Perched atop a majestic rock, the impressiveness of the Bhainsrorgarh Fort Hotel—run by the erstwhile royal family since 2006—can only be matched by the delectable cuisine the eponymous principality offers. Hemendra Singh, the younger of the two brothers who run the place, has not only made the fort a preferred destination for those craving Rajasthani food beyond the ‘laal maas’ and the ‘maas ke sooleh’, but together with his wife, Vrinda Kumari Singh, he has also brought the cuisine to Delhi. The sought-after Rajpootana Kitchen is a takeaway that the couple runs from their Vasant Kunj residence.
Talking of how his love for food started, Singh says, “When I was a child I would often observe the women in the kitchen making makki ki roti. It would intrigue me and I would be keen to lend a hand. My grandfather was a food connoisseur. Although he didn’t cook himself, he collected recipes which we tried out and modified in our kitchen. Also, often I used to give my mother company while she cooked. That is how I ended up learning the basics of cooking at a very young age.”
Bhainsrorgarh enjoys a good forest cover and also has two rivers around it—the Chambal and Bamni—besides a lot of lakes. This greenery and water body have contributed to a large extent to Bhainsrorgarh’s cuisine with game meat and fish finding their way into the kitchen. “Though now we have had to tweak recipes, which had game meat and turn them into chicken recipes. I must add, though, that it is by tweaking that recipes travel and live on,” says Singh. He also rues the fact how a lot of recipes have been lost over the years. He reminisces about one such dish, dadariya, which is cooked with green wheat that is yet to ripen. The juicy grains are roasted, cleaned, pounded and then cooked with ghee and milk to make for a delicious dessert.
Professing his love for a fragrant and light biryani and ghar ka khana, Singh is very clear on what exactly is traditional Rajasthani food. Mention the state’s most famous export—laal maas—and he gives an audible sigh. “There is nothing called laal maas. It is actually only a mutton curry, and you will find its variations using the same basic masalas all over north India,” says he. Asked to name his favourite spice while cooking, Singh says, “It is about using of spices at different levels in different recipes. But, yes, I enjoy cooking with coconut milk. Then there is saffron and, of course, a variety of mirchis that can add an interesting aspect to cooking—Nimar, Guntur, Kashmiri.”
Singh wishes to bring out a book some day, but he is sure that it will not just be Bhainsrorgarh cuisine. A foodie who is equally at home with Tamil food or Kerala coastal food, or even a well-done Bengali kasha mangsho (a mutton dish) and daab chingri (a prawn curry made with tender coconut), Singh says he would like to write about his journey through food. And the one food that he cannot do without is chandliya. The leafy green, grown in western Rajasthan, is something that Singh says he can travel miles for. “It’s the best gift one can get me,” he concludes.
Instagram connect
#rajpootanakitchen
#bhainsrorgarhfort