Dal-Baati-Churma

This classic Rajasthani culinary combo is unbeatable for its resonance with communities across the state. The set dish creates a wholesome meal in itself. Batis are roasted hard wheat balls which are teamed with ghee, a dal (soupy lentils) and churma, a sweet crumble of flaky batis mixed with ghee and jaggery or sugar. Your go-to places are LMB and Santosh Bhojnalaya at Sindhi Camp Bus Stand, which are top city favourites with locals as well as visitors.

Gatte Ki Sabzi

A big all-weather favourite from family kitchens across Rajasthan, Gatte ki sabzi is a delicious curry dish created with chunky gram flour dumplings (gattas) doused with and cooked up with a yoghurt-based sauce. The dish also gets its iconic flavours from the pure ghee and spices which seep deep into the gattas. You can team this with rice or chapatis. Inspired mothers back in the day, it was an innovation born from the lack of fresh vegetables in the summer months. Its making required just the bare necessities which every kitchen normally would stock— besan, ghee, yoghurt and spices.

Ker Sangri

This iconic vegetarian dish has its roots in a famine when people were forced to make do with any form of plant life which could survive these hardened conditions. The sangri pods harvested from the hardy Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees in the villages in the arid reaches of the state are able to withstand punishing levels of heat. Unripe ker berries are collected by villagers from the thorny shrub known as Capparis decidua. Created from dried ker berry and sangri beans, the dish which is teamed with bajra (millet) roti, is often part of traditional Rajasthani thali (platter). It can be stir- fried, doused in curd or pickled. This ever-popular dish has found an important niche for itself in Rajasthan’s culinary heritage.

Ghewar

Come the monsoons and you know you have to ditch your diet to tuck into that most magical of rainy-day treats, that filigree exotica— the ghewar. A work of art itself, the ghewar is a delectable culinary craft which matches the crafting skills of bees when they are making their honeycombs!

What humans do to create these delicate, crisp honey-sweet treats is bring together ice, ghee, maida (superfine wheat flour), and sugar syrup in symmetrical harmony. An iconic sweetmeat relished by all, the ghewar is closely linked to the monsoon in Rajasthan, the festival of Teej and the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, when brothers and sisters celebrate the sacred filial bond between them.

While plain ghewars are rather popular and relished with delight, you can go a step further and plump for the even more exotic varieties such as the ones teamed with mawa, rabri or custard cream.

Many people think that ghewar making is confined to Rajasthan, but that’s not quite true. Ghewar making traditions are very much alive in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Did you know that Biharis and Sindhis tuck into an even more exotic version of the ghewar? This lovely complicated fusion of ghewar and jalebi is known as Gheewar!

Lal Maas

This fiery Rajasthani mutton curry introduces you to the flaming power of Mathania mirch, crops of which are brought in from around Jodhpur, which is home to a village of the same name. Niros at Paanch Batti has been famous for its weekend queues for this iconic dish which they serve with delectable rumali roti. Ask for a round of lassi when you are done with this fiery Rajasthani non-veg staple. You should also try Fairmont Jaipur’s laal maas.

Mathania mirch is used as a paste, in powder form or as a whole depending on the dish it has to fire up. Beloved for its sharply pungent heat, distinct flavour, colour and taste, not many are aware that the chilli is also known as the “Lal Baadshah of Rajasthan”. As revealed by a report by Central Arid Zone Research Institute in Jodhpur, Mathania chilly, which has been around since the 18th/19th century, is in danger of going extinct. Time to keep those laal maas dishes on a roll. Vegetarians can do their bit for its survival by enjoying its distinctive presence in a dish of Ker Sangri. The more daring can even try the red Mathania chilli chutney!

Pyaz kachori

There are kachoris… and there are kachoris. But there’s an indefinable longing for Jaipur’s pyaz kachori for which people will travel miles to gorge on this delicious deep-fried savoury pastry filled to the brim with fried onions and other tempting ingredients. The place to head for Rawat Mishtan Bhandar which has been for decades toiling on this yummy treat, which summons up lovely memories of home for Jaipur residents who now live abroad. Another popular joint is Samrat shop on Chaura Rasta, which also has runaway bestseller samosas and delicious kulhad chai.

Keema Bati

For non-veggies a well-made keema- stuffed bati can transport you to foodie heaven. All the individual flavours conspire to come together for a mind-boggling culinary experience. At Spice Court in Civil Lines they team it with a spicy jhol (a brothy sauce) adding a new dimension to the whole exercise.

Lassi

Lassiwallah, which has been holding steadfast on Mirza Ismael, Road as a city icon since 1944 in Jaipur is always crowded. More so in the summer months with clients lining up to gulp down glassfuls of their famous lassi.

Many people have the notion that Punjab is the lassi capital of India…Not so! Rajasthan has its own yummy version of lassi to cool the palate and your tummy after gorging on its spicy cuisine. While Punjab serves it in tall pital tumblers— and even crush a peda atop the brim-full beverage, here in Jaipur it’s served in terracotta glasses which adds a nice earthy flavour to the drink. It’s topped with a thick layer of malai (cream)!

Sahu’s Chai

The beloved earthy flavour of its kulhad chai has embedded this stall in Jaipur’s beverage trail over the years. Teamed with samosas or pakoras, especially on rainy days, it's perfect for nostalgia-creating memories for another day.