पधारो साA Taste of Rajasthan · by Mohinisagar

A large, crisp, hollow kachori filled with potato, sprouted moong, dahi vada and chickpeas, topped with yoghurt, chutneys, sev and pomegranate.

Jodhpur's most famous kachori: a flaky shell filled with onion, fennel and red chilli, slow-fried golden. With tamarind and mint chutneys.

Filled with split moong dal (mogar) roasted with asafoetida and spices. Light, crisp and tangy, a taste of Jodhpur's old bazaars.

A fat, mild green chilli stuffed with spiced potato, dipped in gram-flour batter and fried golden. Crisp outside, soft inside.

Hand-rolled crisp pastry with spiced potato and peas, lifted by cashews and raisins. Served with tamarind chutney.

A hot moong dal kachori broken open and drenched in tangy Rajasthani kadhi, with green chutney and onion. A famous street breakfast of Rajasthan.

Pyaaz kachori paired with hot kadhi: the spiced onion filling and the tang of kadhi together in every bite.

Dark, tangy Pindi-style chickpeas cooked in whole spices, with two large puffed bhature, onion rings and pickle. Extra bhatura ₹50.

Vegetables mashed on the tawa with butter and spices into a rich bhaji, with two butter-toasted pav. Extra pav ₹30.

Stuffed with potato, chopped onion, green chilli, ginger, coriander and dry mango, baked in the tandoor and topped with butter. With yoghurt and pickle.

Stuffed with grated paneer, green chilli, coriander and mild spices, baked in the tandoor and topped with butter. With yoghurt and pickle.

Grated cauliflower with ginger, green chilli and carom, roasted crisp in the tandoor.

Fresh radish, its greens and green chilli in a zesty filling. A winter-morning favourite.

Stuffed with Bikaneri bhujia, onion and coriander. Crunchy and savoury inside, a uniquely Rajasthani taste.

Filled with crushed roasted papad, onion and spices for a light crunch. A Marwari home speciality.

Mustard-seed water fermented for days into tangy, pungent kanji. Soft moong vadas soaked in it make Marwar's traditional digestive.

Light urad dal vadas bathed in thick sweetened yoghurt, finished with roasted cumin, red chilli and tamarind chutney.

Thick cubes of fresh paneer marinated in yoghurt and tandoori spices, roasted in the tandoor with capsicum and onion. With green chutney.

Jodhpuri mirchi bada cut into bites, topped with yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutneys, sev and onion. Made for sharing.

Bite-sized pyaaz, mogar and dal kachoris on one plate, with yoghurt and three kinds of chutney.

Gram-flour gatte sliced and pan-fried until crisp, finished with chaat masala, onion and coriander.

Ker, a wild berry, and sangri, the beans of the khejri tree, grow in the Thar and are sun-dried. Cooked in mustard oil with pickling spices.

Fresh raw winter turmeric grated and slow-roasted in desi ghee, then cooked with yoghurt, peas and dry fruits. A Marwari winter speciality.

Soft gulab jamuns in a spicy gravy of tomato, onion and cashew. A surprising sweet-and-spicy Rajasthani pairing.

The pulp of gwarpatha, or aloe vera, cleaned of bitterness and cooked with carom, fennel, dry mango and spices. A true desert taste.

Sun-dried wafers of maize flour and buttermilk simmered in a tangy, spiced yoghurt gravy. An old Marwari home favourite.

Five country vegetables together: beans, wild kachri, tinda, green chilli and loya, a tender baby watermelon, cooked in mustard oil.

Soft gram-flour gatte in a rich, creamy gravy of malai, cashew and gentle spices. The royal version of gatte.

Soft dumplings of paneer, potato and dry fruits in a mildly sweet malai-cashew gravy with Marwari spices.

Jaipur's famous home-style dish: whole baby potatoes, whole small onions and big chunks of paneer cooked in Rajasthani spices. No capsicum.

A Mughlai-style golden gravy of cashew, khoya, cardamom and saffron. Not spicy, but mildly sweet and truly royal.

Soft paneer in a tomato and cashew makhani gravy, finished with butter, cream and dried fenugreek.

Grated and cubed paneer together in a thick, buttery onion-tomato gravy, finished with cream and dried fenugreek.

Paneer cubes in a smooth, gently spiced gravy of fresh spinach, finished with a little butter.

Whole coriander and red chilli freshly pounded and roasted in the kadhai, then tossed on high heat with paneer, capsicum and onion.

