Jodhpur, Rajasthan: EP 1 street food, places to visit | Rajasthani Thali

We began our Rajasthan tour with the Marwar region of Jodhpur, also known as the 'Blue City.' The grand scale of hospitality in Rajasthan was something that we encountered..... ....right outside the Jodhpur Railway Station. The locals here are very friendly and humble. Though, we've come here with sufficient time in hand but if you come to Jodhpur even for two hours.... ..you would not want to miss either the hospitality of this place or the famous Kachori! Ohh God! Absolutely crisp kachori! Kha

mma Ghani Jodhpur! (Greetings Jodhpur!) Hello friends! Welcome to Visa2explore! This is your host, Harish Bali! Behind me, you can see the most famous Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur. Behind me, on my left & right, you can see the beautiful blue-coloured houses of Jodhpur! It is a beautiful view! Right now, we are standing atop a hillock right in front of the Fort and enjoying this beautiful scenery. For another 15 minutes, we will enjoy the beauty of this city from here, then we will visit the Fort.

Afterwards, we will begin our food journey. We bought the entry ticket and entered the Fort. I have with me a guide, Mr. Lalit. Sir, can you tell us something about this Fort's history? Sure Sir. The Fort where you are standing right now, it is called the Mehrangarh Fort. This Fort was built by Rao Jodha during 1459. Presently, a private trust manages this Fort. The Fort has been divided into multiple sections. When you go to the top of this Fort, you can enjoy a beautiful view of this Blue Cit

y of Jodhpur. Another name for Jodhpur is 'Surya Nagri' (abode of Sun). However, if you go even higher on the Fort, you will see another view of the city, spread like.... ...a peacock's feathers (Mayur pankh). Therefore, the city is also known as Mayurdhwajj. The most beautiful part of the Fort is 'Phool Mahal.' This Fort leaves the visitors mesmerized and flabbergasted. Run by a private trust, this Fort is open to visitors between 9 am and 5 pm. Though you can go through the main sections of th

e Fort within 90 minutes but..... ...if you want to visit the whole Fort properly, you need to spend at least 3 hours here. Where we are standing right now, from here, you can see the beautiful view of the whole Jodhpur city. The lake view up front, from this height,... ...too good! For 15-20 minutes, one can stand here and enjoy the feel of the surrounding views. Sir, you showed us the whole Fort very well. We will meet you whenever we come next. Thank you very much! Thank you very much to take

my services. Okay! I remember, when I was in Jaipur a year and a half ago,... ...I ate a kachori, which was very delicious. At that time, I received a lot of comments from my viewers, asking me to.... ...come to Jodhpur or Kota and eat Kachori that I would remember forever. Well, I am in Jodhpur now. Today will be spent in search of lots of flavours. My first kachori after coming to Jodhpur! I've heard that kachori is so tasty in itself that it doesn't need either chutney.... ...or any curry. I

just saw piping hot kachoris being fried inside the shop. These kachoris are being fried in ghee (clarified butter). And it has a filling of dal inside. Ohh God! Really crispy kachori! Even before eating, I am enjoying the texture and crispiness of this kachori. Really delicious! The first feeling is that of ghee! The crispiness of the kachori is at an awesome level! Piping hot kachori! This kachori is so delicious - just pick a bite of it, put it in your mouth & it will melt. So soft and so aw

esome! Brilliant! As I am enjoying this kachori, I've also begun to enjoy the filling inside. This stuffing is not mild at all. It is loaded with spices and flavours. I talked to Sir here and he told me this shop is 80 years old. Along with kachori, they also sell sweets here! Sir, is this shop called "Lal Bhatthi" too? Yes! Alright! This shop is also known as "Lal Bhatthi." Very good! We've come to Jalori Gate for a cup of tea! The special thing about this tea is that they have a Batthi (fire s

tove), over which milk is constantly boiling. The milk is, thus, thickened. The tea is being prepared in a brass pot. The milk is boiled separately and then mixed with the tea. By the look of it, this tea seems quite thick and delicious! Tea with thick milk! Really... Absolutely.... The milk is boiled properly! It is thick! Overall the tea is simple in taste but the whole game is that of the milk. We've come to Shri Achal Nath Temple here I went inside and paid obeisance! I've with me the Pradha

n ji (Head) of the temple. Sir, will you please tell us more about the temple? Yes, Sir! Achal Nath Temple is a very ancient temple of Jodhpur. This temple is about 500 years old. There are two statues here - one is that of Achal Nath Mahadev and the other is of Lord Narmadeshwar. The Achal Nath Mahadev resides here in the form of a yellow-coloured Shiv Lingam. That is why this temple is known as Achal Nath Mahadev. Jai Shankar! We have come to the crowded Ghaas Mandi area to eat Mawa Kachori. I

saw them stuffing mawa inside kachori. After frying it and dipping it in sugar syrup, the kachori has been served to me. Good stuffing and since it is dipped in sugar syrup, it is sweet obviously! In Jodhpur, kachoris stuffed with pyaaz (onion) or dal or mawa are quite popular. Since I am here for today and tomorrow, I will be trying more kachoris with different stuffings. In this stuffing, the strongest flavor, apart from the mawa, is that of elaichi (cardamom) Rest, the taste is decent. If t

