Any discussion about Indian cooking would be incomplete if one fails to make a mention of Rajasthani cuisine. However, as one begins to describe about the cuisine and cooking style of this desert state, the vastness of the topic becomes evident. Rajasthan means “land of kings”. It is the largest state of India by area in which a vast majority of land is the part of Thar Desert. The food that evolved in this state over the period of centuries was deeply influenced by geographical conditions.
Scarcity of water and huge tracts of desert land made vegetation and cultivation very difficult. As they say “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”. This phrase is apt to describe the general populace of Rajasthan. They are the brilliant innovators, which is what explains culinary gems like ker-sangri (Ker- a berry, sangri- beans), bina pani ki roti, khus khus ki roti and several other masterpieces that took the Indian culinary scene by storm.
A widely held misconception about Rajasthani cuisine is that it is mostly vegetarian. I believe this misconception stems from the fact that one of most popular and successful community originating from Rajasthan happen to be “Marwaris”. They have been hugely successful in setting up different businesses, shops all over India and people from this community are vegetarians. This is the primary reason why we consider Rajasthani cuisine to pre dominantly vegetarian. What we fail to take into account is that Rajasthan that we know today was erstwhile known as Rajputana-the land of Rajputs. Rajputana was the historical region that included present day Rajasthan, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Pakistan. Rajputs (Sanskrit: Rajputra “Son of King”) are the warrior clans of India and known to be predominantly non-vegetarians.
Rajput kings were known for their lavish lifestyles. In fact, they made significant contribution to Indian cuisine before Mughal empire rose to prominence. If we remember dishes like kebabs that enriched the Indian food in a delicate and succulent manner, we must also remember gamey dishes like Laal Maans that evolved from hunting expeditions that Rajput kings undertook.
Rajput rulers were connoisseurs of food and had an army of cooks working in their kitchen dishing out masterpieces in breakfast, lunch and dinner. They used the royalty heirloom recipes that has been passed onto them from one generation to other but was a closely guarded secret. When the rulers would go for hunting expeditions with their entourage they would be accompanied with fewer cooks. The cooks would stay back at hunting camps waiting for the game so that they could cook these games before the hunting party would return to the camp. The hunting party would often hunt wild boars, deer, rabbits and quails. The most challenging aspect of the cooks’ job when they were cooking in hunting camp would be to cook with highly limited ingredients. They would ration only basic ingredients like chilies, garlic and yogurt. Laal Maans, in those days was made with wild boars or deer which had a gamey odor. To overcome the odor, these khansamas (royal cook), after few trial and error discovered that they could use mathania chilies (mathania is a small town in Jodhpur district in Rajasthan and is famous for its red chilies) to get rid of the gamey odor. These chilies were heat inducing and imparted a deep red color to the curry. They would make use of yogurt to make this curry a little tangy. This is one of the recipes that has evolved in Mewar kitchen and is prepared by men folks. Rana Sriji Arvind Singh Mewar, the 76th custodian of Mewar dynasty is believed to be the last few of those who have mastered the art of cooking this dish in a traditional manner.
Now, since hunting is illegal, laal maans is prepared using mutton. Other Ingredients would still remain same. The modern way of cooking has seen mathania chilies being replaced by Kashmiri a chili which according to me is a big no-no. We must alter a dish only suitably so much that it does not destroy the soul of the recipe.
Few important points:
- This Recipe does not involve any elaborate list of ingredients, only few basic ingredients would suffice.
- Mathania chilies are must. Do not replace this with any other chili. You can get it easily from some online organic stores.
- Use yogurt. Tomatoes were never on the ingredient list of the original recipe.
- It is recommended that you use mustard oil. Mustard oil must be heated till its smoking point and then turn off the flame. When it attains medium temperature, turn on the flame and start adding ingredients to the oil.
- We impart a smoky flavor to the recipe using dhungar method. Once the dish is ready, a live charcoal is placed in a bowl and the bowl is placed in the dish. A tablespoon of ghee is poured on top of live coal. This generates smoke which is trapped by covering the dish with a lid. This smoke would then permeate through the dish and impart a smoky flavor to it. Occasionally, some spices like cloves are added to coal and then ghee is poured on top of it. This enhances the flavor of the dish even more. You can skip this step if it is not feasible to you.
Check out some more Rajasthani dishes
- 500 grams mutton (goat) pieces with bones
- 200 grams onions cut lengthwise
- 250 ml yogurt nicely whisked
- 4 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 7-8 cloves
- 12-13 red chilies (Mathania chilies). Soak these chilies in hot water for 10 mins and thereafter make a thick chili paste using them.
- 125 ml mustard oil
- 4-5 cloves of garlic (for tempering)
- 2 tbsp clarified butter (desi ghee) (for tempering)
- A piece of charcoal (for dhungar: smoking process)
- 1 tbsp clarified butter (for dhungar: smoking process)
- 4-5 cloves (for dhungar: smoking process)
- Heat mustard oil in a pan till its smoking point.This enhances the color and flavor of mustard oil.
- As the oil reaches its smoking point turn off the flame. Allow the oil to cool off slightly and then turn on the flame.
- As oil cools down slighly, turn on the flame. Add cloves and onions to the pan and fry the onions and fry them on low flame until it becomes brown.
- Onion turns brown in about 15 mins. Now add mutton pieces and fry them for 5 mins.
- Now add ginger-garlic paste and roast for 3 mins on low flame.
- Now add mathania chili paste, salt as per taste and roast them for 5 mins.
- Now add whisked curd and mix it well. Increase the flame to medium . Wait for one boil.
- When mutton starts to boil, reduce the flame. Add 1.5 cups of water and cook covered for 35-40 mins.
- After 35 mins, check if mutton is cooked. Now turn off the flame.
- Heat 2 tbsp clarified butter in a vessel.Now add chopped garlic and fry them till they turn brown.
- When garlic turns brown, put this tempering on top of laal maans and cover the vessel immediately to retain the aroma.
- Prepare for Dhungar (Smoking process):Burn a piece of charcoal on flame.
- When coal is burnt, put it into a small iron/steel bowl. Place this bowl at the centre of pan.
- Put cloves on live coal. Pour clarified butter on live coal.
- As coal starts emitting dense smoke, cover the lid to trap this smoke. This will infuse a smokey flavor to Laal Maans.
- Laal Maans can be relished with Missi Roti or khoba roti.
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