If you thought that Rajasthani food was all about lentils, dairy and sweets, think again.
Most of us are familiar with dalbatti churma (baked wheat ball, cracked open and served with ghee, dal and churma — a powdered sweetened crumble), which passes for standard Rajasthani fare. Or crisp bhakri rotis, made from bajra and jowar. But not much else.
“The Rajasthani kitchen creates plenty from little with remarkable ease. We have sourced spices that are grown locally, like kachri — a tiny melon-like fruit that grows wild in the desert and adds a touch of tang, while tenderising the meat. Fresh haldi and the fiery Mahtania chilly have been used to create authentic flavours,” says Chef Sameer Sharma, who enthusiastically talked us through the cuisine of the desert state.
Starters had a selection of chicken, lamb, fish and prawns — all flavoured differently but catering to a global palate. There was Safed Jhinga — tiger prawns in yogurt with green chilly and green cardamom, and sole — cooked with hung curd, white pepper and green cardamom. “Seafood is not a Rajasthani regular but we’ve used traditional seasonings to treat it gently and retain the delicate textures,” explained Sharma.
The lamb or Maas Kabootha had soft cubes of meat, in a gravy of figs, green chilly, ginger and garlic greens, while the Kookre ke Soole had chicken marinated lightly with Mahtania chilly and jeera and then grilled in a tandoor. Kacher Maas had lamb cooked with kacheri berries, adding a pleasant tartness.
The Dal Panchmel was the real coup-de-grace. Five different lentils in a creamy melange of flavours with an assortment of rotis — the Kastha roti dusted with carom seeds or Bajre ki roti made from millet. Desserts included the rich, honeycomb- like Jevar, and Jalebi rabri — crisp jalebis in thick milk reduction.