he sugar syrup was sweeter and thicker, it would have tasted better but..... ...otherwise decent! As I am moving around in Jodhpur city.... ..I am beginning to realize that decades-old outlets, like this 70-years-old shop,.... ...have not renovated their system with the passage of time. So, their methods of cooking, upkeep of the shop space, etc. are of the old style. But yes, patrons come into these food joints for the authentic taste. I've experienced two varieties of kachori today. I will try

more varieties in the coming days. Now, we are going to visit a step-well. In the Manek Chowk area, we've come to visit 'Toorji ka Jhalra.' It is a kind of step-well. Look at the narrow steps that I am coming down. Now see, the level of water here must be at least 30-40 feet down from ground level. Now when you will walk down about 150 meters further, you will see these stairs going into the water body. In the old times, people must have been going even further down to collect water from this w

ell. The water was used for bathing & other household purposes. It was the ladies specially, who used to come and collect water from here for their household needs. Not many tourists know about this place. Somebody told us we must visit here. Although these boys are jumping into this pool and enjoying themselves,... ....this pool is very deep so one should avoid doing this. I'm very excited to eat dishes made with Gwar Fali (Cluster beans) and Ker Sangri (Dried berries & beans). Did you know tha

t out of all the Gwar Fali in the world, 45-50% grows in Rajasthan? This means you must not miss eating Gwar Fali here. If you want to enjoy the traditional food of any state in the country,... ...the best way to do that is eating a thali of that State. Right now, we are in the Sardarpura area in the Gypsy restaurant. To eat Rajasthani thali, of course! This thali has almost everything included. But I am specially excited for 3 or 4 dishes. Let me tell you. No. 1 - Gwar Fali! The other dish is t

his Ker-Sangri! I don't know since when I had been waiting to eat this dish in Rajasthan. And to show you guys, I've even asked them for the raw form of its ingredients. They are right there in the tray. Kumatiya! Ker! Sangri! Gunda! It is used to make pickle too! And dried red chili! Ker & Sangri are dried. After that, it can be used to eat for a long time. First of all Bajre ka Sogra (Millet flatbread)! Look at its size! So cute! And good-looking too! I mean it is inviting! Bajre ki roti is ve

ry rarely found to eat unless you are eating traditional food of a state. I have eaten it in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Bajre ki roti with this Ker-Sangri ki sabzi! I am really enjoying eating this Ker-Sangri. I will tell you the reason why. One you saw the Gunda - it is a little sour and works like a pickle in the dish. With that, this dish is very tasty! And the other thing about this dish, which is making it very tasty, is the touch of Hing (Asafoetida) in it. Very delicious! I forgot to mention

about this dal-bati-churma! This is one more reason why I was so excited about the Rajasthani thali. I ate Bafla in Indore too. One can say that this Dal-Bati belongs to the Bafla family, but with some differences. As per my understanding, dahi (yogurt) is used to make Bafla. But dahi is not used to make this Bati. And this is the Churma Laddoo. This has been served separately. Obviously, this has sugar in it but it has been made with the base of Bati. This is dal, into which the Bati has been c

rushed while serving I think they serve the dishes in these tiny bowls because if one likes, one can ask for more, otherwise, ... ...if one doesn't like the food, then not much is wasted. That is my assumption. I've had 2-3 spoonfuls of Dal-Bati as a combination so far. Bati is tasty! But along with Bati, I am liking the Dal as well. In fact, I like this Dal more than the Bati. That may be because this dal has been made with a mix of 3 different dals. Two of these are from Moong family while the

third is Urad. This is what I have understood while placing my order. But let me tell you the thing that I've not experienced so far, which is in this bite.... ....that is presence of laung (clove) in this dal. Unique flavor! Good! I am going to ask for some more dal and one more bati. I had forgotten to add ghee while eating the first serving! Add ghee to enjoy this meal more. Trust me, though I was already very happy with the taste of this dal-bati,.... ...the addition of ghee has multiplied

the flavor by two. A lot of people told me that I won't get to eat Kheech during winters. I was asked to delay my trip to Rajasthan by a few months. It is a matter of chance that I got to eat Kheech here. By the way, for your information,.... This dish is made with Kheech and Chana Dal. Now what is Kheech? This you can see it here in the bowl. See, wheat grain's husk is removed. A little water is added to that to give it some moisture. And the grains are grounded So, basically, it is broker whea

t with some moisture. It won't be wrong to call it that. Oh God! It is a wonderful dish! I am eating it for the first time. I was told that I would enjoy eating Kheech in Rajasthan. Excellent! Its taste is wonderful, as it is! And the ghee has brought alive the flavours in this dish! Malai Gatta! This is gatta, which you can see, is made with besan (gram flour). The gravy has been made with mawa (milk solids) and dahi. We've just started our Rajasthan tour. I'm sure my food experiences in the co

ming days are going to get better and better! I will enjoy more. Now, we will finish this thali slowly, it will take 30 minutes to finish here. I am enjoying it very much. If you have some experiences related to Jodhpur food, please share in your comments. As always, I shall wait for your comments. We will spend 1-2 days more in Jodhpur. After that, we will go to Jaisalmer, thereafter, to Bikaner. I am enjoying eating Rajasthani food. That is it! Thanks for your time!