The sweltering desert of Marwar reminds us of two things: Firstly being the valor of the Rajputana and secondly being the heat from their Red Chillies. The desert cuisine has been for long an unexplored cuisine. Due to the lack of innumerable spices, the Marwari cuisine sources its taste from garlic and chillies. Loaded with ghee, The Royal Cuisine of Marwar is a sinful delight. Chef Rohit Tokhi brings to life this fiery cuisine with some authentic dishes from the hinterlands of Marwar. Dilli 32 at Kempinski Ambience Hotel, Vivek Vihar is hosting this culinary extravaganza up until 10th May 2015. Aptly titled “Royal Cuisine of Marwar”, the menu brings to life some of Rajasthan’s proudest creations.
Start off your journey with either the thirst quenching Aam Panna (INR 350) or the nutritious Raab (INR 350). The Raab impresses you with an earthy taste and a slightly granular texture as the buttermilk slides down your gullet.
The starters include some of Rajasthan’s proverbial dishes. The Pyaaz Ki Kachori (INR 650) is unlike anything you will have tasted before. It’s filled with cooked onions and there’s a zing from the dried mango powder. Its very unlike the travesty that is served in the fast food joints across the country where the condiments overpower the taste of the onions. The Mirchi Vada (INR 650) is another one of the quintessential Rajasthani street foods. The Mirchi stuffed in a potato served with a dollop of either mint or garlic chutney.
But the thing that impress the most are Chef Rohit’s non vegetarian creations. The Maans ro Boothan (INR 950) is mutton tenderized with figs and cooked in a marinate of onion and garlic. The Mutton not only separates of the bone but each individual fibre tears from one another with surprising ease. It explodes on the palate with a multitude of flavours mostly spicy and slight amount of tang. But it’s the Mokal which takes the honours. Painstakingly hand shredded Rabbit meat crisped and garnished with light flavours of lemon, almonds and nutmeg.
The Mains start off with Rajasthan’s all-time favourite, Dal Baati Choorma (INR 1000). Now this is one place where you see authenticity and experimentation on a single platter. While the Baatis are cooked in a traditional cow dung oven, the experimentation of the Choorma leaves you spellbound. In addition to your run of the mill Choorma, you have the steamed Besan Choorma and a Gulab flavoured Choorma to boost. The dal is heavy on asafoetida and ghee. Break the Baati and dunk it in the dal, where the three differently flavoured choormas send your taste buds in a tizzle.
The others to look out for in the vegetarian selection include the Pittod ro Saag (INR 900), the Raabori Hara Kanda (INR 900) and the Panchkutta (INR 900). In the non-vegetarian zone, the omnipresent Laal Maas (INR 1000) impresses with its distinct colour and flavour.
Combine these delicacies with a range of Indian breads ranging from the simple parantha to the Bajra Parantha and the Mirchi Parantha.
We end our meal with three of Chef’s classic beauties. The Malai Ghevar (INR 400) tingles you with its crispy texture underneath topped off with the sweet creamy exterior. The Mawa ki Kachori (INR 400) packs a powerful punch with the khoya stuffed crispy puri absorbing the sweet flavoured sugar syrup. But it’s the earthy Gahoon ri Lapsi that tears at your heart. Simple yet elegant, the broken wheat halwa is toppled over by loads of ghee which leaves a taste of royalty on your palate.
Chef Rohit Tokhi leaves no stone unturned in exploring through the intricacies of the Marwari cuisine and bringing them to life right next door in Delhi NCR. Come over for a taste of Royalty this summer season at Dilli 32, Kempinski Ambience Hotel.
Disclaimer : The sizes of the dishes are for presentation purposes only.
