Characteristic products
Rajasthan's largely arid climate limits agriculture. The state accounts for less than 1% of national rice production, although it is the country's5th largest wheat producer. Millet, a cereal that requires little water, is widely cultivated. Lentils, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, onions and other vegetables complete the picture. Other desert plants include the ghaf, or sangri, a tree whose long pods are prized as vegetables, and the ker, a cousin of the caper, whose berries are eaten. Located on the edge of the Ganges plain, Agra and New Delhi traditionally boast a greater diversity of products, reflecting their past and present role as capital cities, as well as a more humid climate conducive to a wide variety of crops.
"India" and "spices" often seem to be synonymous, so ubiquitous is their use in the country's cuisine. Pepper, turmeric, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, saffron, bay leaves, coriander and, of course, chillies are everywhere.Ajowan, cumin's cousin,asa-foetida or hing, known for its pungent smell, and fenugreek, with its bitter seeds, are also popular herbs. The cuisines of Rajasthan and Delhi are far from the most spicy in the country, but some dishes can be formidable. Ask for " not spicy " dishes in restaurants to avoid a few unpleasant surprises. Ghee and dahi are two fundamentals of North Indian cuisine. Ghee, or clarified butter, stands up very well to high cooking temperatures and often replaces oil. According to Hinduism, it preserves food purity better than oil or water. Used in the majority of dishes, dahi, or yoghurt, compensates for the harshness of certain spices. Served plain, yoghurt can be mixed with the fruit or vegetables of the dish it accompanies. It can also be used as a base for cold drinks or other accompaniments. Paneer is a cheese similar to mozzarella, but which does not melt when cooked.
Breads play an essential role in Indian cuisine, particularly in the north of the country, where khooba roti is a typical Rajasthani flatbread, recognizable by its characteristic indentations. Another local bread, bajre ki roti, is a millet-flour cake. Other breads include naan, of course, which originated in Persia. Made from wheat and sourdough, naan is baked on the hot walls of a tandoor, an underground clay oven filled with embers. Chapati is an unleavened cake, often made with wholemeal wheat, popular throughout the country. Very tasty, missi roti is a flat bread flavored withajowa seeds, fenugreek andasa-foetida powder. The popular bhatura is a puffed fried bread that forms a pocket thanks to the steam inside. Finally, bakarkhani roti - typical of Mughal cuisine - is a crunchy flatbread with black cumin seeds.
Between Rajasthan and the Delhi region, meat consumption is quite different. Brahmins consider it impure. Out of devotion, other Hindu castes have taken to not eating it, even though they are not obliged to. Yogis also advise against "rajastic" meat diets, i.e. those that can give the mind an aggressive or unbalanced character, as opposed to "satvic" foods (fruit, vegetables, dairy products, etc.), which would bring serenity and harmony. Purely vegetarian restaurants serving Rajasthani cuisine are known as " marwari bhojnalaya ".
It's also worth noting that cows are sacred in India, and of course the overwhelming majority of Hindus would never dream of eating them in any form. With some 89% Hindus in Rajasthan, its consumption is therefore extremely rare, not to mention the fact that the population is also predominantly vegetarian. Beef consumption is more common among Muslims, but the slaughter of a cow always causes serious discord between communities. Some Muslim restaurants therefore display the sign " No beef " on their storefronts to avoid offending Hindus. The consumption of chicken or mutton is much more common and gives rise to no conflict.
The maharajas, however, were great hunters and did not shy away from eating game. It's also worth noting that many meat-based recipes date back to the Muslim invasions and were introduced in particular by the Mughals. This dynasty of Turko-Mongol origin came from Central Asia, where the diet includes a significant proportion of meat and dairy products. Although strongly influenced by Persian culture, the Mughals retained their culinary traditions - albeit in a more sophisticated form - and, in northern India, many meat dishes, particularly grilled ones, have their roots in the Muslim community.
