14 best street foods to eat in Jodhpur

Jodhpur’s treasures not just lie in its forts and palaces, but also in its street food. To experience authentic Jodhpuri food, you don’t need to make a reservation at a fancy restaurant. Instead, explore the narrow by-lanes and hole-in-the-wall shops of Jodhpur’s Old City.

With interesting anecdotes attached to dishes—some invented purely by accident—many shops have served unique dishes for over a century. Despite their unfancy and passable appearance, some of these modest stores in the city have earned a reputation not just in Jodhpur but across India and beyond. Here’s the list:

👉Best street food in Jodhpur

🍭Shahi samosa at Shahi Samosa

The story of the Shahi Samosa dates back to 1984 when businessman Anand Prakash Arora fried a samosa while gazing at the Mehrangarh fort, and the word “shahi” (meaning royal) popped up in his mind. He added some dry fruits to the mashed potato filling to give his samosa a regal touch. Over the years, he refined his recipe, and the Shahi Samosa became a phenomenon. The store where he sold them in Jodhpur became known as the Shahi Samosa shop.

To cater to the perennial long queue outside the shop, the team starts early, setting up a huge kadhai (woks) and doling out samosas that are larger in size and richer in filling. On an average day, the shop sells nearly 2,000 samosas. Cost: Rs22/pc

🚩Address: 95/B Clock Tower Rd, Nai Sarak Clock Tower.

🍭Makhaniya lassi and peda at Shri Mishrilal Hotel

Why drink your lassi when you can eat it? Head to Shri Mishrilal Hotel and try their famous Makhaniya lassi. In 1960, Shri Radheyshyam, son of owner Shri Mishrilal, invented this sweetened curd drink served in a kullad. The lassi is made using a blend of cardamom, kewda, milk, and highly compressed sweetened curd. Although no butter goes into making it, a crown of churned malai sits on top of every glass of this lassi. The texture is so thick and buttery that you can almost eat it with a spoon. Cost: Rs35/glass

This shop is also known for its milk-based pedas that are hallmarked like jewel coins, with each sweet bearing a stamp with the shop’s name. The pedas boast a rich golden hue. The secret lies in the caramelisation of milk, achieved by cooking it for ten hours and blending it with kesar, kewda, and elaichi. Cost: Rs40/3pc

🚩Address: Clock Tower Rd, Sardar Market.

🍭Motu jalebi at Motu Jalebi Wala

This 150-year-old establishment is tucked away in a narrow, quiet lane that bustles with morning activity as food enthusiasts flock to it for their fix of jumbo jalebis made to order. The jalebi is called “motu” because its creator, also known as the father of jalebi in Jodhpur, was a happy-go-lucky, rotund man who had a passion for sweets and wanted to create one that would brighten the eyes of all sweet lovers. Motu jalebi has thin, crispy strands, contains no added colours or preservatives, and is only served fresh. Cost: Rs280/½ Kg

🚩Address: Tripolia Bazar, Rawaton Ka Bass.

🍭Jodhpuri Kabuli at Vijay restaurant

Although Kabul is far from Jodhpur, due to historical connections between the kings of Marwar and the Mughals, several culinary delights of Afghanistan crossed the borders and were reinvented in Rajasthan as per to their dietary restrictions and available ingredients. One such dish is the Kabuli biryani. At Vijay Restaurant, the Jodhpuri version is made of rice layered with thinly sliced, fried seasonal vegetables like yam, carrots, sweet potato and gatta (chickpea flour dumplings), topped with almonds, cashews, and raisins. The dish is then cooked in dum style in a heavy-bottomed vessel, allowing the flavours to meld together perfectly. The Kabuli pulao has a unique taste compared to a regular vegetable biryani, as the vegetables and nuts are deep-fried. Cost: Rs90/plate.

🚩Address: 1st Floor, Main Chowk, Katla.

🍭Maawa kachori at Janta Sweet Home

Jodhpuris love to experiment, turning desserts into sabzis and savoury dishes into desserts. Another example of their innovative culinary skills is the mawa kachori, a sweet twist on the classic kachori typically filled with lentils or potatoes. The mawa kachori is filled with solidified milk, chopped nuts like almonds and pistachios, and cardamom powder. The kachori is then dipped in sugar syrup and served hot. Cost: Rs 50/pc. 🚩Address: Station Rd.

