are very limited in these remote places, it is always a good idea to medicines with you, especially if you have senior citizen or kids with you. Some of the medicines I usually carry

• Anti Vomiting ( Ondem)
• Stomach upsets (O2, ORS, metrogyl etc.)
• Gas/ Acidity (Pan 40, Omee, Histac, Roasted ajwain etc)
• Fever (Calpol/ Paracetamol)
• Headache/ Body ache (Dispirin)
• Vitamin B (Becosule)
• Allergy (Cetrizine)
• Cough drops (honitus)
• Band aid
• Prescription medicine

Sanitizer & Masks

I find the tiny miniso sanitizer bottle with a clasp to hang on your side bags very useful for travel. They are super handy and you can refill them as needed.

The mandatory mask policy ( as of June 2022) is still in place at the airports so make sure you are carrying masks.

Electronics

Keep in mind that most of the places in Kashmir faces electricity issues. The power would be there for some part of the day while rest of the time the hotel would give backup for limited time or emergency lights etc. This issue is worse in the Reshwari and Chandigam guest houses. They either have a very limited backup (1-2 hours which is usually turned on during dinner time) or no backup at all. So if you are planning on carrying tablets, phones and a lot of electronics I would suggest you don't. Only carry things which are essential. Also carry powerbanks if you feel you need additional backup. If you are using nebuliser or any specific electronic device then make sure to check with your hotels/guest houses for the provision of backup. Also the charging points are very limited in the guest houses. So just do the math, limited power backup at night + limited charging points, you can easily figure out how you need to manage.

For cameras, carry extra battery and memory card if possible. Additional memory carry would eliminate the need to transfer data using your laptop. All the plug points are Indian ones so carry necessary adapters with you for camera and phone chargers. Carry some rainproof bags for you camera and phone.

SIM Card

Pre paid sim cards don't work in Kashmir. So if you are travelling from any other place to Kashmir, keep this in mind that either you need a post paid sim card or a local sim card once you are in Kashmir. in Srinagar any post paid card would work. But if you are planning for Gurez  circuit then be sure to have a JIO post paid card or a BSNL post paid card. None of the other networks like idea would work there. Jio pre on post cards also work. I was having both idea and jio post paid cards. Once in Gurez only the Jio had signal because right in the middle of the village there is a JIO tower, so the reception is pretty good. 

Worst case if you don't happen to have any local or post paid cards , the locals at the hotels sometimes help you with their own phones. But still that is not a very good option to rely on, as you also wont have any access to internet if you dont have a working sim card. 

Documents

If you are an Indian, its best to carry Aadhar card as a document proof. Throughout Kashmir where ever you go this is required. Especially when you travel to the border areas like Gurez, at every check point you need to furnish your ID. If you are a foreigner, Passport would be sufficient. Since we travelled in May 2022, the covid norms were quite relaxed. We didn't get asked for any RTPCR test report. However keep the double vaccination certificate handy for airports. While paperless formats for all tickets and hotel bookings work, it is good to have hardcopies of a couple of double vaccination reports. 

Additional Bag

Though we are not heavy shoppers but it is always a good idea to have an additional foldable carry on bag with you just in case you need additional space.

Luggage Straps/ Belts

This is one of the most recommended items for any traveler. I have been using this for past decade and it makes my life so much easier to track down my suitcase on the conveyor belt or anywhere for that matter. Now a days most of the suitcases look alike and it gets difficult to figure out your luggage in the airport, or someone else might even pick up your bag thinking its theirs. To avoid all these hassles just tie a luggage strap around your suitcase or bags and choose one which is very colorful (rainbow color or neon color) which can be located form a distance. These are very useful for old people who are travelling alone. They can easily locate their bags. Its a one time investment so get a good quality one. And they are washable too. Product links given below.

