India on My Platter (11 page)

5 September / Udaipur

The 420 km from Jaipur to Udaipur was very pleasant. The journey on the highway was smooth and the arrival of the monsoon made the experience very enjoyable. I arrived in the City of Lakes to taste the famous
mirchi vada
(chilli cutlet) at Jayesh Mishthaan Bhandaar. Besides their famous snack, their
samosas
and
kachoris
were also very popular. I met Sanjay Bajaj who explained that even though the principal ingredient in the
mirchi vada
was a chilli, the
mirch
wasn’t as spicy as one would assume. They were almost like jalapenos. These chillies were fat and bright green. The process involved deseeding them and then stuffing them with a potato mixture, similar to that of the Jaipur
kachoris
that I had mentioned previously. The only difference was the
amchoor
chutney (a spicy condiment similar to a dip made with dry mango powder) mixed into the filling. The chilli was then deep fried with a thick gram flour batter. The hot crispy
mirchi vada
was served with sweet and spicy chutney made of coriander and tamarind. Sold at a modest price of Rs. 20, it was a common breakfast item, popular amongst the residents of Chetak Circle, named after the famous battle horse of Maharana Pratap. I had come to realise that the quality of spices used in this region was exceptional. In fact, when in Udaipur, I suggest stocking up on local spices; hence, a short visit to the Dhan Mandi is a must.

The real reason I had decided to visit Udaipur was to experience the Fatehgarh Fort. Perched on top of a hill, just 20 minutes from outside Udaipur city, it is a very recent addition to the heritage hotel circuit, but surprisingly looks older than it really is. Mr. Jitender Singh Rathore, a member of the royal family of Kelwa, manages the fort. It boasts of a 360° panoramic view of the Aravallis. Before I go on to narrate my experience with the royals, I have to mention my meeting with the grandmaster of
pagdi
(Rajasthani turban) making, Mr. Mahinder Singh Parihar. He welcomed me with the traditional Rajasthani greeting, ‘
Khamma ghani sa,’
meaning hello. He had specially made a
pagdi
for me with the colours of the Indian flag, which I was going to wear to my royal dinner in the evening. Interestingly, he holds the record of making the longest
pagdi
in the world, with the cloth measuring half a kilometre in length.

Soon, it was evening and I felt lucky enough to be dining with the descendants of the Kelwa lineage. The dinner was at the fort which was made of antique stone and architectural elements that had been taken from abandoned buildings. I was served a Royal Mewar
thali.
As a general rule, Mewari cuisine focuses on fresh vegetables, mostly maize and its by products. Their dishes are originally slow-cooked on beds of coal. Amongst all the dishes that I had, the memorable one was the
ker sangri sabzi:
a subtle mix of dried berries and beans cooked in Mewar spices. This was followed by
maas ka sula,
a type of barbequed meat. A special vegetarian dish called
khada palak
was served. It had baby spinach leaves stir-fried with whole garlic, cumin and red chillies; this dish was rustic as well as delicate in taste. My favourite was the
gulab ki kheer
made of fresh rose petals, dry fruit and milk.

My contribution to this grand meal was the
Chocolate-Cashew
Laddu.
Mewari cuisine uses a lot of dry fruits in their dessert and so does this
laddu
(Indian sweet made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and shortening, which is shaped into a ball). It was my chance to experiment and cook on the roof top of this gorgeous fort overlooking the city. This meal marked the end of my journey in Rajasthan. Whether it was
gulabo mirchi
or
gulab ki kheer,
Rajasthan was truly multi-coloured in every sense of the term.

C
HOCOLATE
-
C
ASHEW
L
ADDU

(Sweet cashew nut and chocolate balls.)

Ingredients

Method

1.  Dry roast the cashew nuts for two minutes and allow them to cool.

2.  In the mixer, make a coarse powder out of the cashew nuts.

3.  Heat a pan, add the rose water, water and then sugar.

4.  When the sugar melts and it reaches a string-like consistency and bubbles rise, it is ready. If the sugar syrup becomes too thick, add a bit of water to thin it down or the cashew nuts won’t mix properly.

5.  Then add cardamom powder, saffron, cashew powder and
ghee.
Mix thoroughly in the sugar syrup.

6.  Switch off the gas. Let the preparation sit for 10 minutes.

7.  Apply
ghee
on your palm and while the mixture is still warm make small balls.

8.  Now coat these with chocolate nibs or shavings. Put this in the fridge for five minutes.

9.  Once cooled, the
laddus
are ready to be binged on.

D
AY
32

Today, I would be travelling from one end of the Thar desert to another end: the Rann of Kutch.

D
AY
33

7 September / Dasada, Rann of Kutch

After the spicy food of Rajasthan, it was time for the vibrancy of Gujarat. I was on my way to the Rann of Kutch. By now, I had travelled almost 5000 km. Every 100 km, I could see a change in India. By that average, I had already seen 50 different shades of India thus far. I knew Gujarat had something new in store for me. It is believed that if you haven’t seen the Rann, you haven’t seen anything. That was the reason I was headed for Dasada village. The Rann of Kutch is a seasonal salt marsh, located in the Thar Desert in the Kutch district of Gujarat, India, and the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is reputed to be the largest salt desert in the world.

