Every state of India offers a distinct cuisine, and Rajasthan is no exception. I was aware that you get a wide variety of pickles and berries there, thanks to the presence of the Thar desert. But it was only recently when I travelled to Jodhpur on sudden and hurried trip that I came to learn of the curious Rajasthani sweet tooth!

Some trips don’t allow the luxury of visiting the local favourites or the famous mithaiwalas. But if you’ve read my post, At home in Assam- Land of tea, rice and rhinos!, you know I don’t let time stop me from hunting down the regional flavours. So, I will let you in on my tips and tricks to finding the local specialties when you can’t go chasing them:

#Tip 1: Check out the regional dishes available at your hotel

Kaju ker Daag – at Ekatra, Radisson Jodhpur

The ‘Kaju ker daag’ I ordered is soaked cashews, raisins and local ker berries cooked in a curd-based gravy. It was perfect with the amazingly soft and flaky lachcha parathas and complementary papad and sev. I was further pleased with the restaurant when they also served me a complementary dessert, Rabdi ghevar, another regional specialty that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Dal baati choorma- at Ekatra, Radisson Jodhpur

I absolutely had to try the ‘dal baati choorma’, a quintessential part of every Rajasthani thali. It comprises a ‘panchmel dal’ made of a multitude of dal varieties (masoor, urad, moong, tur and channa dal), baati which is fried dough balls if I may put it simply, and churma, which is apparently powdered baati with sugar.

Now, it is a filling meal, so I would definitely recommend going in hungry. Be warned, the melted ghee, green chilli pickle and jaggery chunks will goad you on to eat much beyond your capacity. But the piping hot dal just makes it so worth it!

Tip #2: Allow a local friend to buy you snacks

Mawa Kachori- from a local shop

I always make a list of foods to look out for when traveling but this caught me by surprise. Some genius Rajasthani came up with sweet kachoris- filling it with sweet mawa (milk-based solid), added an oomph of dry fruits and rose petals, and if that weren’t enough, mandated pouring sugary syrup in before eating!

It was a crazy sweet experience. And a must-try.

Tip #3: Sometimes, the supermarket is a superhero

Candied amla, ker sangri pickle– from a local supermarket

Many a time, the locals themselves don’t realize what is truly local. And you end up eating Hyderabadi biriyani in Punjab.

So, my trick to peep into their everyday life is to walk into a grocery store and find what’s different. This time, I picked up a Ker Sangri pickle, a local pickle made of berries and beans, and amla candy.

Tip #4: Ask your autowallah to stop at a decent-looking mishtaan bhandaar

Pyaaz kachori, mirchi bada, Rabdi ghevar, Rajasthani mixture

Yes, all the reviews on Google point to Janta Sweet House. But if you don’t have the time for a detour while rushing from the Mehrangarh fort to your hotel, you should be fine getting some mithai and namkeen from any decent-looking ‘mishtaan bhandaar’ along the way.

From the sweet/snack shop, I got half a kilo of ghevar (that’s a semi-circle of that giant ghevar in the display). A huge pyaaz kachori I bought here served as my lunch at the airport. And I packed a couple of Jodhpur’s famous stuffed green chilli, ‘Mirchi bada’ to reminisce over my short trip over tea in the evening.

Now, I may have missed out on the gulab jamun curry and makhaniya lassi but I sure got a good round of Rajasthani delicacies in my 48 hours at Jodhpur.

I am sure my tips will do you good on your next travel! And if they do, do let me know in the comments below!