Rajasthan being in the desert belt ,the climate conditions and vegetation do not allow prosperous dairy farming or vegetation.Interestingly the Rajasthani’s use the maximum dairy products..but then they poularly use camel and goat milk,which yeilds much more butter and ghee.The lack of leafy greens made them use lentils,pulses and legumes.
Food that could be stored and could go without heating was preffered.The famous Daal Baati Churma is ofcourse on the top list.Till date most of the Rajasthani’s cook Baati in the traditional choolah ofcourse with modernisation the ovens have taken over.I was reading somewhere that in olden days the women prepared baati and gave to the Rajput soilders.They then burried them in the sand which would be retrived in times of long marches.The hot sand would act like an oven and bake these.These were broken and eaten with pure ghee!!
For today, the thaali menu is as follows…
Drink
Pudine ki Shikanji
(The most refreshing lemonade served with fresh mint leaves)
Snack
(a crisp snack made from yellow moong daal spiced with fennel and asofetadia)
Curries /side dish
Moong Daal Paneer Gatte
(Daal and cottage cheese dumplings steamed ,fried and served in yogurt sauce)
Charchare Aaloo
(Crisp, fried potatoes made a little spicy to suit the name..Charchare)
Besan waali Bhindi
(Stuffed okra with gram flour stuffing)
Aam ki Launji
(A sweet and sour chutney made by cooking raw mangoes with jaggery)
Roti / Indian Breads
Missi Roti
(Flat bread with a combination of whole wheat flour and gram flour)
Tikkadia
(Also called moti roti, a thicker version of roti smeered lavishly with ghee)
Accompaniments
(garlic and red chillies pounded to make this amazing chutney)
Dahi
Aaloo Papad
(papads made from potatoes)
Salad
Sweet
Malpua
(A Indian version of pancake dipped in saffron syrup , garnished with rose petals and nuts)
Rajasthani homes do not serve aereated drinks .Their favorite drinks being Buttermilk,Keri Panna ,Jaljeera and Pudine ki Shikanji. All these are cooling drinks and are preferred in the summer heat.
For the snack I made Moong Daal Kachoris, which can be stored for days.These can be relished with either Aloo sabzi or as chaat with curds.
The curried vegetables normally have curd or buttermilk as their gravy.I have choosen the ever so famous Gatte ka Saag ,which is traditionally made with gram flour,but since hubby is allergic to besan I made these with moong daal aatta .The Rajasthani thaali must have a potato dish so here we have the Charchare Aaloo.The Besan waali Bhindi completes the combination . These are served with Masala Tikadias.Tikadia is a wheat bread spiced with chillies and fried crisp with ghee.The next favorite is Missi Roti which is mix of besan and wheat flour.The other breads include Bajra,Makai and Jowar roti.

Pickles and Papads are famous accompaniments to their main fare.The famous Moong Daal Papad .Bikaneri Papad , Aaloo ke Papad and Mangodis are a must in a Rajasthani kitchen.Infact these are sometimes used to cook curries instead of veggies.
The Marwari Launji’s add that zing to the platter. Aam ki Launji is the hghlight in summers while the Tamatar ki Launji is made throughout the year.How can we forget the Lassan ki Chutney and Pudeene ki chutney….these are served with most meals.
Sweet Dishes are never referred as desserts because unlike desserts which are served after meals Rajasthani sweets are served before,during and after meals.I choose to make Malpuas .These are absolutely rich ,the batter being made with Khoya and Milk which makes them super soft after they are immersed in a saffron flavored syrup.
In this post I am posting two recipes ,the rest will be added soon.
Besan waali Bhindi
Besan waali Bhindi
200 gms………….. small sized bhindi
2tbsp………………. besan
1tsp…………………. jeera pwd
1tsp………………… aamchoor pwd
1tsp………………… dhania pwd
½ tsp……………….. turmeric pwd
½ tsp……………….. red chilly pwd
4tbsp………………. oil
Salt to taste
Wash and dry bhindi.
Cut off tails and heads.
Slit them on one side keeping them intact.
Mix all spices,besan and salt.
Stuff the bhindis with this masala.
Heat oil.
Add the bhindi.
Saute’.
Cover and cook on slow fire till done.
Garnish with juilline ginger and green chilly.
Malpua
Malpuas
1cup…………………….. maida
¼ cup…………………… khoya
1 ¼ cups………………. milk or a little more(depending on the milk quality)
Mix all ingredients for batter and make a smooth batter.
Put to rest for 2hours.
Heat a nonstick pan.
Pour a spoonful of batter.
Spread to get a small round.
Fry with ghee on both sides.
Drain.
Ghee for frying
Sugar syrup
1 cup……………….. sugar
½ cup………………. water
1tsp…………………. illaichi pwd
Few strands saffron
Rose petals
Mix sugar and water.
Boil.
Add illaichi pwd.
Boil to one thread consistency.
To serve
Drop the malpuas in the hot sugar syrup.
Boil for a minute or two.
Remove with a slotted spoon.
