Where to Find Uncommon Unique Dishes of Rajasthan

Travelling and Food go hand in hand! Agree? Food of Rajasthan is one of India’s greatest gastronomic experiences. So here is a list of uncommon and unique dishes of Rajasthan at restaurants which one cannot miss when you are traveling through the tourist destinations of Rajasthan. They are very easy to locate when you travel to these cities, hygienic and worth every penny spent. Pamper your taste buds while you tour through the different cities of Rajasthan.

Malai Roti of Jodhpur

Malai Roti is the most intriguing sweet I have seen and tasted in my life! Shaped round like our home made rotis (flat bread) the sweet isn’t chewy. At the same time it is not ‘melt in the mouth’ kind too, the texture, somewhere in between. These rotis are spread on a bed of sugar syrup, topped with thick soft chewy malai, garnished with nuts and finally covered with silver foils.

Malai Roti Jodhpur

Where to get Malai Roti – The owner of Vijay Restaurant gave us a small briefing about the sweet, cleverly not revealing the ingredients or the process of making the sweet. It is their family secret, he said. Only one shop in the whole of Jodhpur sells this sweet.

Address – Vijay Restaurant, 1st Floor, Katla Bazar, Main Chowk, Old City, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

Open Timings – 11 AM to 11 PM.

Prem Pyala of Jodhpur

The name translates to bowl of love! And it looked so too, cold (not ice cold), chunks of juicy fresh and dry fruits in a bowl of smooth white cream. There is no garnishing in this. Yet mouth watering it is! The sweetness was just right, the creaminess not so rich, it was a refreshing dessert, especially after the mirchi bada I had some time back.

Where to get Prem Pyala – Available in Vijay Restaurant Jodhpur

Prem Pyala Jodhpur

Kabuli of Jodhpur

This can be easily mistaken for veg pulao that we prepare at home. But one spoonful in mouth and the difference is evident. The pulao masala is yoghurt based I was told. Though exact details, the ingredients used and in what quantity they were used was not revealed. For a while forget how it is prepared, instead relish Kabuli as you chew on the basmati rice grains, dry fruits, bread crumbs, paneer, gatta, potato and pieces.

Kabuli – veg pulao

Gulab jamun sabzi Sandwich in Jodhpur

This is another among the uncommon unique dishes of Rajasthan. As if Gulab Jamun ki Sabzi wasn’t enough, somebody invented this deadly combo of bread and gulab jamun ki sabzi. I did a reality check of the stuffing of the sandwich that was served. The slices of gulab jamun lay silently on a bed of masala soaked bread pieces waiting to be devoured. Sorry to sound so wicked… but they made such a unique partnership!

You can get Gulab Jamun Sabzi in Shandar Bhoj restaurant Jodhpur and Gulab Jamun sandwich in Vijay Restaurant Jodhpur.

Gulab Jamun ki Sandwich in Jodhpur

Ghewar of Jaipur

Made with wheat flour or all purpose refined flour, ghee and ice cold water. The batter is deep fried in ghee in a mould, hence it gets the shape. Consuming it as it is will not get you any taste. It is a bit bland, I tasted it. Ghewar is served with a topping of sugar syrup or sweet condensed milk or rabri. The whole thing is garnished with nuts and some even have a blanket of silver foil. If you like it crunchy, have it as soon as the syrup is poured on it. If left for sometime, the sweet turns soggy.

There are variations where you get paneer ghevar. Paneer (chenna) is added to the emulsion. Paneer Ghewar was invented by Jaipur’s Laxmi Misthan Bhandar in 1961. This was after experimenting with kilos of all purpose refined flour and quintals of milk.

Rajasthani people follow Sindhara tradition in which they gift Ghewar along with lehariya saree to their married daughter. This is celebrated one day prior to Teej and Gangaur.

Ghewar – largest Sweet of India? Notice the honeycomb like structure?

Ghewar is the largest sweet of India, much bigger than the Tirupati Laddu if you have seen one. To completely finish eating the sweet in one go can be very challenging! It is the sweet that bonds, as you have to cut it and have it with family and friends. Ghewars are best in monsoons (Sawan/shravan mahina).

Where to get good Ghewar – You can get ghevar in Jaipur, Bikaner and Jodhpur and also in many other cities of Rajasthan. It is available in Bangalore too. For good authentic ghevar sweet Lakshmi Mishtan Bhandar (popularly known as LMB Sweets) is the best. They export ghewar to different parts of the world.

Read more – Where to Eat in Jaipur after Sightseeing and Shopping

Diljani of Udaipur City

Diljani is famous as the best sweet in Udaipur, the city of Lakes, Rajasthan. It is a seasonal dish, very authentic during winters when oranges are in plenty. Every tourist to Udaipur city should try this.

