Lassi - Makhania

       Lassi - Makhania

       Ingredients Required      (For two glasses)

      2 cup  Curd

     1 cup milk

     2 tablespoon cream

     4 tablespoon    sugar

    1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

    Pinch of saffron. (soaked in water)

    Dry fruits   (almonds,pistachio)

        Mix curd,milk and sugar in a vessel and blend with  a hand blender.Add cardamom       powder  and  saffron. Pour in two glasses. Garnish with dry fruits and some crushed ice.add a dollop of cream in each glass.Serve chilled .

Meheran Garh Fort (Jodhpur Ka Kila)

                                                            मेहेरान गढ़ का किला

         

          भारत के पश्चिम में राजस्थान राज्य एतिहासिक महत्व का राज्य है |इस राज्य के पश्चिम में स्थित है मेहेरानगढ़ का किला जिसके चारोँ ओर जोधपुर शहर बसा हुआ है |संस्कृत में मिहिर का अर्थ सूर्य होता हे इसी कारण इसका नाम मेहेरान्गढ़ हुआ क्योकि यहाँ सूर्य की उपस्थिति अधिकांश दिनों में रहती हे |यह किला राव जोधाजी द्वारा बनवाया गया ||यह किला एक चट्टान पर बना  है | इसकी बनावट ऐसी है कि यह पता लगाना मुश्किल है कि किले की इमारत चट्टान से ही बनी है या अलग से पत्थरों से बनायी गयी है ||जोधपुर रेलवे स्टेशन से किले तक पहुंचने के लिए ३ किलोमीटर घुमावदार सड़क है जो आपको पुराने शहर की एक झलक भी दिखलाती है |किले का प्रवेशद्वार फतेहपोल के नाम से जाना जाता है पोल का अर्थ विशाल  द्वार होता है |इस तरह के सात द्वार बने हुआ है जो कि अलह अलग राजाओं द्वारा उनके समय में उनकी उपलब्धियों के अवसर में बनवाए गए |इनके नाम जय पोल ,लोह पोल इमरतिया पोल एवं 




सूरजपोल  आदि है |एक किंवदंती के अनुसार इस किले के निर्माण के समय एक संत  यहाँ पर तपस्या करते थे |जब उनका तपस्या स्थल वहां से हटाया गया तो वे क्रोधित हो गए |उन्होंने श्राप दिया कि इस स्थान पर हर तीसरे वर्ष अकाल पडेगा |अतः जब भी अनावृष्टि होती है तो यहाँ के निवासी उस श्राप की  पुष्टि होने की  बात करते है |संत के तपस्या स्थल पर एक बोर्ड लगा हुआ है जो दर्शाता है "चिडियानाथ जी कि गुफा"|

फतेहपोल से चढ़ाई शुरू करने के बाद ३०० ft  से भी अधिक उंचाई पर पहुंचने पर  देवी चौमुंडा का मंदिर बना हुआ है |चौमुन्डा राज परिवार की इष्ट देवी है | देवी चौमुन्डा की मूर्ती राव जोधाजी मंडोर से लाये थे |मंडोर पहले जोधपुर की राजधानी थी |मंदिर से पहले जो खुली जगह है वहां पर एतिहासिक तोपें रखी हुई है | जिसमे प्रसिध्ध किलकिला तोप जो कि बहुत बड़ी और वजनदार  भी है   |

यहाँ खड़े हो कर  पूरे  शहर का नजारा देख सकते है |जोधपुर शहर इस किले के चारों ओर बसा हुआ है |यदि यह कहें कि शहर के हर कोने से किला देख सकते हें  तो यह भी  सही है |

                                                 किले के झरोखे से शहर का नज़ारा

पुराने समय में शहर में प्रवेश करने के लिए कुछ द्वार थे जो कि एक मज़बूत परकोटे से जुड़े हुए थे और यह परकोटा शहर की सुरक्षा के लिए था |अब यातायात की सुविधा के कारण जगह जगह पर इस परकोटे को तोड दिया गया है लेकिन इन द्वारों को अभी भी यथावत रखा गया है |इनके नाम है जालोरी गेट,सिवांची गेट,सोजती गेट एवं नागोरी गेट आदि |जालोर शहर की और जाने वाली सड़क पर जो द्वार बना हुआ हे वह जालोरी गेट के नाम से जाना जाता हे ।इसी तरह से नागोर की तरफ नागोरी गेट एवं सोजत से सोजती गेट ।

       किले के अन्दर ही एक संग्रहालय है जिसमे बहुत ही दुर्लभ वस्तुओं का संग्रह है |

एतिहासिक हथियार ,वाध्य यंत्र ,पेंटिंग्स इत्यादि है |

                                                  संग्रहालय में रखी सोने की पालकी

तरह  तरह के सोने से बने पालने एवं पालकी यहाँ रखी हुई हे |यह वस्तुएं यहाँ के राजा के परिवार के सदस्यों  के उपयोग में लाई जाती थी |हाथी दांत से बनी हुई कलाकृतियाँ भी यहाँ पर देखने में आती हें |हालाँकि इसे क्रुएल्टी अगेंस्ट एनीमल के अनुसार इसकी तारीफ़ न कर के निंदा की जानी चाहिए पर यह तो एतिहासिक सत्य है |

