Dhokla, farsan tickle Bangaloreans' tastebuds too

Gujarati cuisine may have got extra dollops of popularity after Prime Minister Narendra Modi treated visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his entourage to a fine spread of his home state's food. But closer home, Bangaloreans are not so alien to Gujarati delicacies. They are discerning enough to know that there is more to the cuisine than khaman-dhokla.Or that the Kathiawadi thali is spicier than the Gujarati one.
There's a veritable spread of restaurants in the city offering Gujarati food with its heady sweet-sour combo, from the spongy dhokla and bhakri to the crunchy farsan and muthiya.
Take Rajdhani, the chain of authentic Gujarati and Rajasthani restaurants that have set up shop here too. Managers there brag that Modi would have loved their platter of 25 authentic Gujarati recipes. Starting from the lipsmacking nayan sev khaman dhokla to matar farsan, khandvi, dudhi palak muthiya, alu rassewalla, Gujarati kadhi, bhindi dahiwala, valurmuthiya, moong makai rotla, the list just goes on.
Genaram Chaudhury , chief chef at the Malleswaram outlet of Rajdhani, says, "While most guests are Gujarati, Marwari or Rajasthani, there are a lot of Kannadigas too who come here. They like the blend of sweet and sour with spicy Rajasthani food on the standard platter called thali that we offer. We prepare 5 0 types of dhoklas, including paneer dhokla, khaman dhokla, khatta dhokla, khandvi, white dhokla, nylon khaman, shahi dhokla."
Although most north and west Indian natives living in the city run to the six outlets of Rajdhani restaurant across the city, there are many smaller joints known specially for the perennial favourite, dhokla.
Praveen Agarwal, a native of Madhya Pradesh and resident of NGEF Layout in Bangalore, says, "The PM hosting a traditional Gujarati dinner for the Chinese president is a matter of pride for us. Gujarati food is getting a huge boost. In Bangalore, it is tough to get authentic food barring some places. For instance, Rajalakshmi in Marathahalli and Agarwal Sweets in BTM Layout offer great variety of tongue-tickling dhokla."