Jaisalmer's scrumptious secret

A 12-seater table, pretty with silverware matching the candle lamps, interspersed with fresh roses, is set under a moonlit Jaisalmer sky. Pregnant, overcast clouds threaten to pour, but pass by, raising the curtains to a starry night and green and yellow glass panes that decorate the alishaan corridor of palatial Suryagarh hotel, glisten under the lights.

For our first dinner, the chefs have curated a thali inspired from the cuisine of the Bhattiara community. "Originally Persian, the community came to Rajasthan as inn-keepers of the Mughal Army during the 13th and 14th century. Spread across Alwar, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Jaipur, Bhattiara's fused Muslim and Rajputana influences in their cooking," executive chef, Megh Singh tells us.

As we await our meal, a damp wind from the Thar Desert brings in the scent of sand. This region, once trudged by caravanserais and traders on the Silk Route, is peppered with relics and tombs carved with figurines in foreign attire, alongside those of locals. The question then often arises whether the caravanserais influenced the Bhattiara cuisine. While Persian influences stand strong, there's little or no evidence of travellers adding their touch.

Ingredient-led dishes

Unlike the popular Rajashthani fare, which is spiced with fiery Mathania chillies, the Bhattiara cuisine is more balanced. And not blanketed under excessive cream, the preparation allows you to taste the vegetables, meats and spices. "It is sweetened with moderate use of cashew nuts and walnuts," says Chef Vinod Kumar Dhondiyal, fondly called the curry chef as he's trained in the art under his ustad Irfan Khan in Bikaner.

As the team places the first serving of tamatar ka shorba in brass martabans, Dhondiyal tells us about the local ingredients: "khajoor (dates), jeera (cumin), anjeer (fig), black channa (gram) and lean meats from the area. And usually every dish is highlighted by one key ingredient". True to his words, when we sip on the shorba, it's the flavour of jeera that first opens on the palate, followed by tanginess from the tomatoes. To balance out the tartness, there are bites of dahi kebab covered in sago.

Next we munch on khichiya (a type of papad) made of jowar served with a rustic walnut chutney, typical of the cuisine. But the the star of the thali is Pathar Kutta Gosht, a hand-pounded chunk of slender mutton, from the exercised goats of the region. Every bite of the meat is creamy and though it's tougher, it's also juicier and flavourful due to long hours of marination pepper, cumin and aromatic javitri (mace) that lends it nutty aftertaste. To tie it up into a masterpiece, it's served with garlic chutney and ker (capers). The main course is Mohan Mass – mutton condensed in milk for three hours with cardamom served – with bajra roti. In the vegetarian option, anjeer stars in a kofta with a light red gravy, while black channa is used in a flavourful kadhi, spiced with cumin.

Dhondiyal lets us in on a secret: "I cook all my food in a black bhatti buried in a coal mound. The meat or vegetables mix with the spices." The dishes, he says, fall under 'Nizami khaana' and "while cooking with coal, the trick is to ensure the heat is steady. Every dish is sprinkled, finally, with kewda water, rose and chandan for a fragrant finish". Dessert is a creamy khajoor rabdi prepared by halwai chef Gattaram. We polish off two servings!

Growing local

Most of the local ingredients like millet, cumin, sarson used for this cuisine are grown in low-lying patches of khadins (earthen embankments) – with water held by the underlying layer of benstonite – scattered around surrounding villages of Khaba, Damodar and Kuldhara. Learning of this, with every bite, you feel a newfound respect, knowing that the dishes have travelled a long way to end up on our thali as is.