Jaipur

I thought it would be Hyderabad. Or Lucknow. Or Chennai. Or Bangalore even. Two years back, I went to Delhi with two friends and got the idea of going to other cities in India in search of the best food they had to offer. The plan never took off, though I did keep going back to Delhi for some reason or the other and managed to eat well every time.

Jaipur was never on the list. Not because I thought it did not have good food to offer. It just got hidden behind the more famous/hyped Lucknow and Hyderabad. But as fate would have it, Jaipur found me before I could find Jaipur.

A friend had moved into an awesome house there with his parents and called me over for a weekend. This was April and it would be scorching hot, but I had nothing better to do with my weekend, so I decided to go anyway.

I always make a mental list of things to eat whenever I go to a new place and this time was no different. Spicy meat dishes and the famous Jaipur sweets were on the top of my list.

So I landed on a scorching hot Friday afternoon and headed straight to my friend's awesome house. I couldn’t escape the family dinner (vegetarian) as that would be impolite, so the 'hunting' would have to start the next day.

Laal Maas is probably the most famous Rajashthani meat dish. And Spice Court is the place to try it in Jaipur. It serves good Rajasthani non-vegetarian fare and there's a good feel to the place with lawns, the option of outdoor seating and the famous Rajasthani hospitality.

There were other options on the menu but I knew what I had come for. So Laal Maas it was. My friend pointed to Kheema Bati, which is like a non-vegetarian version of Daal Bati with minced meat in it. It sounded very interesting and was apparently the most sought after item on the menu at Spice Court. So we decided to come back for it later. The Laal Maas was very good and very spicy indeed. Thank god for the chilled beer.

In the evening, my friend insisted on taking me to this omlette place he kept talking about. I wondered what the big deal was, but decided to go along anyway.
Sanjay Omlette is a small shop located in a square in Jaipur that somewhat resembles Delhi's Khan Market. Apparently, it’s been doing business for a few decades and has quite a reputation. We ordered cheese omlettes and they came with not only bread but also, green chutney, red chutney, ketchup and onion salad. Good omlettes and great value for money considering the variety of accompaniments.

The next morning, as planned, we returned to Spice Court to try the Kheema Bati. But my luck had run out and apparently they did not have any. So there was little choice but to go for the other Rajasthani meat dish on the menu - the Jungli Maas. Only one problem...it's the hotter spicier version of Laal Maas...:) Even the waiter called it 'super duper spicy' and told me it was against house rules to make it any less spicy!!

With the other choice being a repeat of the Laal Mas, I decided to brave it and called for a nice chilled beer to take the edge off the deadly Jungli Maas. When the damn thing arrived on the table with the Rotis, I said a short prayer and tucked in. The waiter was right. It was the hottest, spiciest thing I had ever put in my mouth, barring the odd accidental green chilly. But it was also very delicious. Dilemma?? Catch 22?? I don’t know what to call it, but one the one hand I liked it very much and wanted to have the next morsel, but the bloody thing was scorching my palate and I was damn sure it would scorch my digestive tract later. In the end, I managed to fight the heat and almost finished the plate of feared Jungli Maas. I conquered the Jungli Maas!! Or did the Jungli Maas conquer me?? I'm not really sure.

The last items on my list were the snacks and sweets. So, on my last day in Jaipur, we headed to Rawat Mishtan Bhandar. This place is known for its Onion Kachori and Mirchi Vada and both were really good and very filling. The Mirchi Vada is just like the Batata Vada but with a large milder green chili inside the batter. It was time for the sweets next and there's no better place in Jaipur for that than Laxmi Mishtan Bhandar. And when in Jaipur, one must try the Ghewar. There are several types and it comes in many sizes, but most 'exotic' varieties are available only in winter, except for the standard Paneer Ghewar. And LMB as it’s called is the best place for it. So I ended my Jaipur sojourn by savoring the famous Ghewar and packing boxes of it to take back home.

Spicy meat dishes, Omlette stalls, snacks and sweets made a good Jaipur trip. I'm sure there's much more to Rajasthani food than just that and I'm looking forward to coming back in winter to Rajasthan to eat much more in much better weather. As far as the idea to go to other cities is concerned, it's time to get cracking...wish me luck!!