Part II
Padharo Mhaare Desh...
The cuisine fit for the Kings, the "Rajasthani Cuisine"
Like the rest of India, any local cuisine has been affected by prevalent customs, religion and people from different walks and sects of life. Rajasthani cuisine, which is quite vibrant like the rest of the cuisines of India is no different. On one hand you have Marwari community-who are devoutly vegetarians (to the point of using no onion-no garlic, since they have been equated to "non-vegetarian" the probable cause being they have been labelled as "tamasik"), then there is a sizable Jain communities who are vegetarians basically, but more distinguished than the rest of the vegetarians--vegetables grown below the ground (or soil) must be spared. Erstwhile royal state Rajasthan also keeps its royal tradition of cooking rabbits underground or cooking the game birds and animals whatever was still legal back in the olden days by means "hunting" (which is illegal now, in the eyes of law).
On the other hand, Rajasthan being a desert state, usage of water whilst cooking is replaced with copious amount of dairy products--milk, cream and yoghurt--quite akin to our beloved French Cuisine, no??Rice is probably not the favorite carbohydrate amongst rajasthanis, so wheat being the prime source--with an array of breads including their famous "bati". Bajra ke roti or flatbread made of millet, Hare mattar ke poori (fried bread stuffed with green peas) and Bina Pani ke roti (yes, bread made without water..scarcity is also the mother of invention)--to name a few.
And basic ingredients?? The old school cooks or chefs would rely on enormous amounts of dry fruit, ghee and butter, a number of hot spices (Garam masala in the local lingo) and almost all dishes are fired up with some hefty red chillies--whole and powdered. For example, Lal Maas is cooked in a gravy of yoghurt and red chillies. I must tell you, this is not for those who cant stand spicy foods (and that includes me). As all say, "Necessity is the mother of invention", Rajasthanis would dry up their beloved vegetables in times of abundance only to consume in some other times of the year. Kair Sangri is another example, which Rajasthanis still maintain as their tradition. Kair, a desert berry and Sangri is a desert bean-are completely dried up. Before cooking, they are soaked in water and then cooked with spices like turmeric, asafoetida and like--and it is
strictly vegetarian. I came across one chef making a kabab of sangri.
Besan is perhaps one of the ingredients any Rajasthani cannot live without--snack, appetisers, main courses to desserts--you just name it. You get your bikaneri bhujia and mirchi bada (batter fried whole chillies) from besan, so the Kadhi (or known as khato in Rajasthan) and then Besan ke Gatte to finally desserts like Besan ke Laddoo.
What is the favorite meat? As I said, game birds and animals would make their way to the royal tables, probably the famous one being "Khad Khargosh" for instance, required the rabbit to be marinated, wrapped in a kachha
roti, packed into a gunny bag and buried in a pit, topped by a charcoal
fire and mud, for a few hours.And not sparing the wild boar, which is known as Soor ka Saanth: Pig fat is cut in square pieces and placed in a mitti
ka ghada [usually used to store drinking water] full of khatti chach
[sour buttermilk] for two to three days, with the buttermilk being
changed every day. Then the pig fat is cooked with lots of ginger,
nigella and mustard seeds. It stays for a long time, like a pickle.
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| Dal Bati Churma |
Due to many people strictly following vegetarianism, onion-garlic will never find a way to their kitchens. Asafoetida is used instead. Main cooking medium be butter/ghee or some favour mustard oil. Of all the vegetarian dishes, like Gatte ka subzi (besan dumplings), Jaipuri Bhindi (which is just thinly sliced okra stir fried) probably the famous one is "Dal Bati Churma"--a complete meal and no
rajasthani meal is complete without this. Dal, generally a mix of 3-4 dals (some favour a mix of five dals) and Bati is unleavened bread to accompany the dal and then finish off with the sweet note of "Churma", which again has numerous ways of making--some would crush a day old roti/paratha and cook with some decadent amount of ghee, sugar and some fruits and nuts. This one just reminds me of Cocido Madrileño of Spain, where it is eaten in three stages, but served together.