                                       महल की छत में की गयी सोने की नक्काशी और चित्रकारी

     हर एक महल की साज सज्जा और बनावट के अनुसार ही महल के नाम रखे गए हें
जैसे कि मोती महल, फूल महल आदि |

किले की प्राचीर परएक   तरफ  तोपें राखी हुई हे ।यह तोपें युध्ह के समय अलग स्थानों से जीत कर लाई  हुई हे ।इन तोपों पर इनके नाम अंकित हे ।इनमे सब से  अधिक  वजन वाली तो प  का नाम  किलकिला तोप हे ।

इतिहास एवं स्थापत्य कला में रूचि रखने वालों के लिए यह एक दुर्लभ एवं दर्शनीय स्थल है |

namkeen sev

                                                           Sev Besan Ki

                      We always need some thing to snack on with our cup of tea.It becomes boring having same snack everyday .For a change make besan sev in your kitchen .It will be a different experience with home made sev as it will have all fresh ingredients and oil.When we buy it from shop then the oil being used is refried many times .

                                           

                                                                  
                                                         Mould for sev
                                                        

Different types of moulds are available in market now a days but some i am comfortable with old fashioned mould which I am using for decades.The round movement of this mould  is  convenient then the up and down moevement of other varities.This is havind different size sieves for sev choose your own preference.If you are using the sieve with bigger holes then you can add other spices like ajwain powder to the besan.As I use the smaaler one so I avoid using spices as this can block the holes.

Ingredients   required (easily available in your pantry)

2 cup besan (chick pea flour)

1 table spoon salt

5 table spoon oil

1/4 teaspoon hing powder (asoefateida)

oil for frying .

Mix all the ingredients and rub in between palms to make crumbs.

Knead besan with water to form a dough of roti consistency.

     Take the mould and fill it with dough.Heat oil in pan and press the dough in mould over the pan

to make sev and let it fall in pan.Deep fry sev till starts looking cooked and leaves an aroma.

With same procedure more rounds of sev can be fried .These can be stored in an air tight container and will taste fresh for two to three weeks.

Serve with a cup of tea .

Kumbhalgarh fort

राजस्थान वीरों और विशाल एवं मजबूत किलों की भूमि है | |

राजस्थान के नाम से ही रेगिस्तान का अनुभव होने लगता  है | विश्वास  नहीं होता की राजस्थान में ही कुछ इलाका एसा है  जो हरा भरा है  और जहाँ पानी से लबालब झीले भी है  और अरावली के पहाड़ भी है  |ऐसी ही एक पहाड़ी पर है  कुम्भलगढ़ का किला | |जी हाँ 

mewaar  का इलाका ऐसा  ही है  |मेवाड़ के महत्वपूर्ण किलों में कुम्भलगढ़ का स्थान दूसरा है |

प्रथम स्थान chittorgarh के किले का है |जब कभी भी खतरा आया तो राजाओं ने इस किले में शरण ली है |

|Udaipur शहर  को राजस्थान का कश्मीर कहा जाता है  |उदयपुर से करीब ८० किलोमीटर uttarpashim में कुम्भलगढ़ का किला हे जिसे राणा कुम्भा ने बनवाया था |यह किला १५ वी शताब्दी में बनवाया गया था |यह किला एक पहाड़ी पर बसा हुआ है |यहाँ पहुँचाने का रास्ता बहुत ही घुमावदार पहाड़ियों से घिरा हुआ होने के कारण दूर तक कुछ भी नजर नहीं आता है और अचानक किले  की दीवार एवं प्रवेश द्वार दिखते ही बड़ा ही रोमांच का अनुभव होता है | कुदरत के कदरदानों के लिए यह किला बहुत ही महत्व रखता है |

 |                                  
                                       

किले के चारों ओर की मजबूत  दीवार

 इस किले के चारों और परकोटा बना हुआ हे जो की ३० km से भी अधिक लम्बी हे किले के पास में ही बहुत मंदिर भी बने हुए हे जिनकी संख्या 300 से भी अधिक हे

                                                 किले के अन्दर  बने मंदिर

कुम्भलगढ़ में ही महान योध्धा राणा प्रताप का जन्म स्थान हे |राणा प्रताप ने अकबर के साथ हल्दीघाटी की लड़ाई लड़ी थी |हल्दीघाटी यहाँ से 45 किलोमीटर  की दूरी पर ही है ।

