Sariska’s Local Flavour – What to Eat in Sariska
Local food is not much different from the main cuisine of Rajasthan, accept that it is available on the streets and can be indulged in casually anytime and anywhere. These snacks are light food items, usually fried and with lots of flavours to keep on going through the day. In city centres, the aroma is uncontainable is an important part of their lives. Most sweet dishes are milk products; thus, one has to be careful in case one has an aversion to it. Other than that, the street food of Alwar and Sariska is truly delicious. Hotels in and around Sariska generally serve multi-cuisine spread including traditional Indian, Continental, and Chinese food. Some resorts and hotels have well-stocked bars serving Indian and imported alcohol. In the park, there is the Pandupol temple, outside which you will find bhajiyas, kachoris, etc. with traditional Rajasthani kadhi.
Rajasthani Delicacies
Sariska like any other region shares the rich flavours of Rajasthan. With heavy use of dried berries, lentils, minimal vegetables, and oil, the food here is known for its varied use of spices make the dishes appear bright and infused with tons of delicate tastes, the amalgamation of which is refreshing and exciting. Meat is usually cooked dry and tender in cream or milk and the good generally lacks lucidity due to the scarcity of water here. However, over year and years, people have worked around this and have come up with a cuisine unlike any other in the world. Authentic Rajasthani food is available practically anywhere. From 5-star dining spaces to small roadside shakes and the ones on the street have their own local flavours.
Dal Bati Churma
Perfect for the chilly winter days, Dal Bati Churma is a platter where small baked batis or a kind of fried bread is dipped ghee. A panchkuti dal along with jaggery mixed churma is also served along. It is the best combination of sweet and spicy for each item to balance the severity of the other making it absolutely delicious. This is almost a staple item here especially because it is consumed so popularly.
Gate ki Sabji
Gram flavour dumplings when added in a curd-based gravy is cooked with onion and garlic, the resultant dish can be had anytime anywhere for any meal simply because it is so packed with flavours. A little spicy and often had with Rotis, parathas and naans, it does not always require vegetables. It is a yellowish orange gravy which is exactly the right amount of Rajasthan you can get on your taste buds.
Laal Maas (Mutton)
If you are into trying out spicy dishes, Lal Maas would definitely be your favourite. It is essentially mutton cooked in a red chilli gravy with lots of hot spices and flavours. It often tastes best with hot baajra roti and is quite popular in the state. If, however, the dish is too harsh, one can also try out Safed Maas, which dials down the spice for it is cooked in a gravy of milk, cream, curd, and cashew paste. It is served with steamed rice and red chilli.
Ker Pickle
(Made with Wildberry found In Khejri Tree, The State Tree Of Rajasthan)
Pickling, in general, is popular in Rajasthan and a wide variety of it is available. Ker however, is unique only to the state for it is made with Mulberries in Khejri Trees found only in this region. It is made with mustard oil which reserved the aromatic flavours of the seed and works as a wonderful appetizer before every meal. Jars are available in all pickle shops and are often made at home by the locals.
Kadhi
The Kadhi is a simple yet delicious staple dish in most Rajasthani households consumed with rice or roti. It is a spice curd-based soup but depending upon the consistency sometimes it is also had as a sauce. A radhi feels home-like and it is such an item that allows so to indulge intimately with each other because it harbours a general communal love.
Bhuna Kukda (Chicken)
A chicken dish that is truly wholesome and beautiful to states would be Bhuna Kukda especially because it is simple yet packs in a whole plethora of flavours. Tilting slightly to the spicy side, it does require you to be slightly tolerant, however, when tasted with tava Rotis or Lachha parathas it tastes rich and marvellous.
Ghewar
This disc-shaped sweet dished in a favourite among the people especially during the festive seasons. Made with flour soaked in a sugar syrup sometimes topped with ghee, malai, and mava. It is cooling for the body at a temperature that is always hot and harsh.
Kachori
Stuffed with basan, moong dal, or pea paste the kachoris are essentially puris fried in mustard oil and served with sabzi or an assortment of vegetables in a spicy curry. It is a portion of basic go-to food and is often had for breakfast or early dinners. There are various versions of kachoris available all around India, however, in Rajasthan, it is made it especially with the flavours of the region.
Mirchi vada
As the name suggests, Mirchi vadas are so spicy that they are bound to make one cry. A popular street food in Alwar, it is made with hot jalapenos and served with a sweeter sauce to comparatively balance out the flavours. It is believed that upon heart-breaks, one usually indulges in this snake to enable the tears flowing but that does not indicate that it can’t be eaten with any other emotions.
Kalakand
This is a milk cake delicacy available all over Alwar in over 202 shops with over 5000 people engaged associated with its production. Since Alwar is a comparatively milk-surplus area in the state, the production of this sweet dish also is far more than any other part. You can buy it in kilos from shops like Deendayal Aggarwal & Sons, Mansingh Kripaldayal Sweets, and Sanjay Sweet House, but the pioneer is Baba Thakur Das & Sons at the Kalakand market. This shop has a rich history associated with it for Baba Thakur Dasji had emigrated from Pakistan during the partition and had opened up this shop then. It is interesting to note that it was initially made on the footpath. You can pack it or home considering your travel time is less than an hour, otherwise, it may spoil and turn bad.
