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.
CHOCOLATE-CASHEW LADDU
(Sweet cashew nut and chocolate balls.)
Ingredients
2 cups cashew nuts (kajus)
2 tsp rose water
3 tbsp water % cup sugar
¾ tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
8-10 strands saffron (kesar)
¼ cup clarified butter (ghee), melted
1 cup dark chocolate nibs or grated dark chocolate
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.
DAY 32
Today, I would be travelling from one end of the Thar desert to another end: the Rann of Kutch.
DAY 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.
DAY 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.
KASHMIR KI KALI
(Flavoured rice cooked with fresh fruits.)
Ingredients
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
2 tsp fennel seed (saunf), coarsely powdered
½ green apple
½ red apple
1 slice pear
1 cup guava, chopped
3 tbsp yoghurt, beaten
2 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp dry mango (amchoor) powder
1 cup basmati rice
1 cup milk
½ cup water
2 tbsp sugar
Few strands of saffron (kesar)
1-inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
1 bay leaf (tejpatta)
4 slices sapodilla (chikoo)
½ cup pomegranate kernels
¼ tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
Few drops of Panadanas syrup (kewra essence)
Salt to taste
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.
DAY 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.
I had the chance to meet my old chef friend Pranav Joshi, who ran his own culinary academy in Ahmedabad. He explained how most restaurants in the city served only vegetarian food. He also mentioned that the Gujaratis love experimenting and have taken to loving fusion food. To pay tribute to the city I was in, I decided to make a Spaghetti Moilee for Pranav and his students at the academy.
SPAGHETTI MOILEE
(Italian spaghetti tossed in south Indian curry.)
Ingredients
1 packet spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp mustard (sarson) seeds garnish
10 piece fresh curry leaves (kari patta), plus more for garnish
1-inch ginger (adrak), chopped
10 cloves garlic (lasun), chopped
2 medium onions, sliced
4 green chillies, stemmed, deseeded and cut lengthwise
1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
1 cup assorted vegetables (broccoli, peppers, peas), blanched
100 ml vegetable stock
2 cups or 400 ml coconut milk
Salt to taste
2½ tbsp lemon juice
1 medium tomato, cubed
50 gm Parmesan cheese
Method
1. Bring salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is tender. Drain and run it through cold water and keep it aside in a large serving bowl.
2. Heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. As they splutter, add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds.
3. Lower the heat and add ginger, garlic and onions. Cook until soft and translucent and the garlic turns golden; stir occasionally. Stir in the chillies, turmeric powder and the assorted vegetables.
4. Raise the heat to high and stir for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the stock and let it come to a boil. Now add coconut milk to this mixture. Do not over boil after adding coconut milk. It might split. Add salt to taste. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about six to seven minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick.
5. Add spaghetti to this reduced sauce. Cook for another three minutes or till the time the sauce coats the spaghetti. Now, stir in the tomato. Finally, drizzle lots of lemon juice and Parmesan cheese and serve hot.
∼
Pranav suggested that after a ‘fusion’ meal, we go out and have some paan (betel leaves prepared and used as a stimulant). Not just any paan but a Volcano paan. The reason why it is called so is that the conical stuffed leaf is made to sit flat, like a volcano, with a single clove at the top, which is then lit up, to resemble a volcano. Paan is a digestive, eaten after a heavy Indian meal. However, this paan had more to do with showmanship, a visual and gustatory experience, wrapped into one.
DAY 36
10 September / Ahmedabad
Today, I visited the Mahila Swashray Kendra in Ahmedabad. Here, fresh Gujarati breakfast items were made on a daily basis, by 110 strong independent working women. I met Madhav, who was overseeing the operations; he seemed very passionate about empowering women and making them self sufficient who could also support their families. I learnt how food had broken all social barriers and was a medium through which so many women were able to be proud employees of a morally-rich business endeavour.
The business was started by Madhav’s uncle, Mr. Kalyan, and his two Jain friends, in 1985. I was then introduced to a few of the main lady chefs. They explained to me that Gujarati breakfast, usually consisted of khakra (thin crackers made from mat bean, wheat flour and oil), khasta kachori (flaky crisp pastry filled with a moong dal mixture and deep fried), chakri (wheel-shaped crunchy snack), bhakri (round flat unleavened bread), gatiya (crunchy and spicy deep-fried strands made from gram flour dough), fafra (wafer-like thin fried crispbreads), and sev. I was lucky enough to sample a few of these breakfast items. I really liked the bhakad vadi, a spicy snack made of gram flour and refined flour. It is usually fried and looks like pinwheel cookies. I also learnt that every household had their own version of the khakra, but the version here, at the Mahila Swashray Kendra, was very popular because of the dry chutney served on top of the khakra. The chutney is made of chickpeas and peanuts. The chutney was made with sautéed gram flour, yoghurt, green chillies and black salt. Madhav also explained that they were also thinking of baking these snacks, instead of frying, as a medium of cooking.
It was a delight to see so many women together in one place, preparing the food from scratch, weighing it, packing and storing. With such tempting food around me, I took permission from the head chef, a lady called Jasodha Behen, and set up a small station to make Raw Banana Pakoras (fritters) with Khakra Canapés, my own twist to this story.
RAW BANANA PAKORAS WITH KHAKRA CANAPES
(Raw banana fritter served on a bed of thin crackers.)
Ingredients
1 cup green gram lentil (moong dal)
2 medium green chillies, chopped
1-inch fresh ginger (adrak),
grated
1-inch of asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 big raw banana
3 whole khakras
2 tbsp green chutney
Grated radish for garnishing
Oil for frying
Method
1. Wash and soak the green gram lentils for at least three to four hours so it is fluffy enough to make a pakora. Drain all the water out.
2. In the blender add the green gram lentils, green chillies, ginger and asafoetida and grind them. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if required for grinding it fine.
3. Transfer into a bowl and beat the batter well, so that air is incorporated and it gets fluffier.
4. Mix cumin powder, garam masala and salt in the batter. Check the consistency; it should be neither too thin nor thick.
India on My Platter Page 8