Other Blogs in the Kashmir Series:

1. Is Kashmir safe for Travel ? Is Kashmir safe for women or non Hindu travelers?

The comprehensive list:

SIM Card ( as of May 2022)

• Post paid or local sim card
• JIO or BSNL post paid sim card if you are visiting Gurez

Documents -

• Aadhar card (Indian Nationals) / Passport (foreign Nationals)
• Double Vaccination Report (softcopy/ hardcopy)
• Hotel bookings / Hotel numbers
• Flight Tickets
• Car bookings (if applicable)
• Tour agent numbers ( if applicable)
• SOS numbers 

Clothes -

• Light summer tee shirts/ tops/ blouses
• Jeans / Jeggings/ Leggings
• Kurta/ kurti/ dress
• Dupatta
• Underwear
• Sleep wear
• Thermal
• Shawls
• Jacket
• Light sweater
• Scarf
• Woolen cap
• Socks
• Warm Pajamas

Toiletries -

• Sunscreen
• Moisturizer
• Aloe vera (for sun burn/ general)
• Shampoo Sachet
• Body wash / facewash
• Sanitary needs
• Tooth brush
• Tooth paste
• Combs
• Makeup (as needed)
• Hair oil / hair serum

Medical -

• Sanitizer
• Masks
• Tissue paper
• Prescription medicines 
• SOS Medicines (list given above)
• Spare Prescription glasses & cleaning cloth
• Spare Contact lenses

Edibles -

• Biscuits
• Small packaged cakes/ pastries
• Snacks/ chips
• Non alcoholic drinks (druk green apple juice)
• Toffee/ Chocolate
• Local seasonal fruits (cherry etc.)

Shoes

• Sports shoes / waterproof shoes
• Walking shoes / flats
• Semi formal shoes
• Bathroom slippers
• Formal shoes (if needed)

Gadgets/ Electronics

• Phone
• Camera
• Charger
• Additional camera battery
• Power banks
• Memory cards
• Mini tripods
• Camera remote

Rain/ Sun gear

• Umbrella/ raincoat 
• Sunglass

Others

• Bedsheet
• Pillow covers
• Travel Towel
• Foldable bag
• Luggage Straps/ belts
• Luggage tags

Product links for some of the very useful products I used during this trip

1. Luggage belts/straps : shorturl.at/cmsDU
2. BIOTIQUE Bio Sandalwood Sunscreen Lotion - SPF 50 PA+ - shorturl.at/fuLW0
3. Wildcraft 40 L Duffle bag - shorturl.at/knC24
4. Mini Tripod for mobile : https://amzn.to/3OmTSyJ 
5. Lavie Pitaraa Women's Backpack (spacious and light) - https://amzn.to/3HQErwx

1. Is Kashmir safe for travelers?
2. What to pack for Kashmir in May -June ( for Gurez- bangus - Lolab circuit)
3. Kashmir Diaries - Day 1 : Pune to Srinagar | Nishat Bagh
4. Kashmir Diaries -Day 2: Srinagar to Gurez| Razdan Pass | Krishnaganga 
5. Kashmir Dairies - Day 3 : Walking around Gurez Village
6. My Top Favorite Foods From Kashmir - Part 1
7. My Favorite Food from Kashmir - Part 2 (Second Trip To Kashmir - October)

Krishnaganga, Gurez Valley

19 June

Once again hello everyone. 

Reading the title if you have started wondering whether this is going to be a political opinion post then you are wrong. As I mentioned in my last blog, last month I travelled to the valley of Kashmir. And just like after every travel, I was about to pen down my experience. But then I thought, when I was thinking of making plans to visit Kashmir, the very first question that came to my mind was - Is it a safe place for travel? That's why let me begin this trip diary trying to address this question itself.

In one word the answer is YES. And that's a yes in bold letters. And I will explain the rationale behind this. In fact Kashmir is the safest place in the whole of India for female travelers ( any age).  I have travelled extensively across India and outside India. So when I say it is safest, you can try to believe me. I never felt this safe travelling on remote roads, spending night in a deserted tourist hut without any power and walking down to locals homes without even giving a second thought. I stay in Pune which is relatively a safe place for women but still I would say Kashmir is where even a solo woman traveler would not feel any scare, even if she is walking down a forest road at sundown.