For you, I am sharing the recipe of Dal Bati Churma which I cooked at home a few weeks before. Recipe adapted from Tarla Dalal
Dal Bati Churma (For 1 person)
For the Dal
Mung Dal-25 gm
Channa Dal- 25 gm
Toor Dal-25 gm
Turmeric-1 tsp
Ghee-2tbsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Asafoetida- 2 pinches
Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
Bay leaf-1 number
Red chilli whole- 1 number
Garam Masala, powdered- 1 pinch
Tomatoes-1/2 number, seeded, chopped
Fresh Coriander- 1tbsp, chopped
Salt-To taste
For the Bati
Wheat Flour- 150 gm
Ghee-4 tbsp
Salt-to taste
Baking powder (if using)-1/2 tsp
For the Churma
Day old Paratha/Roti- 2 number
Ghee- 2tbsp
Caster Sugar-50 gm
Dry fruits and nuts-1tbsp, chopped
Cardamom powder-1 pinch
Instructions:
For the Dal
Soak the Channa dal and toor dal for at least 3 hours and boil alongwith the moong dal with turmeric powder and salt.
Once lentils are boiled, heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Pop in the cumin seeds and asafoetida till the seeds splutter. Add in the bay leaf and red chilli followed by the boiled dal.
Add the cumin powder and chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes. Check seasoning, add in the chopped coriander and garam masala powder and top it up with rest of the ghee.
For the Bati
Knead the flour with 2tbsp ghee, salt and baking powder (if using). Add in water, just to make a hard dough (quite harder than your chapati or paratha dough). Let it rest for about 30 mins
Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Form the dough into balls and flatten them a bit.
Bake in a greased pan for about 20 minutes or till coloured. Once cooked, crack and pour in the rest of the ghee on top.
For the Churma
Crush the day old roti or paratha till mashed completely. Add in the ghee, sugar and cardamom powder. Garnish with the dried fruits and nuts.
[
Courtesy: Forbes India, Wikipedia and Rajasthan Tourism Website. Recipe adapted from Tarla Dalal And Simply Tadka]
toasted sesame, sesame oil and an egg yolk. Also comes some thinly sliced sweetest Korean pear.
It was already 1130pm and we headed to Michael's house for a quick rest and then headed to a place where they were still serving KFC(not Kentucky's but Korean take on Fried Chicken) at 1AM. It is simple, yet delectable. If you cannot do a fried chicken, I am sure you cannot do anything else. Coated in flour, deepfried and then tossed in a sauce of chilli paste, garlic and must some soy. Yes, tastier than that finger licking crap!I was told they sell more this chicken than the total amount of fried chicken sold by KFC worldwide. We headed back to the hotel (by then I was really tired).
I took a couple of clicks whilst one of them protesters handed me a paper over to read about why they are protesting. I walked till I found myself in Myeong Dong--the shopping district. If you have never been to Myeong Dong, I urge you to visit Myeong Dong--perhaps you find all the brands here (I was told when companies launch their latest product in South Korea, they make it overpriced. Apparently Korean psychology compels the consumers to have latest gadget/shoes/apparels) but I was not in a mood for shopping. I was hungry so I was looking for more food, kinda tasting menu on the street. First I found some lobsters. Fresh lobsters getting grilled--and then topped with your liking of cheese, hot sauce or just parsley. I had just one tail (reserving my appetite for more). 15,000 Korean Won. Not bad. The food scene w beautiful. Every two meters someone was selling something or the other. Well, you got to as it was just 530pm and already crowded. People of all nationality-- Chinese, India, Thai, Russian, CIS, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesian, Malay, Singapore, Americans, British...probably a meeting point!
toasted sesame, sesame oil and an egg yolk. Also comes some thinly sliced sweetest Korean pear.
I took a couple of clicks whilst one of them protesters handed me a paper over to read about why they are protesting. I walked till I found myself in Myeong Dong--the shopping district. If you have never been to Myeong Dong, I urge you to visit Myeong Dong--perhaps you find all the brands here (I was told when companies launch their latest product in South Korea, they make it overpriced. Apparently Korean psychology compels the consumers to have latest gadget/shoes/apparels) but I was not in a mood for shopping. I was hungry so I was looking for more food, kinda tasting menu on the street. First I found some lobsters. Fresh lobsters getting grilled--and then topped with your liking of cheese, hot sauce or just parsley. I had just one tail (reserving my appetite for more). 15,000 Korean Won. Not bad. The food scene w beautiful. Every two meters someone was selling something or the other. Well, you got to as it was just 530pm and already crowded. People of all nationality-- Chinese, India, Thai, Russian, CIS, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesian, Malay, Singapore, Americans, British...probably a meeting point!
