Rajasthan -- Lunch Thali Recipe

Blogging Marathon# 39 – Indian States: Day 24
State: Rajasthan
Dish: Rajasthani Lunch Thali

Today we are going to the ‘Land of Kings or Land of Kingdoms‘, Rajasthan, previously known as Rajputana. It is India’s largest state by area and is located on the north western side of India. The main geographic features of Rajasthan are the Thar desert and the Aravalli Range. The northwestern region of Rajasthan is generally sandy and dry because of the Thar desert. The Aravalli range and the lands east and southeast of the range are generally more fertile and better watered.

When I think of Rajasthan, I think of the beautiful forts, palaces, colorful outfits and the colorful outfits. Like the many states I mentioned, my dad went to Rajasthan too for work years ago and brought us back lot of beautiful dress materials (for salwar kameez) and bed sheets. I still have a couple of dresses that I don’t wear often, but kept them for the memories and colors — the one you see in the background is from way back when 🙂

Cuisine: Rajasthani cuisine is very rich much like its culture. It is a splendid array of colorful, spicy and unique dishes. The Rajasthani platter is a gastronomic delight and if you have been to a Rajasthani restaurant you will know the amount of food they serve and the number of dishes/ courses they have — that is one belt bursting feast indeed.
Rajasthani cooking is influenced by the availability of ingredients in this arid region and the lifestyle of its inhabitants. Food that lasts for several days and that can be eaten without heating is preferred. Scarcity of water and green vegetables have all had their effects on the cooking.

Rajasthani cooking is influenced by the availability of ingredients in this arid region and the lifestyle of its inhabitants. Food that lasts for several days and that can be eaten without heating is preferred. Scarcity of water and green vegetables have all had their effects on the cooking.

Specialties: Churma, Gujia, Ghevar, Dal, Baati, Kachori etc.

Today’s Dish(es): I have tried quite a few Rajasthani dishes and posted them here. So for today, I made this Rajasthani thali one weekend and invited my sister and BIL for lunch. This was definitely a feast for us with all the different dishes. All thanks to Manjula the details on how and what to make for Rajasthani thalis.

I tried to keep the thali simple with dishes that can be made in less time. But I got overwhelmed when I had to take the pictures. There were so many dishes that I kept forgetting what I had made and finally realized that I completely forgot about Goond ki laddoo until after taking pictures and eating everything 🙁 Well anyway, we enjoyed the lunch thoroughly and had to take a long afternoon nap.

I’m doing the recipes in 3 posts because I didn’t want to overload one post with too many recipes. I’m posting the appetizer, bread, rice accompaniment and drinks recipes here. Hop over here (Rajasthani curries) and here (Goond ki Laddoo) for rest of the recipes.

This was our vegetarian Rajasthani Lunch thali menu:

Appetizer — Dal Pakoda

Breads — Missi Roti & Tawa pudi

Rice & accompaniments to go with rice — White rice with Kale Chana ki Kadhi

Curries: Panchmel Subzi, Subz Jaipuri, Dhana wadi/ Mung wadi cilantro curry

Sweets or Desserts: Goond ki Ladoo

Drinks: Chaas and Kesar Malai Lassi

Rajasthani Dal Pakoda: Recipe from Priya’s blog.

Rajasthani Dal Pakoda

Servings: 4-serving
Time: 60 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

Hearty and delicious Rajasthani Vegetarian Thali with Appetizer -- Dal Pakoda Breads -- Missi Roti & Tawa pudi Rice & accompaniments to go with rice -- White rice with Kale Chana ki Kadhi Curries: Panchmel Subzi, Subz Jaipuri, Dhana wadi/ Mung wadi cilantro curry Sweets or Desserts: Goond ki Ladoo Drinks: Chaas and Kesar Malai Lassi

Summary

Cuisine: Rajasthani
Style of Preparation: Vegan
Passive Time: 6~8 hours mins
Course: appetizer
Cooking Technique: Deep-Frying
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

¼ cup Split Moong dal

¼ cup Whole moong dal

¼ cup Split Urad dal

¼ cup Adzuki beans

¼ cup Chana dal

3 ~ 4 Green chilies – adjust as per taste

2” Ginger – chopped

3 ~ 4 cloves Garlic – minced

1 tbsp Fennel seeds – lightly crushed

2 tbsp Ground Coriander

¼ cup Cilantro – chopped

to taste Salt

Steps

Rinse and soak dals together for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Grind the dals into a coarse paste along with ginger, garlic and green chilies. Stir in finely chopped cilantro, fennel seeds, ground coriander and salt. Mix well.
Heat oil for deep frying. Add spoonful of batter into the hot oil and fry the fritters on medium flame until golden brown all over and cooked through. Adjust the flame to make sure that the pakora/ fritters are cooked all the way through.
Drain on paper towel lined plate and serve hot.

Tawa Pudi: Recipe from Manjula’s Rajasthani Festive Platter.

This roti uses the same dough that is used for pooris. Only difference is in the rolling out of the rotis, they are rolled out into a square shape instead of a round.