🍭Malai roti and gulab jamun sabzi at Vijay Restaurant

This roti made of malai is as decadent as it sounds. It is essentially the rounded cream of sweetened milk, skimmed from the top and garnished with dry fruits. The sweet is no innovative creation but actually an accident. In 1980, a cow wandered into the courtyard of milk businessman Janwari Lal Bhati while he was tending to a wok full of milk. To shoo the animal away, he threw a bowl towards it. The bowl missed the cow but splashed into the wok, creating a thick layer of malai in the shape of a roti. Bhati shallow-fried the malai in ghee, garnished it with mace, nutmeg and dry fruits, and topped it with sugar syrup, selling his first batch. As people began to develop a taste for this unique roti, it soon became a popular dish. To prepare malai roti, 30 litres of milk are slow-cooked and thickened, resulting in layers of them. Cost: Rs600/kg

Another must-try here is the gulab jamun ki sabzi served with laccha paratha. While it may sound bizarre, Jodhpuris have cracked the recipe for sweet-based sabzi, and some even swear by it. The gulab jamuns are made of unsweetened milk solids, similar to koftas, while the gravy is prepared in milk and traditional spices and tastes very similar to malai kofta. Cost:Rs 90/half plate

🚩Address: 1st Floor, Main Chowk, Katla.

🍭Gulab jamun at Chaturbhuj

The gulab jamun here has garnered an international fan following, as people pack boxes for their family members and friends abroad. The iconic 125-year-old shop produces gulaab jaamun with a unique texture soft as cotton balls. Prepared in pure desi ghee, these sweets are different from your regular gulaab jaamun as they are not dipped in a pool of sugary syrup but instead soaked and dried. They are less sugary, more spongy and they melt in your mouth. The cardamom and saffron further enhance the flavour profile. Cost: Rs480/kg

🚩Address: Pungal Pada Road, inside Jalori Gate

🍭Desi ghee kachori at Narayan Misthaan Bhandar

The kachori here is deep fried in ghee, making it rich and decadent. The ghee isn’t used to just add to the taste; but because it acts as a preservative and lubricant in the dry desert climate. The filling of baked mogar dal (green gram) is delightfully spicy, and a speciality of this 85-year-old shop now run by the fourth generation of the family. Cost: Rs 25/pc

🚩Address: Lal Bhattiwale, Rakhi House, Sunaro ki Ghati Road, Sodagaran Mohalla.

🍭Gulaab halwa at Gulaab Halwa Wala

During one of the rallies in Pali, a city 70km southeast of Jodhpur, PM Modi made a special mention of this sweet for its heavenly taste. A team of skilled chefs spends over 12 hours cooking three batches of this halwa, each weighing about 250 kilograms. The iconic Gullab Halawa is originally from the neighbouring town of Pali but is now available in Jodhpur as well. Despite its name, the sweet is not made of rose petals, nor is it like a halwa. It was named after its inventor, Gulaabji, and is essentially a richer version of Alwar ka mawa, where milk is slow-cooked to the point where it turns red, and its aroma changes from milky to caramel. What started as a modest venture in Pali has become a legendary sweet shop with an annual turnover of Rs20 crores. Cost: Rs260/kg

🚩Address: 258, 3rd B Rd, Sardarpura.

🍭Malai ghevar at Mohanji Mithaiwala

Rajasthani festivals are often marked by endless servings of ghevar. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for a celebration to enjoy this delectable dessert, as it’s available year-round at Mohanji Mitahai Wala. The outer layer of the ghevar is crispy and porous and has a honeycomb-like texture that’s perfect for holding delicious toppings. At Mohanji’s, the hero of this dessert is the malai topping spread thinly and evenly, garnished with saffron, nuts, and a drizzled with sweet syrup. Cost: Rs540/kg

🚩Address: Ada Bazaar Road, Bhistiyon Ka Bas.

🍭Palak patta chaat at Arora Chat Bhandaar

The chaat is made with deep-fried spinach leaves coated in a crispy chickpea flour batter. It’s topped with a variety of sweet and tangy chutneys, yoghurt, chopped onions, tomatoes, and a sprinkle of chaat masala. The crispy spinach leaves with creamy and spicy toppings creates a perfect balance of textures and flavours. The curd used in this chaat is the USP. With a thick consistency and the yellow colour imparted from saffron stands, the yoghurt in the palak patta chaat almost tastes and looks like a shrikhand. Cost: Rs 65/plate

🚩Address: Nai Sarak, Arora Namkeen

🍭Rabdi ke ladoo at Mohanji Mithai wala

The ladoos are a delectable variation of the classic moti choor ke laddoo, made by combining boondi made of roasted gram flour, ghee, and powdered sugar with rich, creamy rabri. The ladoos are deep-frying small roundels of caramelised milk and rabri dipped into a sugar syrup, and topped with chopped nuts like pistachios and almonds. Mohanji is an 80-year-old shop that invented the recipe for this heavenly treat, and it has since been replicated by other sweet shops. Cost: Rs 450/kg

🚩Address: Ada Bazaar Road, Bhistiyon Ka Bas, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Cre: cntraveller

Đăng bởi: Trân Lê