किले का प्रवेश द्वार

यह जगह पर्यटकों के आकर्षण का केंद्र बनी हुई हे |इसकी लोकप्रियता को देखते हुए किले के आस पास होटल भी बन गए हे |शाम के समय कुछ घंटे के लिए किले को बिजली के प्रकाश से प्रज्वलित किया जाता हे |उस समय इसकी सुन्दरता देखते ही बनती हे |
उंचाई पर स्थित होने के कारण इस पर चढ़ने के समय विश्राम करने के लिए कुर्सीयां  लगी हुई है  जहाँ  पर्यटक अपनी थकान मिटाने  के लिए थोड़ी देर रुक सकते हे |पुराने खँडहर चढ़ते हुए रास्ते में देख सकते  है |

किले की दीवार और चढ़ाई 

            जैसे जैसे ऊपर पहुंचते  हैं  शुद्ध  हवा का एहसास आपकी थकान मिटा कर ताजगी का अनुभव देता हे |
किले के आस पास बहुत आधुनिक  होटल्स  है |जहाँ पर्यटक ठहर सकते है |कुम्भलगढ़ से कुछ ही दूर पर वाइल्ड  लाइफ sanctuary है जहाँ पर सुंदर चिड़ियाँ और तेंदुए भी देखे जा सकते है |

इस जगह की विशेषता  यहाँ की वास्तु कला एवं प्रकृति का मेल है |

Lemon Pickle(Neemboo ka Achaar)

Achaar Neemboo Ka

                              Pickles adds taste to our lunch ,dinner or breakfast.Pickle making started with the idea of preserving vegetables to use these during off  season.Slowly this became the essential part of our food.
One can get dozens of varieties of bottled pickles in stores.But the taste and flavor of fresh home made pickle is incomparable.

Here is the recipe of lemon pickle in this series .I will keep on posting other .
The most popular pickles are Mango,lemon and chillies.

                    As the new and fresh lot of lemons have arrived let us make lemon pickle .

            Ingredients required:-

                                          
6  Lemons (fresh and kagaji :-  Lemons with thin skin are called kagaji)
   
2 table spoon  salt

2 table spoon methi seeds

2 table spoon red chilli powder

2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon kalonjee(onion seeds)

1/4 teaspoon Asoefaetida powder

1/2 cup oil

Preparation

Clean and dry lemons and cut into four pieces and put in a ceramic or glass bowl..Pour all the spices
except hing and oil on it and mix thoroughly

                                                                    
Store in a dry glass container for two days.

                                            

On third day heat the oil till vapours starts and switch off the flame.After two minutes add hing .Now let it cool till it comes to room temperature. Pour this oil on the pickle .Pickle will be ready after five days.

Bharat Ka Padosi Desh

                                                          हिमालय की गोद में बसा नेपाल

नेपाल   भारत का पडोसी देश  हे और  उत्तर में  हिमालय की गोद में  बसा हुआ हे।इसकी सीमायें  पूर्व ,पश्चिम एवं दक्षिण तीनो ओर से भारत से मिली हुई है।हमारी यात्रा दिल्ली से गोरखपुर तक रेल से थी ।हमें नेपाले की दक्षिणी सीमा से प्रवेश करना था ।गोरखपुर से 100 कम का सफ़र जीप द्वारा तय करके हम सोनोली बोर्डर पहुंचे ।वहां पर अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सीमा चौकी है ।यहाँ से हमने नेपाल में प्रवेश किया ।हमें भरतपुर पहुँचाना था ।अत: हम बुट्कल  होते हुए बस द्वारा भरतपुर पहुंचे ।बहुत ही घुमावदार रास्ता था ।
भरतपुर से ही पर्वतराज हिमालय के दर्शन हो गए थे ।यहाँ से काठमांडू तक का सफ़र बहुत ही रोमांचक था
नारायणी नदी के किनारे से पतली सड़क जिसके एक और पहाड़ हे ।एसा लगा की यात्रा बस की सीट पर नहीं बल्कि प्रकृति की गोद में बैठ कर  कर रहे हैं ।
   |नेपाल का  क्षेत्रफल 147000 km  हे |     बहुत ही सुंदर देश है। यह विश्व का एकमात्र हिन्दू राष्ट्र है । 
|यहाँ के निवासी बहुत ही सरल स्वाभाव के होते हे |यहाँ के  लोग मेहमान नवाजी में भी निपुण होते हे |

इस देश की राजधानी काठमांडू हे |पहाड़ी क्षेत्र होने के कारण यहाँ रेल मार्ग की सुविधा उपलब्ध नहीं हे |

सड़क  या हवाई मार्ग से ही देश के एक हिस्से से दुसरे हिस्से में पहुच सकते हे |छोटे छोटे   हवाईजहाज नेपाल के काठमांडू हवाई अड्डे से उड़ान भरते हे पूरे देश में ४० से भी अधिक एअरपोर्ट हे |

