Experiencing Rajasthani royalty at Jodhpur

The impressive combination of fun, food insights and feeling absolutely stuffed. The chef’s menu tasting at Jodhpur was the perfectly royal affair. Starting with the golf cart ride from the Murooj reception through the narrow walkways of the hotel, to their palatial interiors, heartfelt hospitality and retro innovative cuisine curated so intricately by chef Pradeep Khullar, every element offered a welcoming surprise.

From the minute we entered the restaurant, we knew Jodhpur will be different. When you think of a Rajasthani royal dining experience, the first thought that hits your mind is red and yellow interiors, mirror work embellishments, colorful attire, and things like that. But Jodhpur goes way past all of those stereotypes by taking the definition of royal up a notch.

Chef Pradeep Khullar’s creativity is reflected in every aspect of his menu. Focusing on freshness, the pink guava sorbet reminds you of travelling through the streets of India on a hot summer afternoon, and stopping by the roadside to munch on a piece of the fruit topped with some tantalizing spices. This refreshing drink marries the sweetness of guava with a black salt twist giving it that summery nostalgic flavor.

And look at how absolutely pretty this pink lady looks against the palatial dining backdrop!

I could honestly have these all day. A staple in every Indian households, these crispy, flaky, light and flavorful Khari Biscuits, served as a pre-starter, take you back to rainy Indian afternoons and chai sipping memories.
Baked in-house every single morning, these cumin dotted puff pastry is perfectly fresh and makes a great combination with the herb yogurt dip.

Who would have ever thought about serving a macaroon as a chaat? Well, Chef Pradeep and his talented team did.
As he proudly presented the first serving of this surprising amuse bouche, and asked us to experience the flavors before we got occupied with getting the perfect shot, Pradeep told us there was no way they could put a price on this happy accident.

Happy accident you wonder? Why did he say that? That’s how the macaroon chaat was conceived!! Instead of filling in pastry cream, the chef accidentally filled in a chaat mixture giving rise to this retro innovative creation. The chaat cream is a savory tangy spicy mix of hung curd, cheese, green chilies, coriander and lemon powder. Moreover, the macaroon is so perfectly baked, its soft at the bottom and crunchy on the top.

This macaroon chaat an impeccable blend of sweet spicy and tangy in one delectable bite.
Friendly tip: eat it right away!

It’s really difficult to please somebody with a dish where the predominant ingredient is their least preferred one. But Chef Pradeep’s creation not only managed to please, but went a step ahead and wowed me!

These beef short ribs come with a very unique Indian twist. The beef is braised for 8 hours to give it utmost tenderness which allows the meat to melt in your mouth. The short rib is flash fried to give it a crispy coating and coated with an in-house reduction of garlic, lemon and aam papad glaze. Aam papad! So creatively nostalgic right?!

This little piece of deliciousness tastes as beautiful as it looks. Really! And even though this starter was for my vegetarian bestie, I wouldn’t have mind having one of these myself.

The Roomali Paneer Tikka, as the name suggests, featured thin, melt in the mouth sheets of cottage cheese which were wrapped over a creamy mix of Chef Pradeep’s very own Desi pesto. Combining basil and coriander with garlic, pine nuts and olive oil, this pesto sauce gets it Desi twist with green chillies.

Adding more art to this cheesy marvel is the generous dollop of chives cream along with crispy kale and spinach crunch. This tikka is served with a dash of deep pink wasabi malai. Being an ardent pesto fan, I would definitely go back for this one.

This is one rosy affair! And who other than Chef Pradeep would have thought of using rose petal ash!

This delightfully surprising Laban & Ricotta Kabab comes with a cold creamy and comforting mix of hung curd and ricotta cheese which is coated with roasted rose petals. Famed as the cold kabab, it features an icy center making it a cross between a palate cleanser and dahi chaat. The creamy center is flash fried so as to not ruin the texture of the curd and cheese, but just enough to give it a crispy coat.

Definitely bold, this one can well be given the status of a Star dish, only next to the macaroon chaat of course!

Moving from one dish to another, I just realised every creation by Chef Pradeep is a masterpiece.
This beautifully done Chicken & Chestnut Kulcha eliminates the need to have a separate gravy and bread. Mind you, it’s not a wrap or a sandwich, but the tikka mixture is stuffed within the Kulcha dough and cooked in tandoor for that aromatic flavor.

