Listening to chef Akshraj Jodha one can’t help but recall scenes from Jodhaa Akbar or Padmaavat . He’s from Deolia, a village near Ajmer. His forefather Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief, founded the city of Jodhpur in 1459. So it’s not surprising that the chef’s stories talk of war, siege, hunting expeditions and food, for the major part. He’s here in the city to prepare some of the traditional dishes of Jodhpur at Madras Pavillion at the ITC Grand Chola. This is part of ITC’s Kitchens of India: Royal Repast where they preserve ancient culinary traditions of India and showcase them.
For this festival — The Cuisine of Akheraj Ancestry — Jodha has created around 60 to 70 dishes, some wrapped in childhood memories and the rest in spices of his state. The menu will change every day, with 10 to 11 dishes being served everyday. There’s the staple ker sangri , mangodi pulao , bajra tikki , paneer methidana , bajra roti , dal panchmel, baby mirchi wada , murgh soola , maans bootan and the popular laal maas . “It’s called laal maas not because of the colour of the gravy but because of the colour of the meat,” explains Jodha as we tuck into tender pieces of mutton served on piping hot bajra roti . Jodha says in Rajasthan they have always relied on vegetables that could be dried for a long time, like ker sangri . Cereals also play an important role in their food. “If you remove chana dal half our cuisine is lost,” he says.
In between courses he continues with engaging short tales about his ancestors and royalty, some as juicy as the delicious amla murgh . “My forefather Rao Chandrasen revolted against the Mughals. When Akbar attacked Jodhpur, Chandrasen lost and came to Ajmer. He captured 84 villages near Ajmer. That was foundation of my village,” says Jodha. Ajmer held a vital position, he continues. “Whoever captured Delhi had Ajmer under them,” he says, adding, “That’s why there is a lot of Mughal influence on our food. Whenever we had a darbar in Ajmer, we exchanged spices and ingredients with the Mughals.”
Since Ajmer lies between Mewar, Marwar and the Jaipur belt, the cuisine is influenced by these regions as well. “There’s a river that separates my village from Mewar where they grow a lot of maize and use a lot of amla , so these have found their way into our food as well. In Marwar, people use plenty of bajra , which we do too,” he says. The kitchens also get influenced by the newly wed wives who come in from different regions and sometimes countries. Jodha’s grandfather married into a Gujarati family and his grandmother brought in Gujarati influence. “So the spice level has reduced in the last fifty years,” laughs Jodha.
Jodha moved out of Rajasthan to study hotel management at the Institute of Hotel Management in Mumbai. He has been with the ITC group for the last 18 years and is currently an Executive Chef at ITC Windsor, Bengaluru. But with such fascinating tales, does he miss not being part of the royal lifestyle of yore? “No, I am really happy cooking,” he smiles.
The festival is open for dinner between 7 pm and 11.30 pm. It’s priced at ₹2,000 plus taxes per person and is on till August 5.