पर्वता रोहन में रूचि रखने वाले पर्यटक दुनिया के हर कोने से यहाँ आते हे Mt एवेरेस्ट  पर चढ़ने के लिए |
|इसी कारण पर्वतारोही के ठहराने  के लिए पहाड़ों के मध्य उत्तम कोटि के होटल एवं  अतिथिगृह उपलब्ध है ।
यहाँ की आर्थिक व्यवस्था में पर्यटन की भूमिका महत्वपूर्ण है ।काठमांडू के  थामेल में  सम्पूर्ण विश्व के पर्यटक  दिखाई देते है ।

|पर्वतीय इलाका होने की वजह से यहाँ का रहन सहन अलग हे |

समतल भूमि नहीं होने से सीढ़ीनुमा खेत बनाये हुए हे |नारायणी नदी यहाँकी   प्रमुख नदी हे |

                                                                   लचका  पुल

|इस नदी को पार करने के लिए जो पुल बनाये गए हे वो यहाँ की भाषा में लचका पुल कहा जाते हे ये पुल लोहे के तारो से बने होते हे |इन पर चलते समय इस पुल पर कम्पन होती हे |

स्वयम्भू एक बौध मठ हे| यह एक पहाड़ी पर हे | यहाँ पर भगवान्  बुध की सोने की मूर्ती हे।

                                                                बुध की स्वर्णिम प्रतिमा
भगवान् बुध का जनम स्थान लुम्बिनी भी नेपाल में ही हे |जो कपिलवस्तु के नाम से जाना जाता हे सीता का  जनम स्थान भी नेपाल में ही हे |जिसे कभी मिथिला के नाम से जाना जाता था |
यहाँ से जब मौसम साफ़ होता हे तो mt एवेरस्ट देख सकते हे   हे उनमे उत्तर पूर्व स्थापत्य कला की झलक मिलती  हे |उसका नमूना इस चित्र में दिखाई देता हे |यह काठमांडू  शहर के बीच में स्थित हे |इसे दरबार

square के नाम से जाना जाता हे |

                                       

                                                                दरबार स्क्वायर

यह काठमांडू शहर के मध्य में स्थित हे।पशुपतिनाथ  का मंदिर भी काठमांडू में ही है ।

भारत से नेपाल जाने के लिए उत्तरप्रदेश या बिहार की सीमा से जाना पड़ता हे |

गोरखपुर से १०० कम की दूरी पर सोनौली बोर्डर से या बिहार के रक्सौल बोर्डर से नेपाल जा सकते हे |

हवाई यात्रा के लिए delhi से काठमांडू के लिए विमान सेवा उपलब्ध हे |

spices(masale)

Sambar powder
Role of spices in Indian cooking is very important.With different combinations of various spices the taste of a dish changes .Dal cooked in different part of India varies in taste just because of the spices added in it . Southern part of the country makes sambarwhich is tuar dal cooked with a special masala called sambar powder.let us make sambar powder.although it is available in market butthe aroma of freshly grounded sambar powder is uncomparable.

                                       
Ingredients required.

Whole coriander seeds    1/4


Dried   red chillies         15

Methi seeds           1/4 cup

Mustard seeds      1/4 cup

Chana Dal            1/4 cup

Urad dal               1/4 cup

Curry leaves         A bunch

All these ingredients should roasted in a pan one by one as the time taken for each one is different.Chana dal takes longer time and curry leaves and chillies take very less time.
Let these cool and then grind in grinder to make fine powder.Store in an air tight container.

Tips

Amount of chillies can be varied according to taste.

Akha teej (Akshay Tritiya ) ka khana

Celebrate akshay tritiya with traditional marwari  food

      

Hindu Calender is full of festivals and celebration.The main part of all celebration is the food. Dishes prepared on these festivals are significant of the seasons and the crop  of these seasons.Akha Teej is celebrated in the month of Baisakh .This year akhateej falls on 6th of may.As the new wheat crop arrives during this time so most dishes are made out of wheat.Akha or akshay means whole or unbroken.Fresh gawar beans are just arrives at this time.Food prepared on that day is mostly with whole ingredients.like gawar beans,red chillies, badiye and kachari are all unbroken.

1 Kheech

The important dish is kheech of wheat.It is prepared by removing the husk from wheat and then by dry grinding of wheat.Thisi s the broken wheat minus husk.Earlier days it was prepared manually in a stone grinder.But now it can be prepared with  electric kitchen grinder.Ready to cook kheech  is available at all grocery shops in marwar on akhateej..Those who are living outside can make it at home or can do with lapsi or dalia that is broken wheat.

                                                   

Cooking of kheech

In a pressure cooker pour 6cups of water and 1 tablespoon salt.Water to kheech ratio is 1:6.Add 1 cup kheech and stir intermittently till it starts boiling.Now cover it and put the weight.After one whistle lower the flame and let it cook for 20 to25minutes.When it is cool then open and it is ready to serve .Serve it with 1 or 2 teaspoon of ghee.As it needs more water for cooking therefore either use bigger cooker or cook in   a thick bottomed vessel.the small cooker will try to spill water outside with every release of pressure and will make a mess out of it.

