Rajpootana Kitchen 3.44

Delhi, the unprecedented food capital of India offers myriad cuisines. Dhabas to the Bukharas, Dampukhts or Dakshins, celebrity owned restaurants to popular world cuisine in premium 5 star hotels. Hyderabadi, Awadhi, Kashmiri, Coastal and Malvani , Andhra, Kerala, Chettinad and the obvious Punjabi fare; you have it all but have you ever thought that you have actually been deprived of Asli (authentic) and ‘true blue’ Rajasthani Cuisine. All we know of this fabulous and varied cuisine is Laal Maas and its many versions may be from a brief trip to Jaipur, one don’t even look at the menu before placing an order; “LAAL MAAS”, Kair Sangri or Gatte Ki Sabzi.
Life in the capital and around allows us a great culinary – scape and we succumb to it either due to our busy schedules or simply because after a long day at work we have no energy to enter the kitchen. Increasingly simple and wholesome home cooked food is at the mercy of part time cooks are simply moved to the weekend if at all. Do we all not crave for the flavours and natural goodness of home cooked food.
Rajpootana Kitchen is here to change that as we bring to you “asli rajasthani khana”, some simple and every day, some exotic dishes from the Royal House of Bhainsrorgarh by Mrs. Vrinda Kumari Singh and Hemendra Singh of Bhainsrorgarh. Hemendra and Vrinda are owners and host of a Boutique Heritage Hotel - Bhainsrorgarh Fort which is a very popular destination with the International as well as Indian Travelers. The food served here is from their closely held family recipes as well as some they have created. Passionate about cuisine both Vrinda and Hemendra feel that rich recipes are rich not because of the ghee /oil content and heavy ingredients but richness of a dish is more to do with procedure, the time dedicated and efforts that goes into preparing them. That skill and devotion, eye for presentation and feel for flavour inherent to great cuisine is an art in its own right.
Rajasthani cuisine ranges from Vegetarian Thali food which originates from the Baniya and Brahmin households to the basic non vegetarian simple curries of regular homes to the more exotic Royal Cuisines of the Rajas and Maharajas. Regional variations depend on food habits that change with the terrain people inhabit; seasons and the festivals have great impact on food, ingredients used and the way it is presented. Kair and Sangri are staples of Western Rajasthan which is mostly Desert and vegetables were scarce. Kair is a berry and Sangri is slender bean of a tree called Khejri, both can be dried and stored for years. Then there are recipes added over generations from different kingdoms in India like Kashmir, Awadh, Bhopal, Hyderabad and Mughalia Sultanat hence the obvious Islamic flavours in some of the dishes.
Marriage alliances contributed to the family through the bride who came from another region, adding to the never ending list of recipes and its unique variations each family held. The intermingling of different cultures and cuisines with local spices gave birth to new recipes