Must try recipes: A Royal Rajasthani feast!

Presenting the bestselling recipes from Jodhpur, the land of the kings.

Mumbai-based food consultant Geetanjali Gurbaxani has chronicled her gourmet trip to Jodhpur, Rajasthan and turned it into a book.

Jodhpur -- An insight to a gourmet destination presents a wide range of recipes from the royal kitchens of the city.

We bring you some recipes from the book courtesy chef M A Sayyad from Ranbanka Palace, a heritage property.

Ker Sangri

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp ker
½ cup yogurt
1 tbsp oil
2 whole red chillies
Ajwain
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsp coriander leaves
1 cup sangri
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp desi ghee
½ tsp amchoor powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste

Method

Soak the ker and sangria in adequate water for 2 hours.
Boil it for 10 to 12 minutes till al dente.
Heat oil and ghee in a kadai.
When hot, add in the chopped garlic, whole red chillies, garlic paste, ajwain, amchoor powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder.
Saute for a minute then add in the beaten yogurt. Mix well.
Add in the ker and sangri.
Adjust seasonings.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Jodhpuri Bharwan Karela

Bharwan Karela
Serves 6

Ingredients

6 karelas
1 tbsp desi ghee
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp ginger garlic, chopped,
1 tbsp oil
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
½ cup onion chopped
½ tsp amchoor powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garlic hopped
2 tbsp coconut powder
½ tsp mustard seeds
3 tbsp tomatoes chopped
Coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method

Peel the karelas and keep the trimmings aside.
Slit the karela lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Apply turmeric powder and salt to the karela. Keep aside for 2 -3 hours.
To make the stuffing, heat oil in a kadai.
When hot, add in the cumin seeds, mustard seeds.
When they crackle, add in the chopped ginger garlic and saute it.
Add in the chopped onion, tomatoes, turmeric powder, amchoor powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, coconut powder and salt.
Saute till the mixture leaves the oil.
Drain water from karelas and stuff this filling into them.
Tie with a cotton thread.
Heat oil in a kadai.
When hot, add in the karelas one at a time.
Fry till they are evenly golden brown in colour.
Cut the thread and serve hot.

Laal Maans

Ingredients

500 gm mutton, cut into cubes
4 tbsp desi ghee
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsp garlic paste
½ cup curd
½ tsp black peppercorns
3 green cardamoms
2 cardamom masala
3 tbsp oil
100 gm mathania, whole red chilies
A pinch of turmeric powder
2 tsp chilli powder
3 bay leaves
5 cloves
1 cup onion, chopped
Coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste

Method

Wash and cut the mutton into ½" chunks.
In a large bowl, mix together the curd along with garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt.
Marinade the mutton pieces in it.
Heat oil and ghee in a handi.
When hot, add in the whole garam masalas.
Add in the garlic, let it brown, then add in the onion.
When onion turns light brown in colour, add in the chilli paste.
Mix well, add in the marinated meat pieces.
Saute over low flame for 10 minutes.
Add in some hot water and let it cook till the mutton is tender. This will take approximately 45 minutes.
Adjust seasonings, garnish with coriander leaves and red chillies. Serve hot.

Jungli Murg

Ingredients

1 kg chicken
200 gm red chilli whole
1 ½ cup onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
200 gm desi ghee
4 tbsp garlic chopped
Salt to taste

Method

Deseed the red chili and boil it and make it into a paste.
Cut the chicken into small chunks.
Heat ghee in a kadai.
When hot, add in the bay leaves and garlic, let it brown, then add in the onion.
When the onion is light brown in colour, add in the chilli paste. Mix well.
Add in the chicken pieces. Sauté it till it gets cooked.
Add in the salt. Mix well. Serve hot.

Rabri Ghewar

Ingredients

500 gm refined wheat flour
50 ml ghee
1500 gm sugar (for sugar syrup)
5 ml rose water
825 ml water
500 ml milk
25 gm unsalted pistachios
0.5 gm saffron
125 gm sugar (for rabri)
50 gm whole wheat flour
3 kg ghee for deep frying
600 ml water (for sugar syrup)
2500 ml milk (for rabri )
1000 ml water
500 gm ice
3 to 4 sheets of silver warq
½ tsp citric acid

Method

In a large bowl, mix together the maida, atta and ghee.
Add 30 ml water in between intervals and mix well.
When the batter is ready, add in the ice and 500 ml milk. Mix well.
Add in a litre of water. Stir well.
Heat ghee in a kadai.
When hot, add in 50 ml of this batter to make a single ghewar.
Continue frying till the colour changes. Drain and set aside.
Repeat the same procedure again and continue frying till the batter lasts. This will take 30 minutes.
To make the rabri, mix together milk and sugar. Bring it to a boil, then simmer.
Cook till the rabri is made and is net weight 750 ml. This will take approximately 16 minutes.
To make the sugar syrup, bring together the sugar and water to a boil.
Simmer for a few minutes. Add in the citric acid.
Cool the syrup for 30 minutes.
Add ghewar in the sugar syrup. After a few minutes remove and serve hot with rabri.

Gond Pak

Ingredients

250 gm whole wheat flour
250 ml ghee
100 gm gond
10 gm black pepper corns
10 gm saunth
375 gm sugar
125 ml cold water
5 gm green cardamom
50 gm almonds
50 gm raisins
25 gm pistachios

Method

Place the gond in a dry blender and grind.
Heat ghee in a kadai.
When hot, add in the gond.
When cooked, drain and set aside.
Add the whole wheat flour and cook over low flame for 40 to 45 minutes till it is well roasted and the colour has changed to a light brown.
Add in the sugar and gond. Mix well.
Add in the cold water.
Add in the raisins, almonds, pistachios, cardamom, black pepper corns, and saunth. Serve immediately.

Excerpted from the book Jodhpur -- An insight to a gourmet destination by Gitanjali Gurbaxani and published with the kind permission of publishers, Notion Press.