I usually plan all my trips by myself - starting from hotel to vehicle to food to sightseeing - everything is meticulously planned months ahead and I keep an excel sheet handy with all the necessary information. Planning a trip yourself might be a lot of hassle but I feel it gives me a lot of flexibility in terms of what I want to do on a trip. Plus getting a package trip from any operator doesn't feel like a good deal to me because it offers limited customizations. When I started planning for Kashmir initially I thought I will go to the standard tourist destinations - Pahalgam- Betaab Valley, Sonmarg, Gulmarg etc. But then the more I started reading about these places and the travel details from fellow travelers I noticed a couple of things - 

• they are usually overcrowded 
• you need to take pony ride to reach the sightseeing points 
• highly overpriced 
• touts make your life horrible. 

Considering all of these points I was almost about to drop my travel plans for Kashmir. But then fortunately I came across a post on FB which was taking about some remote places of Kashmir and they looked absolutely stunning. After some intense research on the places I decided to go for it. But since these were a little remote places and this was my first time in the valley which is often touted by the media as the hotbed of various unrests and violence - I thought it was safe to go for a tour operator who would know the pulse of the place better than a tourist like me visiting for the first time. And if in the worst scenario any issue happens at least there will be some accountability on the part of the operator to get us back to safety.

Interesting to note is that my travel to the valley was scheduled a few days after the release of  The Kashmir Files, a film on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the 1990s which took the country by storm. The very natural thought lingering on my mind was, even though I have heard the valley is safe, considering the current situation and the news of violence that I was reading everyday in the newspaper, should I postpone or cancel my trip. My thoughts were further fueled by the fact that I was going to travel with my senior citizen mom and it would be just the two of us on this trip. Heaven forbid if some unrest happens how would I cope with it in an unknown land?

I think by now you can resonate to some of my concerns. And apart from all this the most sensitive question was, post Kashmir files, as a non muslim, will I be welcomed or resented? My mother was very concerned about this. Which is very obvious because she keeps reading these news pieces which always magnified what was happening in the valley. But I decided that since I have put in so much money into this trip, lets just make it happen and be positive. 

I kept telling me All is well , All is well until we reached Srinagar. There were a few minor hiccups like flight delays which kind of made me anxious (superstitious - at the start of trip things going wrong!) but I decided to hang in their with my positive beliefs a bit longer. 

We landed in Srinagar and the first thing that mesmerized us was the beauty of the land. I have earlier mentioned that my first look of the Shillong airport ( Meghalaya trip) took my breath away with the beauty. The same happened in Srinagar. The moment we left the airport premises natural beauty literally engulfed us. Our driverji - Khursheed Bhai was a soft spoken helpful gentleman and that calmed down my anxious nerves a bit. At least I did not feel threatened by the man on the wheels. The second interesting thing in Kashmir is that every place is very meticulously monitored by the army and the police. It was normal to see army men walking down the road in military trucks holding guns. Srinagar especially has a lot of surveillance for obvious reasons. But once you go to the border areas you will find army check posts at regular intervals and patrolling vehicles on the road. You need to submit all your details at every checkpoint and they keep a close monitor on who is entering and exiting, how many ladies are there, what is the purpose of visit, where are you coming from and your aadhar details. Hence even if you wish you can not be unsafe, they will track you down if you get into any kind of trouble anywhere. 

I don't know why , I was partially expecting to see some reactions/signs of post Kashmir Files impact in Srinagar. But the city didn't have any traces of any unrest. It was a normal day like any other city where everyone was going about their business. If it was not for the beautiful Shikaras lined along the boulevard or the towering Nanga Parbat mountains, you would feel that this is just another city in India. There was no trace of any tension anywhere. 

Gurez Village

Once we travelled out of Srinagar towards Gurez which was the most remote place on our list, we got to know how the real Kashmir is. And it was poles opposite to what the media makes you believe. Unlike what we believe that Hindus are not welcome here, let me tell you most of the locals are not at all bothered about your religion. There was only one occasion where a local asked us whether we were Muslim. when we said no, she simply said okay, koi baat nahi. No reaction or further questions post that on our religion. It was as normal as my mother tongue is Bengali while theirs's is Kashmiri. Some of the locals also told us, that all these stories are made up by the politicians for vested interests, the people here live harmoniously with all religions and there is no distinguishing. We found this to be very true. There was no religious bigotism. If I go to any other place in any other city in any Muslim specific area, I would feel that I am standing out. But here I never for once felt that I am travelling in a completely Muslim dominated state. People were more than welcoming. We got invited to local's homes on multiple occasions. The ladies here were especially friendly with us and shared so much about their life over chai sessions. Sitting with the locals in their homes didn't feel weird even for a second.

