28 Feb 2017

Culinary Tour of Rajasthan

by | posted in: Asia, Culture, India, Rajasthan, Tips | 61
While you may travel through Rajasthan and experience its amazing history, architecture and royal palaces, your journey is not complete if you have not tried out the Rajasthani cuisine.  Rajasthani dishes aren’t too complicated and are quite basic and simple – yet unusual and tasty. The simple mouth-watering dishes of Rajasthan truly help you soak up the culture of this state. 
Food in Rajasthan
Rajasthani meal

To experience Rajasthani cuisine, you don’t really have to step into a high end restaurant. I had some of the best and authentic Rajasthani dishes in the regular local restaurants and street side dhabas – the latter being one of my favorite food joints during my trip, especially the one in Pushkar.

Dhaba in Pushkar, Rajasthan
Dhaba in Pushkar

 

A lot of these dishes were familiar to me as they are quite similar to Gujarati dishes and tasting them again was a definite wave of nostalgia for me.  Let me take you through a culinary tour of Rajasthan with 10 of my favorite dishes – and yes, all of them are vegetarian 😉

1) Bajre ki Roti

Food in Rajasthan
Food in Rajasthan

Simple Rajasthani bread made out of a local cereal called Bajra. This was my favorite amongst all the breads here –  so much that I ended up eating it almost every day. Teaming it up with any of the dishes below can really make the entire meal scrumptious.


Borrowing from my Gujarati dishes, where Bajre ki Roti is one of the staples during the Winters, I teamed these steaming rotis with gur (Jaggery) and ghee. Try out the combination, I think you might just end up liking it. 🙂

2) Dahi ka saag

Dahi Ka Saag - Food in Rajasthan
Dahi Ka Saag – Food in Rajasthan


A gravy dish made out of plain curds – sounds a little strange but trust me, I loved the simple taste of the same. Plain curds with a sprinkle of mustard, spices and tomatoes roasted in oil and mixed with curds – completely giving curd a different flavor. This works well with any of the rotis or even rice dishes. 

The best Dahi ka saag that I had was in Jaipur at the Kailash restaurant, on the Hawa Mahal Road. 

3)Sev-Tamatar ka Saag

Image Credits: Hemal under CC by SA 4.0 via Wikimedia commons

Sev or Bhujia is actually a savory snack and one tends to eat the same plain or with bhel. This is the case across India but in Rajasthan, this is used to make a gravy dish that works well with Rotis. This along with Tomatoes is mildly spicy with a little tangy taste.  

This one is a popular Gujarati dish as well and is generally had with Parantha or Thepla. Since this is cooked without onions or any of the root vegetables, is a popular Jain sabzi as well.  

4)Gatte ki Sabzi

Gatte Ki Sabzi - Food in Rajasthan
Gatte Ki Sabzi – Food in Rajasthan

This one is so typical of Rajasthan and goes great with Missi ki Roti or Puris.  This also, tastes yummy with some boiled rice. Steamed dumplings made from gram flour, added to a gravy made with some curd and spices. This is one of the most recommended dishes as well as one of the most familiar dishes in Rajasthan. Almost every restaurant in Rajasthan offers this. 

5)Papad ka Saag

Papad ka Saag - Food in Rajasthan
Papad ka Saag – Food in Rajasthan
Papad is again another snack or a starter in India. It is generally roasted or fried and served as an accompaniment or starter with meals. Papad ka Saag is made out of the raw papad along with spices. Quite a rare combination. Best had with rice or Khichadi.

The Dhabbas have the best Papad Sabzis, especially the ones that I found in Pushkar near the Brahma Mandir.

6)Missi Roti

Missi_Roti.JPG
Image Credits: Hariom Awasthi under CC by SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Missi Roti, is another option to those who might find Bajre ki Roti a little hard for their palate. Made out of Gram flour, this Rajasthani bread is popular across India and is available outside Rajasthan too. While I was partial to the Bajre ki Roti, my hubby preferred this  – he swears that it works well with any of the sabzis 😉

7)Dal Baati Churma

Image Credits: Niranjan Gohane under CC by SA 4.0, under Wikimedia Commons
Image Credits: Niranjan Gohane under CC by SA 4.0, under Wikimedia Commons

Dal Baati Churma is a specialty Rajasthani dish. The Dal is made out of 5 different pulses and fresh spices. Baati is made out of wheat flour and gram flour along with lots of ghee (yep, it is quite rich ;-)). The same is broken and dipped in the dal and eaten along with it. As an accompaniment and to sweeten things, Churma is served with it. A mildly sweet dish, I love eating Churma just by itself. 😉

8) Ghevar

Image Credits: Su30Solomon under CC by SA 4.0, under Wikimedia Commons
Image Credits: Su30Solomon under CC by SA 4.0, under Wikimedia Commons

Till I visited Rajasthan, I always believed that there was only one type of Rajasthani Ghevar – the sweets the state is known for. It is amazing how many different types are there. Paneer, malai, Kesar are some unique flavors. This sweet is extremely popular during festivals like Sankranti and Teej.

Specifically, loved the Paneer ghevar, so much that I ended up carrying it back with me home for my friends and family. You can get this anywhere in Rajasthan, even the airport, where you can pick the packaged ones to take back home with you.

