Rajasthani cuisine

Rajasthani cuisineis the traditional cuisine of theRajasthanstate innorth-west India. It was influenced by various factors like the warlike lifestyles of its inhabitants, the availability of ingredients in an arid region and by Hindu temple traditions ofsampradayaslikePushtimargandRamanandi.Food that could last for several days and could be eaten without heating was preferred.
Scarcity of water and fresh green vegetables have all had their effect on the cooking. Signature Rajasthani dishes includeDal BaatiChurma,Panchratna Dal,Papad ro Saag, Ker Sangri,Gatte ro Saag.It is also known for its snacks likeBikaneri bhujia,Mirchi badaandKanda kachauri. Other famous dishes includeDal Baati,malaidar special lassi(lassi) andLashun ki chutney(hot garlic paste),Mawa lassifromJodhpur, Alwar ka mawa,MalpauasfromPushkarandrasgullafromBikaner, "paniya"and "gheriya" fromMewar.
Originating for theMarwarregion of the state is the conceptMarwari Bhojnalaya, or vegetarian restaurants, today found in many parts of India, which offer vegetarian food of theMarwari people. The history also has its effect on the diet as theRajputspreferred majorly a non-vegetarian diet while theBrahmins,Jains,Bishnoisand others preferred a vegetarian diet. So, the state has a myriad of both types of delicacies.
According to a 2014 survey released by the registrar general of India, Rajasthan has 74.9% vegetarians, which makes it the most vegetarian state in India.
Rajasthan is known for its RoyalRajwaadi cuisine(also known asRaajsi cuisine) which emanated from the culinary traditions of Royal courts and temples.
TheRajwaadi cuisineis characterized by high usage of dry fruits & milk products likeYogurtfor preparing rich gravies,ghee& butter for cooking & frying,mawa&chhenafor sweets, usage ofKesar,kewda water&rose waterand whole spices likejayaphal,javitri,cardamometc. for flavoring and aroma.
Often Rajwaadi food items are decorated with thin foils of gold & silver and also served in golden or silver 
crockery.
Rajasthani cuisine is also influenced by theRajputs, who traditionally consume sacrificial meat only. Their diet consisted ofgame meatwhich is procured only viaJhatkamethod. Some of the non vegetarian lamb dishes likeRatto Maans(meat in red gravy),Dhaulo Maans(meat in white gravy) andJungli maans(game meat cooked with basic ingredients).Another popular non vegetarian dish from Rajasthan isMaans ra Soola, which is a kind of spitted or skewered meat.Another dish isSohitaorSoyeta, delectably made from chicken, millets, ginger and chilli.
Apart from lamb, chicken and freshwater fish are also cooked; for exampleBhuna KukadaandMacchli Jaisamandi.Another royal non vegetarian recipe isKhadd KhargoshorKhadd Susalyois acurried rabbit dish, based on a traditional Indian hunter dish common in the days of the Rajput kings, where the rabbits would be wrapped in leaves and baked in a freshly dug pit which acted as an oven.Mokalis another non vegetarian dish which is prepared from rabbit meat cooked with lemon, almond and nutmeg.
Rajasthani cooking employs use ofBarbecue,grillingandbakingtechniques for preparing an array of foods.  Various cooking equipments are used in Rajasthani culinary tradition for this purpose. Every household has its own grill locally known by the nameSigdi(Sanskrit: शकटी,Śakṭī) orAngithi(Sanskrit: अग्निस्थिका,Agnisthikā). Clay ovens calledbhatthiortandoorare also very common.In fact, these clay ovens i.e.Bhatthi(Sanskrit: भ्राष्ट्रBhrāshtra) or tandoor originated in Rajasthan. Indus Valley site :Kalibanganin Rajasthan has the earliest archaeological evidence of using clay ovens resembling present day tandoors.TheseSigdis/Angithis/Bhatthisor tandoors would then be used for baking breads likeBaati,Angakadi,Baphla,Angarki roti,Kinwani roti(fermented flour roti). OftenSoolasofmaans(meat),macchli(fish) &chhena(cottage cheese) were barbecued using skewers in these clay oven.Khadd ka Pindis yet another barbecue technique employed by Rajasthan royal princes while their hunting expeditions.
Since Rajasthan is mostly an arid state,wheatandmilletsform the staple diet instead ofrice(which are common in rest of India).