Water chestnuts make sure the Kulcha doesn’t go soggy and maintains that crisp crunch of freshly baked bread. It is served with sumac spiced laban giving it that Middle Eastern twist.

Comfort food couldn’t get any more comforting. Really. Even if you are a dedicated non-vegetarian, I strongly recommend you try this Dal Chaat.

Also known as Dal Muradabadi, it starts with a thick creamy mishmash of the humble lentil moong dal which is topped with tamarind – imli chutney, mint – pudina chutney, onions, tomatoes and coriander. It is then garnished with the childhood favorite crispy moong dal that’s a classic with most Indian tea time snacks.

This one is definitely a must have. And I can’t possibly explain how much I am craving this dish as I write.

It couldn’t get any more nostalgic than serving a popsicle in the toy version of a Hawkins pressure cooker- the one item that’s symbolic of every Indian household.

This sweet mango cranberry & lime sorbet is made of fresh alphonso puree, dehydrated cranberries and kaffir lime leaves, and served as a palate cleanser to get you all prepped up for the delicious main course ahead.

The absolutely fab presentation took me back to those wonderful days of playing with my toy kitchen sets, totally striking a chord with childhood memories.

Bringing in the freshness of coastal regions right to our plate, the Jhinga Chettinad starts with tender crunchy garlic glazed tiger prawns. A coconut milk based Chettinad spiked gravy is then poured over these coastal delights to give it a creamy consistency. The gunpowder masala spiced parmesan papad adds a luxurious touch.

Mumbai street favorites on one delectable plate! This delicious pav bhaji studded with chopped onions, instantly takes you back to the smoking hot tawas of Mumbai and offers the same spicy flavor you would expect from a street side pav bhaji stall in the city, only better.

And of course the classic staple batata wada makes an appearance on this plate in a miniature version. It’s beautifully done with a perfectly spiced potato stuffing inside and a crunchy fried batter coating.

And look at those fluffy mini breads on a stick. Baked fresh and glazed with the utterly butterly Amul, they are Chef Pradeep’s retro innovative bit!

Ever thought of having a faux dal makhani and chur chur Kulcha? Chef Pradeep wants you to have that!

Now there’s a story behind both these dishes. The faux dal makhani is named such since it it is prepared using the light moong dal instead of black dal. This green moong dal is simmered overnight and tempered with all those delicious spices to turn it into a creamy makhani gravy. Trust me, you won’t even notice the difference in the flavor, in fact if anything, it’s only better.

The chur chur Kulcha is nothing but a Paneer Kulcha torn into pieces. Why in pieces you ask? Well, the idea comes from the common Indian mom who didnt want her kids to count how many rotis they are eating, so tore it up into pieces instead. Interesting, no? This buttery kulcha is dotted with coriander and offers a crisp texture.

Words cannot justify the beauty of this dessert. Even though I’m not a Kulfi fan, this kesar malai variant with all its grandeur, turned me into one.

Garnished with toasted almond slivers, pistachios and frozen dried raspberries, and served on a wooden box decorated with artificial plants at the edges, this dessert looks just like a pretty fairy tale forest on a plate. The rich Kulfi is made with reduced full cream milk flavored with saffron and cardamom for all that lusciousness.

If you are a Kulfi fan, then you definitely need to have this.

Of late I have been having so much milk foam rabdi, I honestly don’t remember what the real thing tastes like anymore. But hey, I’m not complaining!

Chef Pradeep’s twist on this dessert classic Ras Malai features fluffy and airy cream dough on a bed of saffron flavored milk that’s topped with atta panjeeri and crisp kataifi shreds for that added crunch. Moreover the rabdi is dotted with more than your regular nuts. It brings together contemporary garnishes like dehydrated strawberries and passion fruit.

Now I’m a ras malai fan, so that was my forte, but Chef Pradeep made me fall in love with my not-so-favorite jalebi.

Yet another highlight of the evening, the Jalebi tree featured miniature versions of this classic Indian dessert were powdered with gold dust, and presented hanging from a faux tree. Crisp, light and extremely sweet, each bite sent a burst of juicy sugary delight. The jalebis were served with a mascarpone rabdi for that creamy accompaniment. This jalebi tree not only made for a grand finale but also made me fall in love with the dessert.