9)Lassi

Image Credits: Mian Sari under CC, via Wikimedia Commons
Image Credits: Mian Sari under CC, via Wikimedia Commons

Lassi or thickened buttermilk? I mean, what is so special about it. It isn’t Rajasthani by origin but I make a mention of it here because I found so of the most unusual flavors and amazing tasty lassi here. Dry fruit lassis are a definite recommendation – especially, the Kesar Pista and Badam ones.  The Rosemilk ones were a little too sweet for me, but the kids totally loved them. And if you want to try an even richer lassi – try the Malai one.

Lassis especially at the Kailash restaurant in Jaipur are so refreshing in the hot Rajasthani heat.

10)Ghotua

A speciality sweet of Jaisalmer. This one was a complete surprise. We came across it during our stay in Jaisalmer when our home stay owner got us a complimentary box. Personally, I found it sugary sweet but unusual and the kids did like it a lot. Made of gram flour, with ghee and saffron, this sweet is definitely worth a taste if you are in Jaisalmer.

Rajasthani food is typically not very spicy. The breads are a little dry and hence, they are best had with one of the gravy dishes. If you need something light and easy on the stomach, try out the Khichadis in Rajasthan, especially what they call-  Ram Khichadi. This will definitely help settle your stomach. 

So, doesn’t this make your mouth water? Comment in and tell me if you have tried any of these dishes or which one would you like to try out.

Travel Tips

  • Most of the local restaurants and hotels offer these Rajasthani dishes
  • Some of the food like the Dal Baati Churma can be really heavy on your stomach. It is a meal by itself.
  • When unsure, Khichadi  will be the best option – safe, non-spicy and good for an upset tummy.

 

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61 Responses

  2. Mridula
    | Reply

    I have not tried Ghotua and Dahi ka saag. Will be on a look out for these whenever I go to Rajasthan next. What a mouthwatering post Ami!

  3. Renuka
    | Reply

    Seriously mouthwatering dishes! Though I have been to Rajasthan quite a few times, I'm yet to taste its authentic cuisine. Thanks for an inspiring post!

  13. Allison
    | Reply

    I have never tried Rajasthani cuisine. The Dahi ka saag looks good. I am on a mission to try this now! Thanks!

  14. 2 Travel Dads blog
    | Reply

    Dal Baati Churma sounds fantastic! Lassi… not my cup of tea (or buttermilk). I had that during my first Indian meal ever. It wasn't a great first impression. But gosh, maybe now I'd love it as I've learned to enjoy and appreciate so much Indian and Rajasthani cuisine.

  15. Melody Pittman
    | Reply

    I've never tried any of these but Dal Baati Churma gets my vote. Love all those little teeny tiny dishes and the sauce sounds so tasty. Great pictures.

  16. Voyager Diaries
    | Reply

    Wonderful, love Rajasthani food, we always hunt for a Rajasthani restaurant in India, but eating Rajasthani food in Rajasthan is on a different plane altogether.

  20. Ami Bhat
    | Reply

    I totally agree. Nothing beats the experience of having Rajasthani food in Rajasthan – at the authentic local joints.

  21. Jessica
    | Reply

    I can't pick, I want them all. Lol. I haven't found an Indian dish I don't like yet.

  28. The Travelling Chilli
    | Reply

    I'd just love to try all of these dishes. Indian food is so yummy and tasty and also every region has it's own flavours and dishes. So much to choose from, so much choice…:)

  29. trucosviajeros
    | Reply

    Wow! I just need to try all of these! Hard to find over here, must plan a trip over there 😉

  35. MartaC
    | Reply

    These all look absolutely delicious and I will make you laugh: I am reading this while I wait for my first attempt at an Indian dinner to get ready! I made a curry and even homemade rotis… I'm sure they'll pale in comparison with the real thing but it's all the intention, right??

  36. Ami Bhat
    | Reply

    Thanks Marta. Happy to hear that you tried it out at home. Am sure it was fab. Having said that, you should head to India for the authentic traditional flavors. Am sure you would love it.

  37. Liesbeth Donné
    | Reply

    I sooooooooooooooo need to get myself to India! 🙂 I love the food, lots of vegetarian dishes and the atmosphere around it looks so amazing too…

  39. Julie D
    | Reply

    The food all looks soo delicious! I loved the travel tips at the end…those would come in very handy on a trip to Rajasthan!

  40. Patricia
    | Reply

    Looks so good and yummy! Love Indian food but it's hard to find a great Indian restaurant with authentic food where we live!

  45. Vaibhav Singh
    | Reply

    Hello, Such a nice blog You have shared here . I like to eat Daal Baati Choorma and Gatte ki Sabji very much. All images such a mouthwatering……….

  46. Hotel in Khatu
    | Reply

    Great blog.wow..such fabulous blog about Rajasthani Foo you have share. People are very much like rajasthani food. save Tamatar, Gatte ki sabji and papar sag all like very much…

  47. Jhon Carter
    | Reply

    Delicious cuisine. In very affordable price we can avail the food in Rajasthan and even more tasty. The food is exactly as per customer’s preference here.

  50. rahul
    | Reply

    hello! Thank you for sharing such nice blog with us. I like the way you represent whole Rajasthani food varieties through this blog. Hope you will share more such type of blogs in future too.