Love Rajasthani food? Here's why you can check out this Andheri-based cloud kitchen

This Andheri-based Rajasthani cloud kitchen is ideal if you’d like to try affordable street food with low-key expectations of ‘authentic’

We looked for the perfect kachori in a city that loves its vada pav. This writer has been missing the joys of eating crispy fried dal kachori, some home-cooked dal baati churma and rich rabdi from her hometown in Mount Abu for a few days now. We came across a reel on Paitruk, a cloud kitchen that makes Rajasthani snacks in Andheri and promised (as all reels do) the taste of real Rajasthan.

So, on a busy production Saturday, we called for some “thet” Rajasthani snacks to keep us motivated. We ordered the Rajasthani Bucket (R195) because it promised variety. Pyaaz kachori, dal kachori, aloo bada, and mirchi vada—just what one would order in the monsoons, but we didn’t mind. It had classics our grandparents indulged us with. The kachoris were flaky and crispy and had adequate filling. The dal kachori could be mistaken for something right off the streets in Ajmer, but we found it unusually spicy—even for our Rajasthani palate that is used to the high spice levels in our meals.

TIKKAD

The pyaaz kachori became an office hit—the filling is sweet at first, but spice hits you right after. The mirchi vada and the aloo vada were smaller than the ones you’d find in Rajasthan. Also, the filling was slightly sweeter. The gram flour coating was a tad thicker than needed. Next up was the dal pakwan bites (Rs 145). While traditionally a Sindhi recipe, it is widely consumed in Rajasthan. However, the pakwan sent to us tasted like the homemade namak paray our family would prepare during the summer. The crunchy and savoury pakwan made the perfect bite when dipped in the flavourful chana dal. They also sent two chutneys and some onions for this dish, but the texture was too runny, and the flavour was quite bland.

DAL PAKWAN

The aloo pyaaz tikkad (Rs 240), a classic Rajasthani subzi for us, calls for a generous amount of ghee and yoghurt for that thick, creamy preparation. Aloo pyaaz is a staple, quick dish you can throw together for a hearty meal, and tikkad is a Rajasthani bread usually made by mixing bajra and wheat flour. This one was unusually thick and hard. We expected the sabzi to be slightly spicy, but it was mildly flavourful. It wasn’t the most remarkable dish on the platter that day. 

Next is the quintessential dal bati churma (R279), which no Rajasthani meal is complete without. The dish is a staple in many homes and forever special in our hearts. For some reason, the churma was skipped, and yes, it broke our hearts. The bati, just like the tikkad, was unusually hard, and we thoroughly missed the ghee used to shallow fry the bati. This one was probably fried in oil. The dal was not as thick as usual, but it would be perfectly fine when traditionally eaten by dipping hands into a plate with mashed baati, ghee, churma, and dal. We felt the dal’s flavour was relatively muted.

GULAB CHURMA

Finally, we decided to end our meal with the gulab churma (R225), a Jaipuri special dessert. The texture was flaky, and the rose essence was slightly overpowering. There was a hint of coconut that paired well with the rose and dry fruits, but it was sweetness overload. It’s best to share this one. 

This meal from Paitruk made us wonder what truly is authentic. Coming from the state, we felt it had a Maharashtrian influence. But we did find some surprisingly delectable snacking items at an affordable price. It might not be precisely what Rajasthanis long and crave for, but the smell alone was enough to remind us of our childhood in the state. The food comes with a dose of nostalgia and hits home.

Paitruk didn’t know we ordered. Sunday Mid-day reviews anonymously and pays for meals.

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