2 Gawar Badiyon ka saag

Ingredients required

                                                 

1/4 cup badiyen (Made out of moong dal)

Fresh gawar beans

4 whole red chillies

5 dried kachari

1/4 cup yogurt

1 teaspoon each of turmeric powder and dried coriander powder and salt

2 tablespoon ghee

a pinch of hing

Wash gawarfali.In a pan pour 2 cups of water switch on the burner and when water starts boiling add badiyen,gawar,chillies,kachari.Let it boil for 10 minutes.When badiyen are tender and starts floating on water remove from fire.

In another pan add ghee and hing and when it is hot enough then pour turmeric and coriander powder and yogurt.Add salt also.Stir it and add boiled ingredients from previous pan .Let it boil for 5 minutes till all the ingredients are cooked well .Remove from fire .It is ready to serve.

3 Bati


This is also a wheat preparation.Bati represents the marwari food.This is the baked  wheat dough dumplings .

Ingredients required

1 cup wheat flour

8 tablespoon ghee

1/2 teaspoon salt

In flour add 4 tablespoon ghee and salt and rub thoroughly.

Now knead the dough.Make small balls out of this dough.Flatten the ball and press from the centre.

Now bake .Baking can be done
either in

electric oven
or
gas tandoor
or
traditional oven made with charcoal.

Bake these batis till  golden brown.

Dip these batis in ghee and serve

4   Churma

For churma take these batis before dipping into ghee .Break into pieces .Grind in a grinder.
Mix sugar powder ,cardamom powder and nuts of one's choice

5  Gulab (galwani)

Ingredients

    

Wheat flour

jaggery

ghee.
Mix jaggery in water and boil it for 5 minutes.Strain it through a sieve to remove dirt of jaggery.Let it cool.
In a pan put ghee and add flour and stir till it turns golden brown.

Now add this roasted flour in jaggery water and mix well.now put this vessel on fire and stir it till it starts boiling.Stop stirring and let it cook for five minutes.Gulab is ready to serve.Add cardamom powder.


Tips :-

Although it is summer time but kheech tastes good when it is served hot.

Dal Dhokali

                                                                  

This dish is very popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan.The ingredients are same as for simple dal roti.But with little bit spices and variation it gives a yummy taste.And best part is that you do not need all the gajettes for roti making like belan and chakala.


Ingredients required

1/2 cup moong dal green

1 cup wheat flour

2 teaspoon salt

1 tea spoon red chilli powder

1 /2 teaspoon ciriander powder

1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon jeera(cummin seeds)

2 pinches of hing

3 tablespoon ghee

2 table spoon finely chopped green coriander leaves

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies

1/2 teaspoon ginger julliens
      few mint leaves chopped

1/4 teaspoon of garam masala (optional)
Wash dal with water and put in pressure cooker .Add salt + chilli powder,haldi powder and dhania powder and a pinch of hing.Add 1/2 tablespoon and cook dal till it gives two whistles.

Let the cooker get cool.

Making of dhokalies.

In a bowl mix wheat flour + salt + 1 teaspoon chilli powder + a pinch of hing.+ 2 tablespoon of ghee.

Mix well and then knead the flour with a consistency of paratha dough.Divide the dough in 30 pieces.

Make small balls and flatten in the centre.With finger make a whole in the centre.The whole is made for better steaming in the centre

.Open the cooker add 2 cups of water and let it boil.When it starts boiling then add dhokalies in it .Cover it and cook it again till 2 whistles.Switch off the flame.

Open when pressure is lowered..Add remaining ghee and coriander,ginger,green chillies and mint .

Serve hot with papad and salad.


It tastes good in all seasons.But marwri likes it on a rainy day.


Tips

Salt and chilli powder can be adjusted according to personal taste.

Amount of ghee prescribed is as per calorie concious does it can be varied.

Gujarati dal dhokali is made with Arhar dal and shape also is different.The dough is rolled into roti and then cut into small diamond shape .

Methi paratha without stuffing(Thepla)

                                                                   

These parathas are easy to make as cmpared to stuffed one.The ingredients are almost same but the procedure is little bit different.These are  also called  methi thepala in Gujarati.This dish is the favourite companion of all Gujarati travellers as these are easy to make and have more shelflife.


Ingredients required

                                                                 Ingredients
                                  

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup besan

1 cup washed and finely chopped fresh methi leaves

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1teaspoon ajwain

1 teaspoon cummin seeds

1/4 teaspoon hing powder

1 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 table spoon oil for adding into the flour

Oil for shallow frying paratha

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and knead the dough .

                                                                 Mixed Ingredients

                                                               Kneaded dough                                                                            

Now make 15 balls of it .Then place non stick tawa on the flame and roll paratha with a rolling pin .Put on the tawa and shallow fry it by turning on both sides.