Now coming to dressing in Kashmir when you are travelling. Surprisingly, this is the only place in India where I didn't get stared or ogled by any random guy even if I was in a decent jeans and tee. This was surprising because ladies in kashmir after a certain age always wear burkas in some form or pherans and cover their head. So being in jeans and tee ideally should attract eyeballs but that didn't happen. I felt that as long as you are wearing decent clothes it doesn't matter if you go around in jeans or a dress. Yes there are places like dargah's where you need to follow a certain dress code. But apart from that you would not feel uncomfortable in any attire if you walk around the city or even in the villages. 

We went to areas from where you could see the India Pakistan border. There was a place named Sheikpura ahead of Gurez where there was only a couple of government places to stay. We could see how he people of these remote villages liked to see visitors. they felt good when travelers form around the world would visit them.  The caretaker told us before covid there was a lady solo traveler who stayed in that place for a couple of night all by herself. This further emphasized the fact that there is a lot of solo lady travelers who are venturing out in even remote locations across this valley without any fear. 

Chandigam, Lolab Valley

Let me talk about a few more things to give you an idea about how critical a women's safety is considered here. We stayed in a tourist hut in a place called Reshwari. Electricity is a major problem in Kashmir and more so in the remote areas. It comes for only some stipulated hours and rest of the times either things run on backup or you remain in the dark. This was a big govt. guest house but the infrastructure was pretty poor and they did not have any backup. So post 7 PM when it was pitch dark and only one emergency light at our disposal, my mom was getting a little jittery. The additional point was that we were the only two boarders that day in the entire premise apart from the caretaker and our driverji. But since the caretaker was an ex-armyman I was not much scared. Plus I thought that since it was a government hut, obviously even the officials knew we were coming. But later in the night when we asked the caretaker why there was no other boarders he said, there is a group of campers but they were not allowed inside the premise today. the reason is that there is a rule for that property set up the SP- if there is only female boarders any day they do not allow any other male boarders in the premise that particular day to ensure safety. Even if it means loss of revenue. We were surprised to note that. Also, there is a forest guest house almost adjacent to this place. So earlier in the evening, the forest guest house officials had come to this tourist hut and we happened to talk to some of them. One of the official gave his phone number to us and said if there is any need anytime we can give him a call. And after this he gave us a call in the night to check if we are okay and then till the time we were in Kashmir everyday he checked on us whether we were doing alright. That is the kind of hospitality you would see in real Kashmir. I say real Kashmir which means when you are travelling to all these rural remote places. The people in Srinagar, we found were more commercialized in their approaches and the human touch was slightly missing. Since there is so much tourist influx they behave just like you would see in normal tourist places. I am not sure how it is in the other popular tourist destinations like Pahalgam, Gulamarg but all the places we went to like Gurez, Bangus and Lolab valley we found the people with soul as beautiful as the place itself.

We also met a solo woman traveler Maria in our next destination which was Chandigam. She has been doing solo trips in the Valley for past 4 years and she spoke about how amazing her experience has been. In fact we resonated the same views about how safe the whole valley is especially when you go remote. She accounted many of her travel stories in which she got assisted by the village folks or tourist polices whenever she needed any help. We agreed that the people of Kashmir were more beautiful inside out than the land itself and no where else in India did we experience this kind of heartfelt hospitality.

So you see things are very different when you actually are in Kashmir. It is different and refreshingly good compared to some other big cities. They might not have advanced infrastructure, high rises, state of art transport, fancy malls etc. But the people here carry a lot of love and respect for you as an individual and more as a women. Even if they are in burkhas, the women here are quite empowered and educated. And this reflects well on their overall society and the way they behave towards women. Interestingly every time I told anyone in the villages that I am from Pune, they actually knew Pune is part of Maharashtra and near to Mumbai.  Even housewives who have not stepped out of their villages in the entire life, knew where Pune was! This is how well read the people of the valley are. 