 The name simply means sweetheart! This dish has its origin in Udaipur, main ingredients used are: gram flour, rice flour, saffron, ghee, cardamom. On first glance you may find it similar to Boondi sweet. Both are made in a similar fashion, but the subtle difference is that in Diljani the boondi grains are much smaller in size. You get a special Diljani spoon to prepare this sweet dish.

The fine paste of gram flour and rice flour (in equal proportion) is poured through the perforated spoons into hot ghee. The fried balls are put into sugar syrup (one thread consistency) that has saffron and cardamom. Once cooled the fine balls are soaked in a mixture of orange juice and almonds which gives the unique sweet tangy flavour and essence.

Diljani from Udaipur City – Uncommon Dishes of Rajasthan

Where to get good Diljani – The best Diljani sweet is available in Jagdish Misthan Bhandar. It is said that during festive times people queue up outside the shop to get it fresh off the shelf. (Orange juice if kept longer can turn bitter.)

Address: 16 Sarang Marg Surajpole, Jawahar Nagar, Brahmpuri, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001

Open Timings – 7 AM to 10 PM

Read more – One Day Itinerary for Udaipur

Rasgulla of Bikaner

History of Bikaneri Rasgulla is interesting.

People of Bikaner have a long association with sweets and savories. The royal families were passionate about their food, adapted and accepted cuisines from around the world. Maharaja Ganga Singh (the ruler of Bikaner from 1888 to 1943) especially welcomed the different sweet treats. Sometime during his era a bunch of Bengalis (migrants from West Bengal) made their way to the kitchens of Bikaner sweet shops. Next expected dish that came from the kitchens were the rasgulla, among many other sweets.

At Chhotu Motu Sweet shop in Bikaner I got to speak to one of their workers who had migrated from West Bengal. He is happy making these sweets which are popular with the locals.

It is said that the taste of Bikaner’s water also lends to the quality and taste of the food prepared. Bikaneri rasgulla thus tastes a bit different, or better which is debatable. Best way to judge is to have them for yourself next time you are touring there in Bikaner.

Bikaneri Rasagulla

Where to get good Bikaneri Rasgulla – The best Rasgulla in Bikaner is available in Chhotu Motu Sweet shop. It opened in the year 1911, since then it has been dishing out tastiest breakfast items, sweets and savouries.

Address: Station Rd, Kote Gate, Bikaner, Rajasthan 334001

Open Timings – 6.30 AM to 11 PM.

Read more – 10 Offbeat Things to Do in Bikaner

Mawa Kachori of Jodhpur

I am sure you have heard of Kachoris, Pyaz kachori, Raj Kachori, Koraishutir kochuri of West Bengal and more. You have eaten or at least heard of samosas, right!

Kachoris and samosas are similar yet different from each other. Both samosas and kachoris are cousins, if I may say! Visually they look different; samosa has tetrahedral shape while kachoris are flat roundels. Their stuffing is different.

But both samosas and kachoris are made with a dough consisting of wheat flour, all purpose flour, sooji (semolina) optionally spiced with jeera (cumin) or saunf (fennel). Accompaniments of both are same again. They come in a platter with mint-coriander chutney and sweet and tangy dates and tamarind chutney.

But have you heard of Mawa Kachori that is accompanied with sweet syrup?

Mawa Kachori is stuffed with an aromatic mixture of mawa (cheesy curd) and dry fruits. Mawa Kachori was invented by Shri Rawatmal Ji Deora of Rawat Mishthan Bhandar of Jodhpur.

Huge brown dumplings, you can break them up, dip into sugar syrup and have them, or just bite into them. Mind blowing version of the usual kachori, simply brilliant and different! It is really difficult to have the entire sweet in one go. One has to have a strong sweet tooth to have one Mawa Kachori completely.

Mawa Kachori in Sugar syrup – one among the many unique Dishes of Rajasthan

Where to get good Mawa Kachori – Janta Sweet shop in Jodhpur is a leading name in India since 1980 for Rajasthani sweets and savories. Their rates are reasonable and have good quality too.

Address: 3, Nai Sarak, opposite Priya Hotel, Chauraha, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342001

Open Timings – 7 AM to 10 PM.

Read more – Secret Stories of Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

Conclusion

So? How many of these uncommon unique dishes of Rajasthan did you have before? Thanks to the five days of Times Rajasthan Cuisine Trail by Rajasthan Tourism and Times Passion Trails I could experience, explore and taste these dishes.

It is always good to know what a city has to offer in terms of food in addition to its sights, culture and traditions, because it is the food that makes the humans of the place.

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