Garnish with almonds,pistachios ,saffron and rose petals.
Enjoy the Rajasthani Meal.
Preparing the Rajasthani Thaali..
Advance preparation
Kachori…………………3days in advance
(these take long to make and can be stored upto 10 days)
Malpuas…………………2days in advance
(these too can be stored upto a week)
Aam ki launji…………….2days in advance
(this launji stays good in the frig for weeks!!)
Lassan ki Chutney…..2days in advance
(this can be bought ready too ,but if preparing at home it stays good for over a month)
On the Thaali day it took me about an hour to cook the meal.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#15
This Thaali goes to Valli’s Thaali Mela

Only one word Vaishali, awesome!..I am so much in love with your plate!..love all the dishes!..:)
What a mind blowing array of dishes! I cannot believe you made so many of them! Wow!
how did I know you would be the first to post 🙂 I'm all ready also, but I have to wait until midnight because it is not the 16th yet in US!
Your thali presentation is absolutely gorgeous, especially the figurines!!!
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I was speechless for a moment Vaishali…I don't know if my eyes would pop out any moment. I don't know the next time I come to India…I'm making a trip to your place especially for your Thaali….amazing, drooling, mouth-watering and at this moment can't get any other words in my mind…Plz do share your secret for this excellent presentation….My hand are up with all votes rooting to your Thaali….I cant stop praising it..its that good. Very well done!!!
A very filling and colorful spread. I had a first hand Rajasthani experience in a theme park in Hyderabad called Dhole-re-Dhani. The experience was just mind blowing, very affectionate and warm !
thali looks wonderful deliciously done
Oh! my Thali is looking so delicious., I haven't had my food still, I am feeling soooo hungry.., looks so divine and inviting, so mouth-watering,I love your Malpua version, I would love to try this out., I have not tried as it has to be deep fried.., this is so interesting and want to know your Moong dal gatte ki subji.
Delicious & filling thali and a nice write up about the thali.
Awesome. LOve your intro and the pics. This is alot of hard work. Speechless.
Vaishali !! I am taking the next flight to Ahmedabad, and you know the reason why :))…my my my !! thats one wonderful way to fill up the senses early in the morning 🙂 Awesome work , there, and I wonder how many more surprises are in store for the week ahead ! Superb work 🙂
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Wonderful line up of dishes in the Thali. Very inviting and mouth watering. Loved your detailed explanation.
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i am absolutely in love with your thali :).. i love rajasthani food & have had them in rajdhani.. my god..everything is such a fav.. i am going to try besan wali bhindi & kachori too..superbly done 🙂
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I love Rajasthani thali n urs look super good…I wish I was invited for the lunch…:)
Vaishali OMG… No words to express I am watching your thali from last 10 minutes and can not move my eyes. hats off to you dear, fantastic work. Looking forword for the next one..:)
Oh my…This thali makes me drool and one of the dream lunch for me…Great u shared how the meal can be pre-done and fabulous explanation…Glad to meet u in BM
awesome food….awesome presentation…..awesome vaishali di
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Wow awesome platter, i feel hungry…I have rajasthani thali last week it was the first time and i love the food taste very much!!
Very tempting platter Vaishali. It is really interesting to read about Baati and Rajput soldiers:). This platter is indeed a delightful treat.
Am speechless Vaishali, omg mindblowing dear..i have no words to say about this incredible thali..
Thanks a ton friends…Like you all even I am waiting to see your reaction on the other Thaalis that I have prepared.n @jayanthi..yes these have been made like pancakes and then dipped into the syrup.Originally we used to fry these, but then they come out little thick.These are light and delicate.Do try them and let me know how you like hem.
To tell u all a fact..this is one thaali which I did not want to post..I was not satisfied but time pressure!!..so had no choice..but I am so glad it's been appreciated .Thanks once again..love u guys:))
Wow…..that's a fantastic looking thali. Everything looks so delicious. I really like the male & female Rajasthani dolls you have used in the photos.
oh my god.. oh my god Vaishali.. I am drooling here. please do invite me to lunch…
I am speechless Vaishali! Even I have an idea to do a Rajasthani thali, and yours is a great inspiration. The notes about the Rajasthani food habits are really great. Nice work…
Too good,…some of them are for me,,,:)
You are simply amazing and you did the justice to the Rajasthani thali. Please pass the thali.
Fabulous platter. Love the dolls. Cant take out the eyes from the platter. You are rocking Vaishali.
I had my first Rajasthani thali in Indore and absolutely loved the spread and their hospitality. You reminded me their mouthwatering food.
Simply superbbbbbbb!!!
Mouthwatering and tempting Thali…
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your site is veru informative thank you
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Nice thali, looking awesome.
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I love besan stuffed bhindi but the family doesn't like it.Very delicious.
This looks beautiful but just like your gujarati thaali, all the recipes are not there. how can we prepare this thaali without the recipes? please update soon . Can't wait to try out this amazing looking thaali. have every intention of pestering you next week if this is not updated.*lol thanks