Daal Bhaati khale aakey maaharey gaanv !

When I heard about Rajasthani Food fest happening in the city , the first thing which came to my mind was the song  J  

Daal Bhaati khale aakey maaharey gaanv

Ghanaa ghera dala thara chokhaa chadaa chaav

and my first question was -do they have Daal Bhaati churma in their menu ? J

Living in the southern end of the country, Trivandrum (literally the tip of the country) it’s very rare occasion to have Rajasthani food fest and when we came to know about it, wanted to ensure that I, at least try one Rajasthani Dinner.
The fest is happening at Hilton Garden Inn, Trivandrum from Jan 15^th  to 24th This being season time and lot of activities happening in the City there are lots of guests and tourists in the city and was surprisd to see the Restaurant completely occupied with no free table at 7:15 pm !

While we waited for the chef to tell us more about the fest and the cuisines , kids were welcomed with ‘Kesar Badam milk’ or 'Thandai' as it is usually called  served in earthen cup (Kulhad). Let me confess my children are not at all big fan of milk or badam milk, and I was surprised that they actually tried the drink and liked it and were telling – it has lot of badam and lot of malai (which usually they don’t like)  and is very sweet – but the best thing about the milk is the earthen cup -  its so cute !:)  - Point taken – so its not just the taste of the food but also how and on what its served that catches children’s interest.

For starters 

Lasooni Murgh Kebab  - Lemony and very light flavour of garlic , soft with tangy mint chutney which again was not spicy , children loved this Kebab

Rampuri Machi – Very distinct flavours , mildly spicy could not make out the exact spices, and went very well with the Pudina chutney – Seer fish, was soft and juicy.

In the veg section there was - Rajasthani Tawa Paneer .

For the main course we had 

Daal – Baati Churma – the signature dish of rajasthan , Baati which is usually baked wheat dough with Moong Daal was something which my children were trying for the first time which was very different for them. Churma was slightly sweetish with flavour of ghee and  lot of almond shavings. 

We ordered ‘Missi Roti’ – A healthy traditional flat bread with ingredients Whole wheat flour, Black gram flour, , onion, chillies, blend of spices like ajwain (carom) , amchoor (dry mango powder) , turmeric and yogurt which gives it very soft texture.

Aaloo Kadhu ki Sabzi – Soft potatoes and pumpkin – lovely flavour of Cumin, coriander and slight sweetness , lovely combination with Roti.

Paneer Jaipuri – Very rich creamy gravy , soft paneer with lovely smell and flavour of Ajwain – Carom seed.

Katha Meetha Karela – Sweet and sour Bitter Gourd – Bitter gourd usually not liked my many specially children but must admit this dish my daughter did eat and liked it . Again very different preparation and sweetness of jiggery, tanginess of  Dry mango powder and slight bitterness of gourd was perfect with roti.

Gatte ki Kadi – Gram flour dumplings spiced up with dry masalas and then steamed and cut into small bite sized pieces. in yogurt based gravy.

The dishes were so rich and filling that I just could not think of having desserts though there was a wide range of sweets  Kaju burfi with dry fig ,Atta ka halwa, Dry Fruits Rabadi and Moong Daal Halwa. Overall a good experience of having Rajasthani food makes me want to try more of it !