There are some moments in our lives that are etched in the memories forever. I look back at one such fond memory of watching the Hindi blockbuster movie titled “Jodha- Akbar” as a teenager in the theatre, along with the entire family including my not-so-enthusiastic-about-movies father. The motion picture did have something special, as this time we had him accompanying us too. There was so much excitement built up with the trailer and teasers we saw on the television and the canvas of the movie was a treat for the eyes. For days, me and my sister would mimic the scenes and dialogues from the movie. Whenever any of us would be mad at each other and wanted the other one out of sight, we barked the Urdu word ‘Takhliya’ aloud in a commanding tone. It sounded so funny that we ended up cracking in crazed laughter, my mother had a worried expression on her face when she saw her two demented girls this way.
There was one song- in particular a folk geet in Rajasthani local dialect during the scene where Queen Jodha (portrayed by actor Aishwarya Rai) is serving the royal food a – Rajasthani Thali to the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The lyrics of the song were not known to us , since it was not a proper song from the movie album , but rather a part of the background music. And since none of us had any connection with Rajasthan so obviously the words were unknown to us, but they always poured like sweet honey into my ears, the melody of the song was so beautiful. The Rajasthani Thaali in the movie was captured in such a way that it looked absolutely sumptuous and opulent, and in an instant I made up my mind to give it a try at least once in the lifetime.
Many years later, we got a chance to visit Jodhpur, the blue city of India. It is also called the Sun city or the City of Thar. Jodhpur is a historical city with a wonderful desert landscape laden with beautiful sandstone palaces and forts . It is also a city that offers a variety of dishes within the Rajasthani cuisine, the street style food topping the list. I had to make my adolescent fantasy of dining like a true royal , come true. The Rajasthani thaali, and this was my golden chance. So after doing some good fact finding on Google, we got a few recommendations, some of the reviews matched our expectations and we ended up at a famous restaurant that served the, oh so grand food fiesta. I eventually learnt that Rajasthani thaali had its variations. And this one in particular was a Marwari- thaali because Jodhpur falls in the Marwar region of the desert. The other variations are the Mewari- thaali, Jaipuri- thaali etc.
I had my Jodha-Akbar moment. The very courteous staff served us the Marwari- Thaali with utmost hospitality and grace. A large steel plate, which is what called as a Thaali , was put before us with little sparkling steel bowls. We were also served sweet-sour buttermilk- the Chaach which had a cooling efficacy of infused dried mint leaves in it. One by one various curries were poured into the small bowls and the staff even made an effort to explain the names, with the star ingredients. Gatte-Ki-Sabzi, Matar- Paneer, Ker-Sangri( curry made of indigenous desert beans and berries ), Kadhi, Toor-Dal , spicy curry of mixed lentils and so much more. The breads included Bajre Ki Roti ( made up of millet flour), Mawa Kachori, Baatis, and other types of flatbreads baked in traditional clay ovens, topped with generous amounts of Ghee or clarified butter which elevated the taste to another level. There are various other elements that are actually served as compliments for the entire platter, like the tangy mango pickle, spicy garlic pickle, shredded beetroot salad, crispy lentil wafers called Papad, green coriander chutney, red sweet-sour tamarind chutney and Khaman which are a tantalizing mix of sweet and spicy flavors. The last of the served components were the desserts comprising of the famous Choorma alternating between wheat and millet based, with oodles of ghee, Malpua or the sweet pancakes, and also the world famous Rajasthani Ghevar. It was a quintessential ending to a hearty meal. I slurped my sweet-sour buttermilk in the end to wash down all the components and never felt so satiated.
I have been very interested in knowing the food history of a specific region, the inspirations and variations that have been included in a certain cuisine are because of several factors. Foreign influences, accommodating tastes and flavors according to tourist demands, availability of indigenous ingredients in abundance, cultural eating habits, nutritional aspects of food, combinations of dishes that enhance the experience, are some of the many such factors. As much as the Rajasthani food offers a variety of vegetarian dishes, there are non vegetarian dishes for the likes of diverse palates like the Laal Maas and Kadhi Maas. Every bite has a reflection of the rich heritage of the Land of Rajputs, taking us through a vibrant culture, the aromatic spices and the royal flavors of the region. It was suggested to us by the hosts to take small portions of every dish, one at a time, to fully savor the sumptuous food. As much as I felt so satisfied after I was through with the royal meal, I felt my soul yearned for more, and it was entirely a gourmet experience.
The first hand experience of enjoying a royal Marwari- Thaali, reminded me of the folk song from the Jodha-Akbar movie, and that now that I have had the culinary experience I had to find out more about the song. So, after digging for every possible information on the internet, I finally found the lyrics of the song on Instagram. A wonderful page by the name of ‘lyrically_obscure’ has curated such songs, the page is dedicated exclusively for such content. I am ever so grateful to have found it, as the song pays such a glorious and delightful tribute to the extravagant royal Rajasthani-Thaali.
Jeema Jeemo ji bhartaar, dekho raat hai dhali,
mhara nainaan ra singaar, dekho raat hai dhali,
Navratnaan se thaal sajaayo, pithoda ro saag randhaayo….
Ghevar laadu aur choorma…. pyaaro laage mughal soorma…..
raat hai dhali…..
