A rustic rajasthani thali : Bundi ki kadhi, jowar pyaz ki roti and lahsun chutney

I am a great fan of simple, rustic meals rustled up with just a handful of ingredients. Rajasthan is one of the few states in India where the people excel at making the most of whatever they get, which I first learnt on my visit to a village called Rajgarh in Alwar,Rajasthan.

I was a fussy teenager then and accepted the homely meal that was offered to me in the village only out of politeness, planning to pick up a packet of Uncle Chips after our visit was over. After the first couple of reluctant bites, I realized how very enjoyable that meal was and promptly requested for seconds:-)

I have tried to recreate that same meal as my entry to RCI Rajasthan, with Bundi ki kadhi, jowar pyaz ki roti, lahsun chutney, kairi chutney and a simple dal srved with pyaaz. This kadhi can also be made completely oil free, if instead of tadka we just add cloves, methi and hing to the besan mixture.



Bundi ki Kadhi



Ingredients

1 cup sour curd
3 tbsp besan
1/2 tsp each chilli and turmeric powder
4 cups water
salt to taste
1 tsp oil
5 cloves, 1/ tsp methi seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds and a pinch of hing
1 tsp ghee

To serve:
2 tbsp readymade bundi
chilli flakes (optional)


Method

Beat the curd and besan together and add the salt, turmeric and chilli powders. Add the water and keep aside. Heat the oil in a thick bottomed saucepan, add cloves and methi ( watch out-those things pop !). Take the pan off heat and pour the curd besan mixture. Keep it back on the flame and bring it to a slow boil, stirring continously. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 20 minutes or till it almost reaches the consistency you want, it will thicken on cooling. Add boondi now and when ready to serve, give a tadka with ghee, cumin and hing. Sprinkle crushed chilli flakes on top for that quintessential Rajasthani look :-)


Jowar pyaaz ki roti

Yield : 4 to 5 rotis
(Based on a recipe from the Rajasthani section in Tarla Dalal's website)

1 cup jowar flour
1/ cup spring onion, chopped
salt to taste
1 tsp oil

* The recipe calls for a chopped green chilli which I skipped


Make a soft dough with all the above. Roll it out into a 4 to 5 inch roti between two sheets of plastic ( I used a zip lock bag that had been cut open on three sides) using a rolling pin. Cook both sides on the tava. Top with butter/ghee ( optional)


Lahsun chutney
10 to 12 cloves garlic
5 tbsp chilli powder
salt to taste
a few drops of lemon juice


Grind all the above, sprinkling water if necessary. (I used a M&P so did not need water)

Kairi chutney
1/2 of a small raw mango, coarsely chopped (I do not peel)
2 cups of fresh cilantro
2 to 4 green chillies
1/4tsp 'raw' cumin
salt to taste


Grind everything together using a little water.


Thanks to Padmaja , the host of RCI Rajasthan, I remembered that simple but extremely satisfying meal, and also from now I will surely be experimenting with different flours to make roti.

25 comments:

  1. a wonderful meal. we have been planning to use tarla dalal's rajasthan cookbook. have had it for many years, but tried only one recipe so far.

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  2. what a lovely thali..looks absolutely fab!

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  3. too good ... the kadhi looks jsut perfect...

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  4. wow! that is one tempting thali :)
    am eyeing that jowar pyaz ki roti!

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  5. Tempting Thali... came thru from your comments on my blog. You have a nice blog and recipes.

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  6. the thali looks delicious!

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  7. bee :
    Thank you so much !
    Tarla Dalal's gujarati, rajasthani and chaat recipes are great.

    srivalli:
    Thank you. Your encouraging comments mean a lot to me:)

    swati :
    Thanks buddy..I so enjoy reading your posts, as I love the informal way u write
    ..makes me feel 5 yrs younger;)

    richa :
    So glad that you could drop by..I am eyeing lotsa recipes on your blog

    cilantro:
    Thank you..I still have'nt got that mor kuzhambu out of my head-need to have it soon !

    latha:
    thank you for visiting and congratulations on completing two years of blogging ( well..nearly!)

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  8. I love the Rajasthani thali you have made. I am not too familiar with the cuisine from this part of India but would like to try it sometime soon.:)

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  9. Hi tbc,
    try this roti with your mom's onion chutney sometime..bet it'll taste great ! Thanks for coming over:)

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  10. Oh my!! That is a gorgeous thali, love rustic food wherever it comes from!:))

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  11. asha: thank you so much for your encouragement..

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  12. Hey Rashmi,
    Thanks for stopping by.
    I've marked your kway teow recipe to try later, I lived in S'pore for 2 years and just loved the stuff!
    If you stop by Clementi MRT sometime, have some egg tarts for me... :D

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  13. Hi Gauri,
    yep, KT is good stuff..unfortunately not too many places here do a nice renedition of the veggie vesrion:( Do try out the thai variation with basil, its heavenly..
    and hey, thanks for the egg tarts ;)

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  14. wow delicious thali boondi kadhi is very tempting making me to try and i'll surley try thanx for a lovely treat

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  15. That looks amazing. I love the rotis and remember trying them at my marwari friends' homes.

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  16. Mallika,

    so happy you could come by:)
    these rotis are lovely, very earthy and wholesome..

    Sridevi,
    thanks for your comments. boondhi kadhi is easy compared to regular kadhi pakora..do try it:)

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  17. What a gorgeous thali. Wonderful!
    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  18. Thanks Meera, and it's always a pleasure to visit your blog..

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  19. Lovely thali, boondi kadhi is very tempting.
    Thankyou for stoping.

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  20. Rajasthani food is really versatile! It is amongst my fave cuisines - you have captured the essence in your thali!

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  21. So glad to see your comment Anita..can't stop grinning:)
    And yes, will certainly post Singaporean recipes as soon as I find THE recipe for some of my favs

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  22. Bundi is a small town near Kota. Bundi was the capital of Hadoti region. Bundi is 36

    km from Kota is and is one of the unexplored cities with a rich historical wealth. Once

    a part of Kota, it was ruled by the Had Chauhans- an offshoots of the famous

    Chauhan clan who ruled Delhi and Ajmer.

    Bundi

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  23. This thali looks so charming.Thanx for the post.

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  24. The Incredients for making recipes is very nice. The process is amazing. There are lots of Rajasthani Recipes in indianrecipes.co.in

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  25. interesting blog!...wondering how I landed here, but surely a pleasure ..love this Rajasthani Thali ..the kadhi looks gorgeous.I posted a Rajasthani thali some time back ...check out in u r free time:)

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