Serve it with chutney and fresh curd or pickle of your choice.

These parathas are so flavourfull that can be eaten as it is.

Gulab Jamun

                                           

Naming a mithai is as important as its creation because part of the allure of a mithai is the anticipation of eating it.  Imarti (Amrati), Naan Khataai, Rasgulla are good examples of successful Naamkaran of mithais. In this discussion, Gulab Jamun is an interesting name.  Gulab means rose, although  Gulab could also mean the essence (water) of flowers.  Jamuns are berries that grow on tall trees, dark purple in color and juicy and sweet when ripe.  So perhaps a Halwaai, seeing these sweet delights swimming in scented(perhaps with the

J)

 essence of rose) sweet water was reminded of the juiciness of the dark jamuns. Gulab Jamuns are the best mithai item for a winter day or night party.  Served warm with some ice cream on the side, they are the perfect finish for a perfect lunch or dinner.
You can make Gulab Jamuns really fast with Gits packets that can be bought from Indian stores but if you really want to make them taste like Junta Sweet Home (Jodhpur's famous sweet shop) then you have to put a little bit of effort and have to set aside some calories, because no self respecting Marwari makes mithai in oil.  Gulab Jamuns have to be fried in Ghee for the real Marwari taste.
So, the most important ingredient for Gulab Jamuns is mawa which should be fresh and pure and smooth, i.e. without any lumps. If you cannot get it from the stores then it can be made at home which of course is a bit time consuming process. However, as I like to remind my daughters, compared to what I had to do in the 80s and 90s for making mawa at home, today it takes no time at all given the availability of half and half, and nonstick pans. 
Ingredients

250 gms fresh mawa

40 gms maida

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter) for frying

Making syrup

In a thick bottomed pan put sugar and add 1/2 cup water and let it boil. Keep on stirring it till sugar dissolves and starts boiling. Switch off the flame after two minutes. Syrup is ready.

In a bowl take mawa and maida and knead thoroughly to make a homogegous mixture. Now make twenty balls of this mixture. In a frying pan preferably with two handles (kadahi) pour ghee and let it heat. When ghee is ready for frying then put balls in the pan and fry on slow fire. These balls will be very soft initially so be carefull while turning them. Instead of stirring hold the pan with both hands and move it so these can be fried uniformally. When they are golden brown take out and put in the syrup. Gulab jamuns are ready to serve .

Latcho Drom: The beloved sister & Desert Places, A companion to Latcho Drom

सातों रे भाईड़ों री अम्मा एक बेहनाडली

परणाई रे ए क्यूं , परणाई रे ए क्यूं

She was the beloved one sister of seven brothers..
Why, oh why did you give her away in marriage?
Latcho Drom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B4aom3IaBQ

Latcho Drom - Have a safe journey (in English) {Aastar Jaijo (in Marwari)} is a film by Tony Gaitlif about Roma gypsies, an ethnic group of people who live in transit, leaving from, arriving at, or traveling in between places that they struggle to call their own.  Roma gypsies are believed to have started aigrati from Rajasthan more than a thousand years ago, reaching far flung places in North Africa and Europe.  The film does the same, taking us from Rajasthan to North Africa to Southern Europe using what Gypsies do the best, singing and dancing and celebrating life. The skits are fluid, changing from one country to the next using strains of music to transition, never talking over, never translating and never altering the rich experience of watching and hearing the songs and dances, the sounds of transit, of struggles and triumphs, and the silences in between.

It is unfortunate that this beautiful film is not available on DVD but if you are one of those lucky luddites who are still clinging to their VHS players, then you can treat yourself to this experience. 

For music and dance lovers, this film is a treasure, with pieces ranging from Kalbeliya dancing and devotional singing, sung for Baba Ramdev (Mhaaro Helo Sambhalo Ji) in Marwar to Flamenco performances in the gypsy neighborhoods of southern Spain.  In Marwar, one of the most magnetic performances is that of Ghazi Khan Manghaniyar singing Kaman Garo Kanhaji with incredible charm and flair on a cool clear desert night - pure enchantment!

Desert Places - A companion to Latcho Drom

This is not your ordinary travelogue.  There are no recommended hotels and no rave reviews of the Hawa Mahal or Fatehpur Sikri.  This is the story of a bold and successful journey that an Australian woman Robyn Davidson undertook when she signed up to become a co-companion of two of the prominent nomadic tribes of the northwest India, the Raika in Rajasthan and the Rabaris in Kutch, in their yearly migratory cycles. Davidson is a seasoned traveler, having undertaken in the past, a more solitary but more rigorous journey across the Australian desert but she seems unprepared at first for the chaos and unpredictability of India, especially Rajasthan, and barely manages to keep her schedule and her wits despite her lofty royal connections, the usual privilege of the white traveler who ventures into the Indian heartland. But this is where all similarity to the curious westerners ends.  As Ms. Davidson starts to eat, drink and walk with the Raika, she acquires a sophistication and a deep understanding of their condition and their struggles to retain their identity, their migration rights. As she outlines the impossibility of their situation, their struggles against the corrupt government authorities and loss of habitat itself, she reveals her own anger and outrage at their exploitation and their vulnerability.  In a defining moment in the book which takes place in an upscale cocktail event in a posh Delhi neighborhood, she's challenged for criticizing the Indian apathy for its own people.  Ms. Davidson shines as she records this event to point out the irony of the situation.  

