Living up the Desi Dream: Local cuisine of Jaipur  

Rajasthan can be defined as a Box full of culture, heritage, Hospitality and is an epitome of Beauty. Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan is the flag bearer of the region with Modern class facilities and Multi-Lingual community confusing together to create a city of sheer Goodness.

I am privileged to be part of the community of Rajasthan which has infused in me the values through which I am able to cherish the rich traditions of our Land.

One of the most intriguing aspect of Rajasthan is the cuisine of the Land which caters to the one of the most sizeable tourist population in India and Examples such as Dal-Batti is worth mentioning but what you can’t find in the most of the travelogues and tourist memoirs is the Desi Jugaad of Rajasthan.

What people can’t experience in the luxury of five-star can be experienced in our very own Desi Thelawalas who can’t serve you exquisite dishes but can coerce you to have a Lip smacking experience and can also provide ever lasting memories for your taste buds.

Jaipur has such an aura which attracts people all over the globe and they always try to mingle with the city rich traditions as well as the food habits but end up in places well known which easily lighten up their pockets but do not provide them what they really deserve i.e. “desiness”

Jaipur Lands in top the list for most of the tourism savvy people with places such as Amer Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jal-Mahal but what is not known is that it can serve up big time for foodie like me.

I am counting out 5 dishes so get ready to fill up your stomach with these the moment you land up in Jaipur. By the way Jaipur is easily accessible from Delhi with a six hour ride by road and also through Railways and Airways. Landing up here, one can experience the vibe of the most advanced metropolitan city of Rajasthan.

1- Here we go, The first one which comes to my mind is none other than Rajasthani Ghewar which is a deep fried sweet-dish and is available in varieties ranging from Desi-Ghee To mawa Ghewar. It may be popular in India as a Gujrati dish but Rajasthan Gives it a different magical touch and Thus end up in making it one of the most popular local delicacies. If one want to try this awesome sweet dish one can just visit places such as “Bombay Misthan Bandhar” around M.I road and can fulfil the urge of their sweet taste buds.

2-The second one is one of my favourite “Pyaaz-Kachori” which is shaped like a circular dish and is filled with pyaaz and spices and is one of the best options for people to curb their craving of eating spicy Food but there is a twist in the tale as Jaipur add to this kachori its own mix of Kadi and Khatti-Meethi Chatni and guys believe me or not you can’t ignore to savour the taste of this awesome mix of utter goodness. One more thing I want you all to know that not being a regionalist one can’t find Pyaaz Kachori similar to Rajasthan anywhere in the world. The option for the people who can’t digest the spices is that of “Mawa-Kachori” which sweet dish version of kachori is. Guys just park your vehicles around “Rawat Misthan Bandhar” at “sindhi camp” and Take your stomach right in.

3-The Third one may confuse many who considered Rajasthan as the abode of veggies and this dish is the most recommended for the Non-vegetarians and the name is “Lal Maas”. Lal Maas comes straight from the Royal Palaces of Rajasthan but now it’s not confined to the royal kitchens only as one can easily find it many of the restaurants, small scale to large scale in and around Jaipur. With this no list of the Foodies in India and is complete. If you want to experience the exuberant taste of Lal Maas just hover to “Handi Restaurant” at M.I road and enjoy your Non-Veg weekends.

4-If you have been to Rajasthan or are planning to visit it (Remember to plan your travel in winters) you must Know about Gatte Ki Sabzi which is a Gram flour dumplings flavoured with dry spices, steamed and then dunked into a yoghurt based curry. This delicacy traditionally has been the part of Rajasthani Thali and without it no Rajasthani Fooding is complete. It is an important part of the Rajasthani Thali and is the most popular curry apart from Papad ki Sabzi and Ker Sangri. This dish can be found in numerous places in and around Jaipur but one place which must be visited is “Choki Dhani” situated on Tonk Road and is one of the popular places in Jaipur but still it retains its Desiness and hence must be accessed.

5-The last but not the least is one more delicacy from the far lands of Punjab and it’s popularly known as “Lassi”. Lassi is a popular, traditional, yogurt-based drink. Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices and sometimes, fruit. Traditional Lassi is a savoury drink, sometimes flavoured with ground and roasted cumin. Sweet Lassi, however, contains sugar or fruits, instead of spices. Lassi can cool your body in the most heated of environments and you will love to have it more than once at one go even if your pockets don’t allow it. Lassi is available in packaged form but when mixed with the desiness of Rajasthan it takes this drink to the next level of awesomeness. If you want to enjoy this version of Lassi you can always go to Lassiwala at M.I road which is quite known but one still most don’t know about is a Lassi shop at Barkhat Nagar Jaipur which is equally good and is less expensive.

One of the most popular dish that is Daal Baati is opted out by me because most people already know about it, most have tasted it as well and can be easily found in any general guide or even a 6^th Class GK book.

So we come to an end this time but I will be always trying to bring you quality content regarding Indian cuisine as well as global cuisine and also do my best to serve up your stomach needs.

For this time its Manvendra Singh rounding this off.

 About the Author

Hailing from Kota, the education city of Rajasthan; Manvendra is an avid reader. He is a great foodie and have experienced diverse delicacies of India. Being from the heritage state of Rajasthan, he is also a traveller and has been to Maharashtra, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and other various hotspots of tourist attraction.He believes that one should be dedicated to protection and preservation of one’s Heritage apart from exploring it.He also has a profuse interest in writing poetry about Nature. 

Manvendra has also devoted his time for social work and for being an asset to the society. Pursuing his B.A LLB from NLU, Assam he had worked for various organisations such as PUCL Jaipur, Model Governance Foundation, IDIA, and Amnesty International. He dreams of travelling around the world and experience life from every possible perspective. His other interests include reading novels, playing sports such as Boxing, indulging in Social Networking, working for the society and listening to music.