In markets and small restaurants, where hygiene is sometimes questionable, avoid raw vegetables, which are often washed in dubious water, and unpeeled fruit. Also avoid fruit juices cut with water (ask for them without ice cubes or water), and ice creams sold on the street. Regular hand-washing is all the more important in India, where eating is traditionally done with the right hand, the left being considered impure. However, spoons are available in most restaurants. For those a little sensitive to the power of Indian cuisine, more Western dishes - of varying quality - are readily available in the shopping malls of major cities and other tourist attractions.
The classics of Rajasthani cuisine
Locals are fond of chaat, savory snacks often deep-fried, such as kachori, flaky fritters usually filled with lentils. In Rajasthan, pyaaz kachori (originally from Jodhpur) are stuffed with a mixture of onions spiced with fennel, cumin, turmeric and chilli. Kachoris are usually served with coriander and mint, and a date and tamarind chutney. Lasun ki chutney is a very garlicky compote with chilli and grated coconut, very popular. Mirchi vada is a chili pepper stuffed with cauliflower or potato puree, coated in doughnut batter and deep-fried. Bikaneri bhujia are spicy noodle-shaped crackers made with bean and lentil flour. A summer favorite, watermelon curry consists of large cubes of this juicy fruit in a spicy watermelon juice sauce.
Dahi baray or dahi vada consists of vada (spicy lentil flour fritters) topped with a yoghurt sauce of varying degrees of spiciness. Closely related, gatte ki sabzi is a curry of steamed and lightly fried chickpea flour dumplings in a spicy sauce with tomatoes, buttermilk and spices. The dal baati consists of a dal (spicy lentil curry) and baati, unleavened hard rolls soaked in ghee. This dish is accompanied by churma, made with crumbled baati. Papad ki sabzi is a curry based on coarsely broken papads (thin lentil cakes) in a yoghurt sauce with chickpea flour, chili, turmeric and coriander. Finally, kadhi is prepared with the same yoghurt-chickpea sauce, but topped with pakora (vegetable fritters).
In this predominantly vegetarian state, the most famous meat dish is laal maans. Traditionally prepared with wild boar or deer, today it consists of mutton, cooked in a rich sauce of red chillies, garlic, onions and fermented milk. The milder safed maas is a delicately spiced mutton stew with yoghurt, milk and cashew and almond puree. Ker sangri is a dish of sangri pods - ghaf - and ker berries, known for their pungent, peppery flavor. This recipe is particularly symbolic of Rajasthani cuisine, as it is said that during a severe drought, villagers were able to survive the famine thanks to these two plants, which were the only ones to survive the lack of rain. Raab is a thick soup made from slightly sweet millet flour(bajra), with pepper, cumin andajowan seeds.
The Mughal gastronomy of Delhi
Also known as " Mughlai cuisine", the specialties of Delhi - and nearby Agra - include many internationally renowned Indian dishes. Savory snacks, or chaat, include samosa and pakora. Papi is a small fried patty filled with chickpeas, potatoes, yoghurt and tamarind chutney. Puri is also a patty, fried and puffed, served with vegetables. Less fatty,idli is a steamed rice flour bun. This South Indian specialty, served for breakfast with chutney, has become a classic throughout the country. The term " thali " refers to a complete plate with rice in the center, surrounded by small portions of curry, meat, vegetables, sauces and so on.
A great Delhi classic, murgh makhani or butter chicken is a dish of chicken cooked in a rich, spicy sauce made with tomato, onion, butter, cream and yoghurt. Introduced with the Mongol invasions of South Asia and Persia, kofta is a spicy meatball. In India, it has been adapted into a vegetarian version (based on potatoes, chickpeas and/or cauliflower). One example is the delicious potato malai kofta, served in a spicy yoghurt sauce. Another Turkish-Mongol element, kebab is very common in India. Nothing to do with our doner kebab, here it's a skewer of grilled minced meat, also known as shikh kebab. There are also vegetarian versions with paneer (cheese). Note the shahi paneer, a paneer curry with tomatoes, onions, cashew puree, clarified butter and cream. The term " shah " (emperor) reminds us that it was served at the Mughal court.
