Rajasthan, the desert land, is a beautiful state with a colourful history behind it. It is the land of ‘Rajas(kings)’ (Raja-sthan) and there are many palaces and fortresses there, reflecting the state’s rich royal heritage.
Travelling to Rajasthan was a dream and we did travel to Jaipur and Jaisalmer 8 years back. It’s still an experience I relive and relish, especially the Jaisalmer fort. If possible, I would love to go there again…and again….and again
Not just the palaces, Rajasthani food is also famous. Their cooking style is a bit different. They bank on pulses and dried vegetables more than fresh veggies, since the desert is no ideal place to grow vegetables. It’s all different with advanced irrigation techniques and easy transportation now a days.
Yet you will find extensive use of pulses in Rajasthani cooking.
We had been to Choki Dhani, a Rajasthani village resort which showcases food and art culture from Rajasthan. We went as a group and so had fun. The place was over crowded and the waiting time for each and everything was long, but since we were a big group, the waiting time was yacking time and hence a happy time as well :-).
My son enjoyed the trip a lot (‘a lot’ is really less to describe his happiness) and surprisingly, loved the food also a lot.
He finished almost everything on his plate, without much fuss. He was hungry and the food was tasty.
The menu I have here is a bit on the lines of what we had in Choki dhani. They served us phulka, puri and bajra roti…all of which my son loved. I have replaced the puri with missi roti.
They started off with churma and brought the dal and baati. Then came the kadi and gatte ki sabzi. I skipped the last one, it deserves a separate post on its own :-). There was palak paneer and an aloo ki sabzi to go with the rotis. Some 3-4 varieties of pickles and chutneys were served.
Kichidi came later and it was served with sugar. Keeping the Chennai crowd in mind, they have included rasam, sambar rice and curd rice in the menu as well.
So here I have 3 bread varieties, an aloo curry and a mixed veg curry to go with it. Kichuri, dal and kadhi with 2 types of pickle/chutney as well.
The Menu:
- Khichuri/Kichidi : Rice and moong dal cooked together with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt. Vegetables can also be added to make it healthier.
- Bajre ki roti : A whole grain roti made of millet flour. It’s usually made as a single thick roti, saving cooking time. The dough is crumbly because of the absence of gluten, so thick roti is the way to go.
- Missi roti : Roti made with chick pea flour (besan). Has many versions and this is one of them.
- Phulka : Thin whole wheat roti which is cooked in the flame directly for puffing up. No oil is used.
- Sabz Jaipuri : A mixed vegetable preparation from the city of Jaipur.
- Atte ki kadhi : A yogurt based preparation which uses whole wheat as the thickening agent instead of the usual chickpea flour (besan)
- Aloo ki sabzi : A simple potato preparation that goes all around India.
- Dal : My friend’s preparation :-). Here is a the recipe for Pancharatna dal, which is very popular in Rajasthan as well.
- Malai Mirch : Chopped green chillies, fried in ghee and then cooked with cream. YUM!
- Lehsun Chutney : Garlic chutney, pairs well with the breads
- Pyaz, Nimbu, Mirch : Raw onions, lemon wedges and green chillies. The green chillies can be fried in ghee/oil.
My Kitchen Trials 
nice blog, well written. thanks for sharing. i love rajasthani thali.
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very well written and the representation of platting is so awsum.. cat explain in words it looks so delicious. this blog make me feel to eat all those food. rajasthan is very famus for its food and culture virasat restaurant is one of the best restaurant in jaipur which show and serve the best rajasthani culture to the people who come to them.
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Hello…Thanks for sharing wonderful mini rajasthani thali. The look so delicious..great blog..
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Can v order fron you Rajani. Will it get delivered? What minimum qty. What is d cost?
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No Ranjini, I don’t take orders. Sorry about that.
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Thanks for Sharing such a nice blog,I appreciate your efforts.The platters looks tremendous. I always visit your blog to see “Mini Rajasthani Plate”.
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Nice blog and yummy foods of Rajasthani cuisines. one place at Rajasthan where i ate delicious Rajasthani cuisines. I stayed at WelcomHeritage Koolwal Kothi. this hotel has yummy Rajasthani cuisines. To know more visit here at- http://www.welcomheritagehotels.in/hotel-facilities/koolwal-kothi-nawalgarh
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Looking delicious! But how to make it all together at the same time? :o Please guide how to make it all, with which dish You started, what was doing in between and which was last to manage this and make it for my beloved ^_^.
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Mouthwatering platter. It reminds me that I have no patience to cook up a thali meal anytime. :)
The thalis I have enjoyed in restaurants have been Rajasthani ones and thoroughly enjoyed each time. Your thali reminded me one of those experiences.
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Rajani this is mini thali? LAdy this is celebration thali.Love it. You really rock.
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what a feast. fabulous thali.. love every item on it. I’ve never heard of Choki dhani even though i live here in chennai.. thanks for the pointer.. we’re definitely going there some weekend when my husband returns from his trip
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3 types of roti and is a mini?? yeah right – anyway platter looks amazing and photos are just mouthwatering
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This is a full fledged thali to me! Malai mirch is new to me. Everything on the menu is delicious and appreciate the efforts you put in put together this thali.
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Mini thali, Rajani? Really? You gotto be kidding. This looks like an awesome party platter to me :)
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If this is a mini thali, I don’t know what will be elaborate. Love each and every dish :)
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Nice efforts Rajani,all the dishes in the thali look so delicious and beautifully captured..
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This is not a mini thali Rajani :-) I’ve heard a lot about the Rajasthani restaurants that feed you endlessly, haven’t had a chance to enjoy myself — would love to sometime.
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Excuse me, this is not mini by any standards! If you insist on saying this, then we demand you do an elaborate thali for us..lol..Rajani you are rocking! seriously drooling over each and every dish you have dished out!..
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That is a lot of food. So many dishes! They look lovely on a platter. Nice variation on the missi roti. With 50% wheat flour it must be a lot easier to roll out.
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you r kidding!! this is mini thali…. I am so speechless here and all these dishes are super tempting and such a beautiful spread!!
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if this is in haste wonder what leisure can get out of you…this is very nice and elaborate preparation, i loved the efforts you put in this
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wow!..you have left us speechless..awesome.like the complete spread but the malai mirch..nothing can beat that.We have a Guju joint called Vishala which is similar to Choki Daani..again based on rural cuisine.
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Is this is Mini thali for you?? oh god dont say like that.. Its a royal feast for me.. Your thali is just breathtaking and i cant stop drooling myself here.
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Hi Rajani… very attractive preparation by you.. looks so tasty. I was expecting Gatte ki subji and Dal bati…
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This was done in a hurry, Mishti :(, so couldn’t include those two signature dishes. May be some other time..
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I appreciate your efforts… Before visiting your blog I always thought aaj kaunsi nayi thali hogi… :D
I come to know about so many new recipes by visiting your blog.
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Inviting thali and u are rocking rajani now .keep up the work dear
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