I got the opportunity to stay at the Rann Riders Resort, designed to resemble the villages in Gujarat. The most popular attraction of Dasada is the safari trail, through the ‘Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary’ of the Little Rann of Kutch, that stretched over 5000 sq km. The day we reached, our agenda was to explore Kutchi Cuisine, so I set out to meet the chef of the resort. He explained that Kutchi food was very similar to the food of the Jain community. There are no root vegetables in their cuisine and they follow pure vegetarianism. A few of the extremely popular dishes are
bajra ka rotla,
and
khichdi,
a simple combination of rice and lentils, made fancy with the use of accompaniments like, jaggery, butter, and
papad.
My personal favourite was the tomato
sev sabzi.
It was made of tomato, cooked like a spicy compote, and garnished with fried shredded gram flour bits. Another interesting accompaniment to the main meal was the garlic chutney that was very spicy and pungent.

D
AY
34

8 September / Mandvi and Rajkot

I woke up early that morning to experience the Dasada Wildlife Sanctuary firsthand. I was being guided by Mr. Mozaid, who was also the owner of the resort where I was staying. It had been raining for the past few days, so the sanctuary was a bright shade of green. The air was crisp and I stood tall in my jeep as we drove through the park. The sanctuary is said to have 2100 animals and I had the good fortune of spotting the wild asses, Siberian cranes and blue bulls. Close to the sanctuary were the salt marshes with large white pyramids of salt. I took some in a small bag for myself as a memento; as I looked around I noticed how barren, yet astoundingly beautiful, it looked. For those visiting Gujarat, this place is a must, and has to be seen to be believed. Salt is prepared out of saline sea water and the entire area is a major contributor to the entire salt production of the country.

After the marshes, I headed 150 km south towards the coastline; the destination was Mandvi, known for its silver sand beaches and the Vijaya Vilas Palace. The crafts of Mandvi are famous all over the world. Tie and dye, commonly known as
bandhani,
originated here. A highly skilled procedure, the designs are outlined on the fabric and the cloth is dyed in various colours. Thereafter, ornaments like small mirrors and shells are added to the fabric. I couldn’t resist buying one for my mother. In exchange for showing me all the wonderful cloth work, I decided to make a fruit biryani (I named it
Kashmir Ki Kali
) for Ismail Chacha, the owner of the tie and dye shop, who graciously took me around and patiently explained and answered my queries.

K
ASHMIR
K
I
K
ALI

(Flavoured rice cooked with fresh fruits.)

Ingredients

Method

1.  Heat the
ghee
and when it is hot, add the cumin seeds.

2.  When the cumin changes colour, add the asafoetida, fennel seed powder, apples, pears and guava. Sauté.

3.  Add beaten yoghurt, chilli powder, garam masala, dry mango powder to the mixture and sauté for three to four minutes. Add the rice (that has been soaked in water for 30 minutes).

4.  Pour the milk and water. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Then lower the flame so that it simmers. Add the sugar, saffron, cinnamon and bayleaf.

5.  Cover the lid and cook for 12-15 minutes.

6.  Switch off the gas. Remove the lid, add the sapodilla, pomegranate and cardamom powder. Finish with the Panadanas syrup.

7.  Open the biryani up after an hour or so and enjoy with pickles and
raita
(an Indian condiment of yoghurt containing chopped cucumber or other vegetables and spices).

∼

One of the reasons I had decided to come to Mandvi was the
dabeli,
a Gujarati burger made with a distinct potato masala stuffed in a soft
pav
bun. Served with many chutneys—tamarind, date, garlic, red chillies—it is filled with pomegranates, roasted peanuts and
sev
(fried shredded gram flour bits). What sets
dabeli
apart is its masala consisting of a secret list of ingredients. Some of the ingredients are red chillies, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, coriander and black salt. I would still prefer to buy it from a local store, rather than making this tedious recipe. The flavour is a winning combination of all the essential ones: salty, sweet, spicy and sour. It was invented way back in the 1960s, in Mandvi, and was at that time sold at the time for six paisa!

After a long drive, of nearly 400 km, we stopped at Chokhi Dhani in Piragarhi, 14 km from Rajkot. Here, I saw a Garba performance. Garba is a traditional dance form performed during the Navratras. The dance takes the formation of concentric circles, and it is heavily influenced by the Dandiya Raas, a dance in which women are beautifully dressed in ethnic outfits and jewellery. The songs usually revolve around the stories of Lord Krishna. I met a few couples dancing who immediately pulled me in, made me change into an event-appropriate outfit and taught me few basic steps of the dance. This made me realise that not only is Gujarati food inherently sweet, but so are the people. After they found out that I was a chef, they made sure I sampled Kathiawadi cuisine. We all ate together on the floor from a big
thali
(platter), on being served the food. Unlike Kutchi food, this cuisine is hot, spicy and salty. One of the most popular dishes of this cuisine is
dal dhokli,
made of
arhar dal
(split pigeon pea legume), flour, nuts and spices. My favourite was
undhiyo,
a traditional dish made with legumes, vegetables, coconuts and coriander. The Gujaratis are very fond of their accompaniments. With the main course, I sampled the
chunda,
a sweet and spicy jam made of grated raw mango.

Thus, we called it a day at Rajkot.

D
AY
35

9 September / Ahmedabad

Our next stop was Ahmedabad, the former capital of Gujarat. It is ranked third in the
Forbes
list of fastest growing cities of the decade. No wonder Gujaratis love to make money. Located on the banks of the river Sabarmati, 30 km away from the state capital Gandhi Nagar, Ahmedabad is filled with passionate, outgoing people who love to celebrate life. They are very particular about the food they eat. Few of the best
thalis
in India are available here.