Thandaai: Holi Hai!!

(Literally translated - The Chill or The Coolness)

रहिबे को घर को मकान होय अट्टादार, हाथ सिलबट्टा पे उछाट्टा दे चलत जाये

द्वार बंधी गैया होय,घर में लुगैया होय बेंकमें रुपैया होए हौसला खिलत जाये

There may not be a recipe for happiness, but here are the ingredients that make up a good life - a tall house, hands dancing on a grinding stone, a cow tied to your doorstep, a lot of money in the bank and a woman in the house. The dancing hands on the silbatta refer to the making of thandaai paste (a silbatta is a set of two stones used for wet grinding).

How times have changed. Food and seasons were once so intertwined that you 


could fill a food calendar that would not need repeating the next month.  Gur (jaggery/molasses) and Til(sesame) for January and Kaachraa/Tindsi(or Tinda) for the summer,  a specific menu for Sheetal Ashtmi and a unique one for the month of Mal. But now, with increasing use of refrigeration, transportation and genetic alteration, people cook with canned and refrigerated items.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the convenience of canned beans and frozen peas.  But I think that there was a harmony, a rhythm in the way people lived their life, making the most of every season by adapting and celebrating and this delicate art of living is slowly getting lost.   
Spring is around the corner - all grocery shops have started displaying their brightly coloured bottled cold drinks on the shelves. These drinks are aerated and lack any nutritional value. If they do contain fruit juices, often these are accompanied by preservatives too. The true cold drink of Rajasthan is Thandaai and with a little amount of effort, we can enjoy the taste of this fresh and nutritious cold drink that is incomparable in its flavour and sophistication.

Thandaai is a true cold drink in that it's believed to cool the body from the inside. In the old days making thandaai was a family activity, a celebration of sorts as the grinding was not done by your kitchen blender but carried out on the grinding stone by the men of the house. 

One drink that comes close to its concept is the Mexican/Spanish drink Horchata, made of almonds and some other nuts or grains.  This beverage traces its roots to the middle east and is known as the drink of Gods.  Perhaps this is truly the Spanish cousin of Thandaai. 

With Holi just around the corner make thandaai and offer it to your guests who knock on  your door!
                                                                                

Ingredients required for 4 glasses

Khuskhus (poppy seeds) 4 table spoons

Saunf (fennel seeds) 2 tablespoons

Almonds 20

Blackpepper one table spoon

Green cardamom 5

Dried rose petals half cup

Magaj (cantaloupe seeds dried)

Milk 1 glass

Sugar 6 table spoons

Saffron ( Soaked in water) few strands

Ice cubes for serving

In a grinder take all the ingredients except milk and sugar and grind to a powder using a dry grinding blade. This powder can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks and can be used at the time of making the paste.

Dry Thandaai Powder

Next this powder should undergo wet grinding. So add 1/4 cup of water and with the help of a wet grinding blade try to make a fine paste of it. This will take a few rounds of grinding. 



Thandaai Paste
पीसियो जीको घीसियो नै छौनियो जीको जौनियो

- मेहनत किसी और की और नाम किसी और का

Dissolve this paste in 3 glasses of water and strain it through a fine muslin cloth. Add milk and sugar to it. Finally add the saffron and Ice cubes.

As the name indicates Thandaai should be served ice cold.

Tips

• The amount of black pepper is according to taste. This one is for a mild drink.

• Thandaai is traditionally made very sweet but my recipe assumes calorie conscious readers and I suggest less sugar.

Dalia (broken grains) Bajare (millet) ka - Millet Porridge/Cereal

   


Bajra dalia is a very healthy breakfast for many reasons. It's high in fiber and vitamins and minerals. You can read it's many nutritional benefits here:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=53

Bajra dalia tastes plain yet very flavorful, ideal for a morning stomach.  As it is easy to digest it is usually recommended as a part of your diet during sickness.  Dalia can be eaten either with milk, yogurt or butter (or ghee). It tastes good with any leafy vegetable of one's choice (this may seem odd at first, but it's a very yummy combination, one that's commonly served in Rajasthan).  Let us make bajara dalia which is easy to grind and cook and is eaten during winter.

