Treading Gingerly

The rains bring their share of health problems. When a stomach ailment, or that dreadful feeling in the throat that tells me a virulent cold is on its way troubles me, I turn to an old friend from my kitchen for help. The little ingredients battles all germs with its sweet, if pungent, flavour. And miraculously, for me at least, the monsters retreat sheepishly.

I am, of course, talking about ginger, which is there in almost every kitchen in every Indian home. It’s a root that I am greatly fond of ---- and not only because its helps brave indigestion and colds. I like it more for what it does to food.

Ginger is traditionally been seen as an also- ran in the hierarchy of kitchen ingredients. But I have always believed that you can do wonder with ginger. I often cook something like chicken or mutton mainly with ginger. And I find that it’s a flavour you just can’t go with wrong.

I think I first learn the importance of ginger; it has all kinds of beneficial qualities. Ginger, many believe, helps tackle headaches, sore throats, sniffles, pains and stomach problems.

After every meal, or whenever I felt a bit heavy, I would go and eat a bit of ginger. I use to finely slice some ginger and keep it in cool place. In medicine, it is used as carminative and stimulant. It has wider applications in indigenous medicines. The ginger oil is used as food flavourant in soft drinks.

The other good thing about ginger is its piquant flavour. You can prepare all kinds of dishes with ginger as the main flavouring agent. Ginger is often used in Indian dishes along with onions and garlic, which have more overwhelming flavours and tend to suppress the taste of ginger.But there are great many recipes that rely primarily on ginger for its taste and flavour. You can cook chicken with ginger in different styles ------- Continental, Chinese, Southeast Asia or Indian.Actually, ginger can be used innovatively in all kinds of drinks and dishes.

Rajasthan is Famous for its Unique Cuisine

Rajasthan has an unusual diversity in its entire forms- peoples culture, costumes, music, manners, dialects, cuisine and physiography. The Rajasthani cuisine no doubt fulfils your palate leaving you to demand more and more. The mouthwatering, heavy and nutritious diet taken by Rajasthanis are world famous. Like the state itself, its inhabitants and their rich culture, Rajasthani cuisine is a splendid array of colorful, spicy and unique dishes.



Each region in India has its own traditional dishes and specialties. In the royal kitchens of Rajasthan food was very serious business and rose to the level of an art form. Hundreds of cooks worked in the stately palaces and kept their recipes a closely guarded secret. Some recipes were passed on to their sons and the rest were lost for ever. It became a matter of great prestige to serve extraordinary dishes to guests and the royal cooks were encouraged to experiment.


Rajasthan Cuisine:

Cuisines of Rajasthan have been greatly influenced by the climate of the state as well as the war conditions, which were quite frequent. Because of inadequate water, lack of green vegetables and other problems associated with the climate, Rajasthani cuisine developed a style of its own, to suit the conditions. Long lasting food, not requiring any heating, evolved because of the frequent wars fought by the state. Rajasthani cuisine is a splendid array of colorful, spicy and unique dishes. Rajasthan Food is an experience to be cherished.

Referred to as 'the land of Kings', Rajasthan boasts of many a fine kitchen - both within the palaces and outside. Princely kitchens have produced many an incomparable and exotic delicacy of shikar (game) meat. The smoked Rajasthani kebab - sule - is bare-be-cued in about a dozen different ways. At the other extreme is Maheshwari Cuisine or the vegetarian cuisine of the Maheshwars of the Marwar or the Jodhpur area. All this forms the Culture of Rajasthan.

Main Dishes:

Gram flour is a major ingredient here and is used to make some of the delicacies like Khata, Gatte Ki Sabzi and Pakodi. Powdered lentils are used for Mangodi and Papad. Bajra and corn are used all over the state for preparations of Rabdi, Khichdi and Rotis.
A soup of legumes, flavoured with red chilli peppers, yoghurt or milk and sometimes a vegetable such as Okra, Jackfruit, Eggplant, Mustard or Fenugreek leaf. The wealthy can afford to eat meat regularly, but many abstain for religious reasons. Though the Rajasthani kitchen was able to create much from little, it had also to cater to different communities with their own ritual observances.

Desserts:

Delectable Desserts
Besides spicy flavours, each region is distinguished by its popular sweets. Most people from Rajasthan have a natural liking for sweets or 'Mithai' as it is locally called. People residing in Rajasthan prefer 'Jalebis' and 'Fafda' with a large glass of hot milk in the morning. Each region has its own specialty. Laddoos from Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, Malpuas from Pushkar, Jalebies from most big cities, Rasogullas from Bikaner, Dil Jani from Udaipur, Mishri Mawa and Ghevar from Jaipur, Mawa Katchori from Jodhpur, Sohan Halwa from Ajmer, Mawa from Alwar, the list is unending.

Chutneys Galore:

Various chutneys are made from locally available spices like turmeric, coriander, mint and garlic. Perhaps the best-known Rajasthani food is the combination of dalbati and churma but for the adventurous traveller, willing to experiment, there is a lot of variety available.

Royal Repast

A long time ago, a friend got me a wonderful liqueur from Rajasthan. It was made out of rose petals for and by one of the royal families of the state. The liqueur was hard to get and was exorbitantly priced even in those relatively inexpensive days. But it was sublime. It had a wonder fragrance, was fiery, but as smooth as good single malt.

Rajasthan is full of all these creative people who stay hidden in some haveli ( the Islamic style of architecture and usually contain a courtyard often with a fountain in the center), but produce some of the most exotic things ever. You can picture them ------ all those wizened faces with curly, off white moustaches, wearing a colourful dotted pagdi, and wielding a mean karchi. Behind latticed windows and arched doorways, you can think of some rare meat cooking on slow fire.

Actually, not all this a imagination. Royal cuisine of Rajasthan as some like to call it -------- is being celebrated. The recipes have mostly travelled by word of mouth. The strenght and weaknesses of every region reflected in its food. Rajasthan is dry ---- of it used to be so till something called climate change reared its ugly head ----- and that is why vegetation ts sparse in the region. You do not find the lush green vegetables of Kerela or Bengal in Rajasthan ------ so vegetables don’t have much of role to play in its palace cuisine.

What Rajasthan does, or did have, is game. The maharajahs were all fond of hunting. The forested areas of Rajasthan had their share of wild animals and birds ------- partridge, quail, pheasant, deer, wild boars and so on. These days, of course, you can’t hunt any of these, but farmed birds are available, cooks are making do with substitute meat.

On the vegetarian front ------ though a good number of Rajasthanis are vegetarians. Vegetarian Rajasthan cuisine competes for pride of place with International Cuisines. The recommended gourmets delights in the restaurant is a meal starting with 'Besan ki Chakki & Gal ke Ladoo' followed by Kersangri, Methibadi,, Gatta & Sattakutta with Dahi Vada as an accompaniment. Do not forget to ask for Bajre ke Roti and Missi Roti as Breads with the meals. A truly enjoyable gourmet feast for the Bird watching connoisseurs and the discerning traveler.

Cooking in Rajasthan, North India has always been treated as an important art form and is an important part of Rajasthan's culture.