Prateek Tanmay
4 min readPuneJun 19, 2026 10:16 PM IST
Written by Vishakha Toshniwal and Ananya Shetty
A cup of Kahwa, a plate of rich Rogan Josh, and fresh breads baked in a traditional tandoor – these are exactly what most diners expect when they walk into a Kashmiri restaurant. However, what they are usually tasting is just one side of the region’s culinary coin: The Wazwan food. At Matamaal, the goal is to shift that narrative by introducing food lovers to the lesser-known, equally rich heritage of Kashmiri Pandit cuisine.
While both culinary styles share a love for meat and identical geography, they are worlds apart in execution. Wazwan is the elaborate, multi-course feast traditionally prepared by Muslim master chefs (wazas) for weddings, heavily relying on onions, garlic, and minced meat. Conversely, authentic Kashmiri Pandit cuisine completely eschews onion, tomato, and garlic. Instead, it builds deep, complex flavours using asafoetida (hing), dry ginger, fennel powder, and curd—a distinct home-cooked culinary tradition that largely vanished from the public eye after the community’s exodus from the valley in 1990.
Kawa is a traditional and aromatic green tea originating from the Kashmir Valley. (Express photo)
Matamaal—which translates to ‘Grandmother’s Home’, was originally founded in Gurugram in 2015 by Surender and Nalini Sadhu who are themselves Kashmiri Pandits, to preserve and showcase these home-style Pandit recipes. Recognizing a gap in Western India’s culinary market, Nilesh Rane – the owner of a 50-year-old restaurant, stepped in to bring the brand to Pune, as did many Kashmiri Pandit families.
Rane, a hospitality veteran with over two decades of experience running corporate catering businesses and regional restaurants in Pune, wanted to introduce locals to an authentic, non-adapted version of North Indian food. Four years ago, he established Pune’s standalone Matamaal outlet, tucked away in the bustling, upscale neighborhood of Kalyani Nagar.
“Before this, Kashmiri Pandit cuisine simply wasn’t available in commercial restaurants; it was a closely guarded secret made only inside Kashmiri homes,” says Rane. “The historical absence of onion and garlic wasn’t just a religious preference, but a geographical reality. Historically, these ingredients weren’t easily accessible or traditionally used in the valley’s ancient Pandit households. They relied on local spices to fight the bitter cold,” he adds.
Nadhur Monje (left) also known as lotus stem fritters and Mutton Rogan Josh mutton which is prepared in Kashmiri red chilli gravy. (Express photo)
To cater to all palates, Rane’s Pune outlet serves both Kashmiri Pandit delicacies and selected Wazwan specialties. For first-time visitors, the curated thalis available in vegetarian, chicken, and mutton variants are the most popular gateway. They offer a seamless transition from starters to mains, accompanied by traditional breads like chochworu, sheer chai (salted pink tea), and desserts like shufta (a rich mix of dry fruits and honey).
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“Pune was a natural choice for expansion because the city is a major IT and educational hub with a sizable Kashmiri community, but they only make up about 30% of our customer base,” Rane shares. “The remaining 70% consists of Maharashtrian, Bengali, Gujarati, and South Indian food lovers who are eager to experiment.”
Today, with the brand expanding across Gurgaon, Noida, South Delhi, and Pune, Matamaal is doing more than just serving meals. In a city where diners are increasingly looking past generic ‘North Indian’ menus, this Kalyani Nagar eatery offers a genuine, delicious slice of history that almost disappeared from India’s food map.