Originally from Kashmir, korma is emblematic of Mughlai cuisine. Generally based on chicken or lamb, sometimes with vegetables, this stew is made with a creamy sauce of almond or cashew purée, yoghurt and various spices. Although the tandoor oven is thought to have originated in the Punjab, in northern Rajasthan, tandoori chicken has long since become a popular dish in the region. The chicken is marinated overnight in a yoghurt and spice preparation, then baked in the oven. Chicken tikka is similarly marinated and cooked, but the meat is cut into cubes. Please note: the chicken tikka masala (in sauce) found in the West is probably an English invention, and in India you'll find it mainly in tourist restaurants. This is also true of our chutneys, a kind of spicy jam in Europe, which in India are generally prepared with fresh ingredients, although sometimes cooked too, without excessive sugar. Finally, raita, yoghurt with cucumber, mint, tomato, etc., served chilled, is ideal for soothing the palate after a spicy dish.
Desserts and drinks
Among Rajasthan's most popular sweets are ghevar, a deep-fried, crisp cookie soaked in syrup and sweetened condensed milk, then decorated with chopped almonds, originally from Jaipur. Balushahi are small, soft fritters in syrup. Churma ladoo are small balls of cookie crumbs bound with caramel and rolled in poppy seeds. The mawa kachori is a sweet kachori, i.e. a crumbly doughnut, here garnished with walnuts and pistachios. Chhena malpua are fresh cheese or paneer pancakes soaked in cardamom syrup. Very nourishing, doodhiya kheech is a porridge made with wheat and milk, flavored with saffron and cardamom, and sprinkled with almonds and walnuts. Dilkushar are mithaï - melt-in-the-mouth morsels halfway between cake and nougat - made with chickpea flour, milk curd, almond and cardamom, and topped with pistachios. Very similar,alwar ka mawa is slightly spongier.
But you'll also find other Indian pastry classics, particularly in Delhi. These include gulab jamun, milk curd doughnuts soaked in rosewater and saffron syrup, and barfi, sweetened condensed milk mithai. The diamond-shaped kaju ki barfi are made with cashew nuts and usually decorated with varq (silver leaf). Modak are bulbous or pear-shaped steamed bites filled with coconut, jaggery (palm sugar), nutmeg and saffron. Kheer is a rice pudding flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews and pistachios.Aam shrikhand is a yoghurt-based pudding flavored with mango, while gajar ka halwa is a grated carrot compote with condensed milk and walnuts. Of Mughal origin, shahi tukda is a rich saffron-infused French toast. Finally, kulfi is a frozen dessert made with condensed milk, flavored with saffron, cardamom, pistachio and almonds.
Fresh fruit juices are delicious and can be bought on every street corner in fresh juice shops. Make sure your juice is not cut with running water. Lassi is yoghurt beaten until frothy. It can be enhanced with a touch of salt or fruit, such as mango or banana. Tea - black - or chai is THE national drink in India. Mixed with milk and sugar, then spiced with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and pepper, it becomes masala chai. You'll find it absolutely everywhere: in the street, on the menu of any restaurant or dhaba, in railway stations, on the train, etc. Tea is grown in Assam, Darjeeling (West Bengal) and Kerala. Indians are not big coffee drinkers, and their coffee is often quite mediocre, although more and more locals, often young people, are enjoying the tastier coffees available from large Western chains.
As for alcohol, beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the country, notably Kingfisher, India's most famous beer. You'll also find wine, produced in the state of Maharashtra, of varying quality. Some of Rajasthan's royal families had their own liqueurs produced, and while many recipes have been lost over time, the Royal Heritage Liqueur brand has attempted to revive this ancient tradition. Their signature liqueur, Chandra Haas, is a blend first concocted in 1863 with nearly 80 herbs, including saffron, rose, white sandalwood, nutmeg and aniseed. In some of Rajasthan's sacred cities, such as Pushkar and Nathdwara, the consumption of alcohol is prohibited.
