RAJASTHAN CUISINE

The Land of Princes, as Rajasthan is called, boasts of many a fine kitchen–both within the palaces and outside. In the royal kitchens of Rajasthan, the preparation of food was a very serious matter and was raised to the level of an art form. Hundreds of cooks worked in the stately palaces and kept their recipes very closely guarded. Some recipes were passed on to their sons and the rest were lost forever.Rajasthani cooking was also influenced by the war-like lifestyle of its inhabitants and the availability of ingrediants in this region. Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred. Scarcity of water and fresh green vegetables in the desert belt of Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner has compelled the cooks to use minimum water and, substitute it with milk, buttermilk and clarified butter (pure ghee).

Bajre ki roti (millet bread) and lahsun ki chutney (hot garlic paste) combined with spring onions are the staple diet of the locals as these are believed to be safeguards against the hot winds. It is interesting to note that Maheshwari cookery uses quite a bit of mango powder. It is used as a suitable substitute for tomatoes, which are scarce in the desert.

The Maharajas and the Rajputs, with their obsessive love for shikar (hunting) have been largely responsible for shaping the meat eating art in Rajasthan. With the Pathani invasions, filtered in the art of barbecuing which has now been honed to perfection and the quintessential sula–smoked kebabs or skewered boneless lamb–can be prepared in 11 different ways. At the other end of the spectrum, is the vegetarian cooking of the Maheshwaris of Marwar or Jodhpur, who do not use even garlic and onions, as these are said to excite the blood and the Jains who would not eat after sundown.

The simple Indian Kitchen has a brick-and-mud fireplace. Food is usually cooked over a wood or charcoal fire, in clay, brass, or copper utensils. Family members typically sit cross legged on the floor and are served piping hot food by the lady of the houses, which they savour using fingers to slurp the mouthwatering kadis and gravies.

In Rajasthan, every game is cooked in several ways. The rabbit, for example, can be cooked as khargosh ka keema (minced rabbit) with raw mangoes and yogurt, sabat khargosh (whole rabbit), and khad khargosh (Hare or rabbit meat cooked in a pit) is a Rajput specialty during summer, when the hare is lean. The hare is skinned and stuffed with spices, wrapped in dough and finally in layers of mud-soaked cloth. The deer is yet another favorite.

There is also a recipe called jungli maans or wild meat, which requires very few ingredients and can be prepared by a stranded shikari with ease. In fact, so prized is game meat that whatever is not consumed is pickled and preserved, including the rind of a boar.

Perhaps the best-known Rajasthani food is the combination of dal, bati and churma but there is a wide variety to choose from in Rajasthani cuisine. The bati, lachhedar paratha and besan ki missi puri are types of bread peculiar to Rajasthan. Puris which are delicious, fried wheat bubbles which have varied uses; as snacks, scoops for food and as a complement to hot spices. Raitas, pickles, papads and chutneys are the normal accompaniments. Besides, Rajasthan is fairly rich in milk and milk products, and produces some rich sweetmeats – ladoos of Jaisalmer, mawa kachori of Jodhpur, malpuas of Pushkar, dil jani of Udaipur, mishri mawa and ghevar of Jaipur,sohan halwa of Ajmer, mawa of Alwar, and rasgullas of Bikaner, to name a few. A favorite sweet dish called lapsi is prepared with broken wheat (dalia) sautéed in ghee and sweetened.

With every festival in Rajasthan, some traditional goodies are associated like the ghevar with Teej, and the malpuas with the Pushkar cattle fair. For occasions like hunting, there are special preparations of meat that the men cook themselves. During the times of the kings and princes, every cook tried a new dish almost everyday. Game, ranging from peacocks to camels, was prepared to perfection and decorated elaborately before being served in silver platters.