RESTAURANTS : KASHMIR: INDIAN DINERS’ DELIGHT

Kashmir International, a fine suburban restaurant specializing in tandoori dishes and fragrant, exotic breads, brings a distinctive blend of cultures and cuisines to the dining table. The kitchen staff is Punjabi, ethnic Sikhs from India’s Punjab state, but the owners, Abdul and Shahnaz Latif, are from Pakistan, and lived for many years around the Persian Gulf. They are a couple with tales to tell and traditions to uphold.

The restaurant’s name suggests Kashmiri cuisine, which is highlighted by the presence of colorful fruits and dried nuts in many dishes. However, the name turns out to be little more than window dressing. Pakistanis love Kashmir both for its extraordinary beauty and because it is, like Pakistan, a Muslim region. One suspects that this is why the Latifs chose the name. Perhaps they figured no one around here knew the difference. Luckily, that’s the only complaint I can find.

The restaurant is spare and simply decorated and the service has a very homey air. The food also has a homey quality; it is solid and hearty, much like the Mughlai cuisine of northwest India, offering richly spiced dishes with a good deal of meat. Thank the Sikhs in the kitchen for that. This cooking is not unlike the food of the Middle East and Central Asia, and is certainly distinct from the lighter fare found further to the south. There are whispers of Kashmir on this menu, but no more so than of any other northern region.

Roghan josh , essentially curried lamb cooked with ginger, garlic, coriander and a bouquet of other herbs, originated in Kashmir before becoming a standard on Indian menus; it is done superbly here. Also wonderful, when you can get it, is nargasi kofta , pounded and spiced meat balls concealing a whole, boiled egg. This dish came from the Arab world and is close in taste and spirit to gushtaba , today a Kashmiri favorite. Believe me, that is a spicy meatball.

Another specialty is shami kabob , a wonderful, patty-like appetizer prepared from minced beef, egg, ginger and Indian spices. Hindus don’t eat beef, so this dish is rarely found in Indian restaurants. Shami kabob, like nargasi kofta, is not available every day; it would be wise to special order these dishes when you make your reservations.

Muslim influence surfaces again with haleem lahori and shahi haleem . Haleem is cracked bulgur wheat with lentils, and the lahori is an herbed-meat preparation. Shahi haleem is the vegetarian variant that substitutes rice for the meat. The spice mixture is highly pungent and unusual, with a very aromatic finish; people tend to either love or hate it. Both dishes are extremely filling.

Mainstream Indian dishes are also well treated at Kashmir. Tandoori meats and breads are wonderful, especially lamb tikka , encrusted with coriander, and tandoori chargha , a whole spring chicken marinated in lemon juice and plunged whole into the tandoor. Breads, such as garlic naan and aloo paratha , a flat bread stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes and peas, then rubbed with butter, are especially satisfying.

The restaurant serves brunch daily; at $5.95 it is an excellent value. Here you can try a number of dishes-- biryani , a curried vegetable, tandoori chicken, raita (yogurt with cucumbers eaten with salad), lentils and a special dish such as roghan josh or chicken masala .

As an added treat, there is almost always kheer khas , a rice pudding condensed from boiled milk and rice, which is one of the most delicious things on the face of the earth. Mrs. Latif’s kheer is the best in Los Angeles. If you go for dinner, don’t leave without trying it.

Kashmir International, 80 N. Fair Oaks, Pasadena. (818) 405-9060. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Diners Club. Beer and wine. Some validated parking. Dinner for two (food only) $25-$40.