Various breads are prepared from wheat liketawa roti,Angarki/Tandoori roti,Kinwani roti(naturally fermented flour roti) etc.Khoba Rotiis a special roti from Rajasthan which is prepared by pinching the dough to make a beautiful pattern of indentations on roti.It is very common to prepare large sized rotis calledRotlas/Bhakriusing flour of millets likeBajra (Pearl millet),Makai (Maize), Jowar etc.
Gram flour is usually mixed with wheat flour to preparemissi attawhich is then used to prepareMissi Roti. Sometimes, multigrain flatbread calledBejad Rotiis prepared by mixing wheat flour with jowar flour and besan.Tikkadis another typical Rajasthani bread which is prepared by blend of flours and vegetables.Kanda Tamatar TikkadandBajra Mooli Tikkadare some common variations ofTikkad.
Deep fried breads include:puris&kachauris(stuffed with dal pithi, vegetables, mawa etc.).Kanda Kachauri, prepared using stuffing of onion based mixture is a speciality of Rajasthani cuisine.Mawa Kachauriis sweet version of Kachauri stuffed withmawa.Jhakolma Puriis a speciality of Mewari cuisine which is a large sizedpuriprepared using wheat dough of flowing consistency.It is served withChana DalandAmchur chutney.
Pan cooked breads likeparathas(mostly stuffed with vegetables, dals orchhena),cheelas,pudlas,tikkads,malpuasetc. One unique paratha of Rajasthan isKorma ParathaorDal Churi Parathawhich is prepared usingkormaordal churi(semi crushed coarse lentils and its husk).Some common varaitions of Cheelas includeBesan CheelaandMogar Cheela. using Baked breads includeBaatis,Angarki roti/Tandoori roti,Angarki paratha,Kinwani rotietc.
Rajasthani culinary tradition is known for array of sweet dishes and desserts emanating fromNaivedhyatradition ofHindu temples.
Milk and its products likechhena, mawa, malai,makhan, ghee,rabdiare used abundantly in many of the Rajasthani sweets & desserts.
Owing to dry atmosphere of Rajasthan,Besan(gram flour) and lentils are also commonly used for preparing desserts apart from wheat flour.
TheVaishnavitetraditions of Rajasthan likePushtimarg,NimabarkaandRamanandiare known for theirNaivedheyaand Chhapan Bhog tradition in their temples. In this tradition, the temple deity is offered royally embellished food and sweets rich in dry fruits and milk products. These embellished sweets were then distributed amongst common people and devotees visiting the temple. Such culinary temple traditions were patronized by Rajput royals and wealthy Baniya merchants of Rajasthan.
In Rajasthan each and every festival and religious occasion is associated with some unique dessert. Some of the popular Rajasthani desserts are:
Other  popular sweets include:Jalebi,Imarti,Mawa Jamun,Rasgulla,Rabdi,Ras Malai,Palang Torh,Milk-Cake(Alwarka Mawa)etc.
Use of lentils and pulses is very common in Rajasthani cuisine. The combination of Dal & Roti forms the staple diet of Rajasthan.
Apart from lentil soups, a number of food preparations are made using lentils likemangodi,pakodas,pittod,gatte,sev,pappadetc. Gram flour calledbesanand moong flour calledmogarare frequently used in Rajasthani cuisine.
Some unique vegetables used in Rajasthan are:Ker(Capparis decidua),Sangri(Prosopis cineraria),Gunda(Cordia dichotoma),Kumatiya(Acacia senegal),Guar phali(cluster bean),Moringa(drumstick),Kikoda(spiny gourd),Kamal kakdi(lotus stem),Kachri(Cucumis pubescence),fogla,borkut ber,fofaliya(dry tinda). Other common vegetables of Rajasthan areAloo(potatoes),Kanda(onion),Bhindi(okra),Gajar(carrot) cucurbits like pumpkin and ash gourd. Greens of Sarson (mustard), Chana (gram), bathua, methi (fenugreek) are also commonly used. Vegetable preparations are often calledSaag, while saucy preparations are calledTeewanorTeeman. The combo ofSaag & Rotaforms part of staple diet of Rajasthan.
Launji refers to sweet & tangy relish prepared from vegetables or fruits, which is served as an accompaniment in a Rajasthani meal.Variations of Launji include:
Many a times, sweet preserves are made from fruits and the preparation is calledChhunda. Some variations include:
Athana or Athano are pickles prepared in Rajasthani and North Indian cuisine. Some varaitions include:
An instant pickle is made from chopped green chillies is calledMirchi Tipore.This is different fromMirchi AthanaasTiporeis an instant pickle prepared using chopped chillies, whileMirchi Athanais prepared using whole slit chillies (usually stuffed).
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