When travelling to remote Kashmir I would recommend to interact with the locals and villagers as much as you can. Apart form getting to know their culture and life up close, you will end up making so many connections who will ensure you are safe while you are there in their place. I will be writing in more details about my overall experience of the valley in my upcoming tour diary. But just as a signing off note I want to say that this place is rightly called as the Jannat on earth ( paradise on earth) and you can definitely visit this place without any fear in your heart. 

Other blogs in the Kashmir series:

1. Is Kashmir safe for travelers?
2. What to pack for Kashmir in May -June ( for Gurez- bangus - Lolab circuit)
3. Kashmir Diaries - Day 1 : Pune to Srinagar | Nishat Bagh
4. Kashmir Diaries -Day 2: Srinagar to Gurez| Razdan Pass | Krishnaganga 
5. Kashmir Dairies - Day 3 : Walking around Gurez Village
6. My Top Favorite Foods From Kashmir - Part 1
7. My Favorite Food from Kashmir - Part 2 (Second Trip To Kashmir - October)

18 June

Its been such a long long gap since I posted. So much has happened in the last couple of months. Work has increased by almost ten folds, I have started going to office a couple of days a week, travelling for various customer visits across India has again resumed and in the middle of all this I even took a week long break for summer vacation. So basically I am back to my old routine in the pre covid times and life has again become hectic. Even if cooking is a love affair to me, but I think given a choice I love travelling more any day. Thus once a trip ends I start looking for the next destination almost immediately. And very naturally Instagram, or blogging has taken a hit. After a long week now I don't feel like burning my midnight oil scrolling food posts on Instagram. Rather keeping up late to watch and read about places I want to visit seems more interesting. 

So my travel last month was to very remote and offbeat places of Kashmir. I hope that I can start penning down that travelogue soon. This was my first time in Kashmir and I simply fell in love with the place. No wonder it is known as the Jannat on earth. I found the cuisine of Kashmir quite interesting. Since we were travelling remote, I got to taste some authentic local cuisine ( not part of wazwan ) which Kashmiris have as their regular food. I kind of collected all the recipes from the chefs and cooks we met at various guest houses where we stayed. And these were not just recipes but there was a lot of stories accompanying them. I am raring to try them out and write more about these foods slowly on my blog.

But for now I thought of sharing a quick and easy recipe from the Kitchens of Bengal or Bangladesh. I have written about different bhorta recipes in my blog earlier also. You can check them out in the recipe list. Bhorta is basically any kind of a vegetable mash. But it can be non vegetarian also or a combo of both. The one that I made today was with kochu or taro. 

I had to do a impromptu travel to Hyderabad for 2 days which left me completely drained today. I didn't feel like making anything special even if it was a Saturday. A homely warm meal was all that the heart craved for and some good long sleep. So made this really quick taro mash and paired it with steamed rice and a light radhuni foroner mushur daal with raw papaya.

Check out the other bhorta recipes on my blog:

1. Dim Aloor Bhorta
2. Narkol Chingri Bhorta
3. Macher Bhorta

Ingredients for garnish:

• Mustard Oil - 1 tsp

Equipment:

• Pressure Cooker
• Mixing bowl

Procedure: 

1.  Wash the kochu thoroughly to remove any dirt on the surface. 

Tip : The dirt clings to the skin to you can keep it immersed in water for sometime to loosen them and then gently scrub them off using your fingers.

2. Transfer the washed kochu to a pressure cooker filled with 2 cups of water. Steam it for 2 whistles or as needed. Drain the water. 

3. The kochu needs to be peeled while they are still hot/warm. If its too hot to hold dip the boiled kochu in some water and then peel off the skin. 

4. Take mustard oil in a kadai and heat it. Once the oil is hot add the peeled garlic pods and fry till golden. keep aside.

5. In the same oil fry the dry red chilli, keep aside.

6. Now fry the sliced onion with a pinch of salt. Keep aside.

7. Now break the red chilli with your finders. In a mixing bowl take the boiled kochu, fried garlic, onion, red chilli and the oil left in the kadai. Add salt, chopped green chili, grated fresh coconut and mustard powder. Using your fingers mash everything nicely and mix together. 

8. Add some more mustard oil before serving.

Best served hot with steamed rice and daal.