Paneer and green peas in a home-style onion-tomato gravy with gentle spices. Everyday comfort.

Seasonal vegetables such as carrot, beans, cauliflower, peas and capsicum in a spiced onion-tomato gravy.

Boiled potatoes tossed in ghee with cumin, green chilli and coriander. Simple, dry and perfect with any roti.

Kidney beans soaked overnight and slow-cooked in a thick onion-tomato gravy with whole spices. Best with rice.

Chickpeas in a thick, tangy gravy with dry mango, pomegranate seed and whole spices.

Yellow toor and moong dal cooked with turmeric, finished with a sizzling tempering of cumin, garlic and chilli in desi ghee.

Black urad and kidney beans slow-cooked for hours until velvety, finished with butter and fresh cream.

Five lentils cooked slowly together and tempered with asafoetida, cumin and garlic in ghee. The dal served with baati.

Thin, puffed whole-wheat roti, plain or buttered.

Crisp whole-wheat bread from the tandoor, plain or buttered.

Soft, puffed leavened naan, plain or buttered.

Naan with crushed garlic and coriander, brushed with garlic butter.

Tandoori naan with a spiced potato or paneer filling.

Flaky tandoori paratha layered with ghee.

Hand-patted pearl-millet roti with desi ghee and jaggery.

Spiced roti of gram and wheat flour with carom and onion.

A wholesome Rajasthani roti of mixed wheat, barley and gram flour.

Fire-roasted wheat baati soaked in hot desi ghee.

A savoury baati spiced with carom, green chilli and spices.

Long-grain basmati cooked fluffy and finished with cumin tempered in ghee. Perfect with dal tadka or dal makhani.

Basmati cooked on dum with carrot, peas, beans and cauliflower in whole spices. Light, fragrant and complete on its own.

Long-grain basmati layered with seasonal vegetables, mint, fried onion and biryani spices, cooked on dum.

Long-grain basmati steamed until fluffy. Best with rajma, kadhi or dal makhani.

Fiery, coarse chutney of red chilli, garlic and cumin, made for baati and bajra roti.

Green chillies coarsely pounded with mustard seed, fennel and dry mango, then sautéed.

Thick, creamy yoghurt set fresh every day.

Yoghurt with crisp boondi, roasted cumin and black salt.

Yoghurt with cucumber, onion, tomato and coriander.

Yoghurt infused with the smoke of ghee and charcoal for an earthy aroma.

Cucumber, onion, tomato, carrot and green chilli with lemon.

Crisp Bikaneri papad roasted over the flame.

Roasted papad topped with onion, tomato, green chilli, coriander and chaat masala.

Crisp Rajasthani rice khichiya papad, roasted over the flame.

Hot roasted khichiya brushed with fresh butter.

Buttered khichiya topped with onion, tomato, green chilli, coriander and tangy masala.

A pat of butter for your roti, paratha or dal.

A bowl of desi ghee for baati, roti or khichda.

Soft balls of khoya fried slowly to deep gold and soaked in warm syrup of cardamom and rose water. Two pieces.

Roasted baati ground coarse and bound with desi ghee, jaggery, cardamom and nuts. Marwar's sweet after dal-baati. Two pieces.

A large mawa baati filled with nuts, fried in desi ghee and soaked in saffron syrup.

A rich sweet of edible gum, desi ghee, wheat flour, jaggery and dry fruits. Rajasthan's winter strength food. Two pieces.

Juicy red carrots slow-cooked in milk for hours, then roasted with desi ghee, khoya and nuts. Served warm.

Soaked moong dal ground and stirred patiently in desi ghee until golden and grainy. The pride of Marwari weddings.

Fresh yoghurt churned into thin buttermilk with roasted cumin, green chilli and black salt. Rajasthan's after-meal digestive.

Chilled buttermilk churned with freshly ground mint, roasted cumin and black salt. The most refreshing in summer.

Jodhpur's famous lassi: thick churned yoghurt topped with fresh butter, saffron and cardamom. So thick you may need a spoon.

Pearl-millet flour cooked slowly in buttermilk and cooled, with roasted cumin and salt. A wholesome desert drink.

Chilled, frothy lassi of thick sweetened yoghurt, topped with a layer of cream.

Strong tea boiled with milk, ginger and cardamom, served in a clay kulhad whose earthy aroma lifts every sip.