Texture Semi-soft | ||
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Country of origin Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, India Source of milk Cattle's (Cow's) milk, sometimes Goat's milk | ||
Kalari (Dogri: कलाड़ी or کلاڑی) is a traditional ripened cheese product indigenous to Udhampur, Jammu province of Jammu and Kashmir state of India. It is a very dense cheese that is usually sautéd in its own fat and salted while serving. Kalaris are usually made from cow's or buffalo's milk, though kalaris made from goat's milk are also available, and have a whitish color. Traditionally Kalaris are made from raw (uncooked) full fat milk that is separated using soured milk. The solidified part is packed in doonas (small bowls made of leaves) and sun dried. The excess liquid drips down from the semi-porous doonas and rest of the moisture is lost by sun drying. As the ambient temperature is low and the sun is strong in the mountains, the Kalari becomes dry from outside yet retains moisture from inside. Some times fungus grows on this and gives it a unique flavor. The taste of kalari prepared in the three regions of the state is different from each other.The kalari from Udhampur taste the best. The ones prepared in Jammu taste similar to cottage cheese (paneer) but are a little sweeter and the kalari from rajouri is almost like mozzarella cheese .
Background
Kalari, traditionally a Ramnagar, Udhampur cheese, is an authentic Dogra cheese and often made part of various cheese-based cuisines, such as the "Kalari-Kulcha," which is a popular snack in the Jammu province. Kalari Kulcha is famous street food of J&K and can be seen in the menu list of road side vendors and big shops. To prepare a Kalari, it is dabbed in salt and sautéd in its own fat, it is covered while sautéing. Preparing Kalari requires some expertise that may be mastered in couple of trials. Some people use butter or ghee for making it more viscous and for making it properly crispy. After some time the Kalari is flipped over and covered again. After sautéing, it gets brownish crispy layer outside and soft, creamy, gooey melted cheese inside (akin to melted mozzarella cheese).
Kalari is often served hot and salted with tomatoes, onions, bread and cabbage. In recent improvisation it is made like a burger with Kalari as the patty in layers of coleslaw like salad, tomatoes, etc. filled up in a bun. The complete ensemble is shallow fried. Earlier Kalari was served on its own without any breads. Later Kalari sandwich came into existence that consisted of Kalari placed in two slices of bakery bread with complete sandwich shallow fried in the pan containing left over fat from frying the kalari. Some tamarind chutney with red chilli powder and salt are also added. Sometimes it is also prepared by first wetting it and covering it in a dry mixture of whole wheat flour (atta), red chilli powder and salt then sautéing over a nonstick pan. In Jammu people also make a curry with it called कलाड़ी की सबज़ी in the local language. Pakodas are also prepared with kalari.