Dalia and whole Bajara 
ज्योंरी खावों बाजारी वोंरी बजाओं हाजरी

Ingedients
1 cup bajara or dalia

Ghee 2 table spoon

Salt 1tea spoon

One can buy Bajri/Bajra dalia in any grocery shop in Marwar. But if you live outside of Marwar then try to get whole Bajra from a grocery store.  In the U.S. you can buy the whole grains from a health food store like Whole Foods or even on Amazon.com!  

Clean it well and then grind it for 2 minutes in a standard grinder until you get the broken bajara grains.
In a pressure cooker put 1 table spoon ghee and add dalia and start roasting it. Within 3 or 4 minutes a good buttery, roasted aroma will announce that roasting is complete and the color will also change to a distinct golden brown.  At this point, add 5 cups of water and stir it. Intermittent stirring prevents any lump formation. When Dalia starts boiling and becomes a homogeneous mixture, cover it. Let it pressure cook for 5 minutes or say 5 or six whistles of the cooker. Switch off the flame and allow it to cook by the steam inside. Open the cooker after 5 minutes.  Dalia should be served hot with milk, fresh yogurt, butter/ghee or sabzi.



                                         Dalia Ready to serve
Tips:

Bajara dalia or flour tastes best when it is freshly ground.  It oxidizes rapidly losing flavor and "turning" bitter after about 10 days from grinding.  For this reason, it is better to grind bajra at home instead of buying ground bajra.

Methi Parathe(stuffed)

Methi Paratha with Dahi and Ketchup

Methi or Fenugreek is a magical seed. It is rich in iron and is good for people with type II diabetes. The seeds are believed to be good for nursing women and traditional Indian medicine prescribes it as a regular component for a nursing mother's diet.  When grown, the seeds become a common winter green that's surpassed in flavour only by perhaps Sarson(mustard greens).  Starting November all vegetable thelas carry little bundles of green methi. Methi is a very versatile (also see oondhiyun) type of green with a characteristic bitter-sweet flavour.  There's a lot of good recipes for methi that I will write about later but for now let me share parathas using methi leaves.

                                             ingredints

Ingredients
Wheat flour  1cup
Besan (Chickpea flour)   2 table spoon
Methi leaves finely chopped   1/4 cup
Oil   1/4 cup
Red chilli powder  1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
Saunf or Fennel seeds 1 teaspoon
A pinch of hing
Salt to taste
STUFFING FOR PARATHAS:
In a pan, on a medium heat flame, pour a tablespoon of oil and add hing, jeera and saunf when the oil is hot.   Immediately add besan and stir Besan until it becomes golden brown. Add chilli powder and salt and methi leaves. Stir and switch off the flame.The moisture from the methi leaves will be absorbed by the besan and it will turn into a mass which can be stuffed inside the parathas. Divide this mass into six balls .

Ready to start rolling parthas

stuffing should be placed after rolling the dough a bit

Knead the flour.  Make ball of dough and roll until it is of 3"  diameter and place the stuffing on the center.Now close it to cover the stuffing with dough to make a ball.
     

                                         ball ready to roll


 Roll again till it is of 7" diameter.
Shallow fry it on a tawa and serve hot with tomato sauce or dhania chutney and yogurt. 

   
                                          shallow frying
The aroma of this dish is so strong that you are bound to have uninvited guests - most likely your neighbours!
Tips :-  
Wash methi leaves thoroughly in advance and drain before chopping  to avoid the stuffing from becoming too soggy.  Try to buy methi with small leaves as these are more aromatic than the larger leaves.

Sonth aur Gond ke laddu (ginger & gum)(postnatal dish)

Winters in marwar are very mild.Still people keep complaining about it and drags out the quilts and blankets by the end of diwali..Menu for lunch and dinner also changes and so the sweets and snacks.Ginger which is considered as very usefull either  fresh or dried is used in making laddus.These laddus are made for nursing mother as it is a part of  postnatal diet programm.

Let us make these laddus.

              

   Ingredients required                                                                                                                

Ginger powder     1 cup                                                                                                                 

Sugar powder        2 cup                                                                                                                        

Ghee or clarified butter          2 cup                                                                                                                 

Gond powder      1/2 cup                                                                                                                                       

Almonds powder   1/2                                                                                                                                      

Dried coconut powder      1/2 cup                                                                                                                              

Whole wheat flour      1 cup                                                                                                                              

                                    Ingredients 

Keep a thick bottomed pan   on flame and add ghee.Now add wheat flour and stir till it roasted and gives an aeroma.Switch off the flame and add gond powder .It will start popping up.                                                  

                         

Gond getting popped up

                      Now add almond and coconut powder.Stir well .Now add sugar powder and ginger powder and mix the mixture well.Now make laddus out of this mixture by pressing it in between palm.

Tips:                                                                                                                                                            

Do not make fine powder of Gond ,almonds and coconut .Let there be some what granules to get a nutty taste                                                                                                                                   

These laddus have a long shelf life as there is no moisture in it.