Jaipur Jaunts 2

Anokhi Cafe did not get mentioned in the last out for just one reason: The children did not like the food. We loved the vibe of the place and the fresh salads from Anokhi Farms. The menu did have pastas and sandwiches and the Falafel was good too. Children are not used to the tomato sauce with farm fresh tomatoes. Mumbai children can only dress well and know how to use the latest gadgets. The outside world is alien to them. Mumbai is the easiest city to live in. People are so helpful and the city is safe. Here the working women culture has been there for years. So all help is attuned to catering to them. And Mumbai s convenience has been there much before the super markets, Malls and the helpful websites like concierge services, arrived. Here right from the building watchman to your watch repair shop to the local grocer will help you beyond their core business or service. People are approachable. The only time you can get lost in Mumbai is when you are using Google Maps. People are your best resource in Mumbai. 

In Jaipur, a guide is must at Amer Fort or else you will be walking around like headless chicken. Don't dream of the one way elephant ride to the fort as the queue is too long. The guide we got was a gem. He explained the history of the temple inside the fort. He said he keeps learning history from the tourists who come in as some of them are well travelled and well read. The shop in the Amer Fort is quite good for gifts and decently priced.By the time you come out after skipping the Cafe Coffee Day and 1135 AD which is the hi end restaurant, you will be hungry. Then, Rice papad with little chilly powder on top is crunchy and fresh. Ice cream and Kulfi taste bad and are avoidable. The 'Chanachor' sold by an old man outside City Palace is really good. Actually everywhere I noticed the 'Chanachor' is fresh with lots of tomatoes and coriander. The beauty about our Nation is its fresh healthy junk food. The variety of berries is vast. They add Masala or salt and give it on small leaves. Fresh roasted peanuts with their shell intact, is another good thing to eat. Please do avoid all packaged food in Rajasthan as you will have a huge variety of fresh food to munch . 

In Salasar Balaji and Khatu Shyam, two pilgrimages close to jaipur, we had fresh Mung Dal Bhajiya/ Vada. The green chutney with coriander, Palak/spinach, Pudina/Mint and lime was tangy and gave the 'chatak' flavour to the Bhajias. Freshly soaked Mung Dal was hand ground on stone to give this unique taste which is not found in all the electric Mixer grinders we use. I went to our friend's house for dinner there and even they had a ' Sheel Pathar'. That is the Indian grinder made of stone and heavy in weight. The Chutney or the wet 'Masala' to be added in the gravy is ground on it and the texture is unique.  I did not learn to grind the chutney or the onions properly on the 'Sheel Pathar'. I remember once grinding spinach to apply on my face. Yes, when you are young and Grah Shobha magazine tells you that, you follow blindly. My face started burning because in the morning there was green masala ground. Though the pathar was washed, it still had the 'jhaal' i.e. the chilly. 

 It took me and my grandmother, years to like 'roti' made on a gas stove. When the 'Phulka' or Roti is made on the coal fire, it tastes very different. Same is for Baingan Bharta roasted on gas vis a vis cooked on fire. Rajasthan took me back to the way food was made in our households when we were young. And as they say, we are always looking for a slice or a sliver of our childhood. So many times, it comes and just slips away, before the brain can fathom and process it. My home is a prime example of that. I grew up in homes with a staircase inside the house. Always wanted that in our house in Mumbai. Now I have it and I am the happiest when I am on the stairs climbing up or down, sitting, chatting or cleaning. I do most of my work there like reading my messages, oiling the kids hair and combing it, making an important phone call and what not. 

Jaipur took me back to Jharia.....