Apart from their business acumen, the Marwaris are proud of their culinary tradition.
We caught up with Gayatri Ruia, development director, Palladium (High Street Phoenix) and a Marwari herself, who spoke to us about her community’s rich tradition of food.
The one thing that sets Marwari food apart is the traditional way in which the food is prepared and served. Ruia gave us a glimpse into the Ruia family kitchen to illustrate this. “Every Marwari family worth its salt will not only have a maharaj, whose sole job is to cook for the family, but will guard this maharaj with their lives. This is primarily because everybody misses the food cooked back home and wants to eat the same stuff even when they're living elsewhere. Our maharaj retired after being with the family for 20 years but not before grooming our current maharaj, who has been with us for almost ten years now. He has two assistants whose only job is to assist him in cooking and nothing else. No non-veg is cooked in the main kitchen. But if we're entertaining, it is cooked in a separate kitchen,” says Ruia.
Besides serving the food piping hot, which is integral to their cuisine, Marwaris are known for manuhar, which means to coax you to have some more after you've already eaten your fill. Of course, this can often get overwhelming.
“Bombay weather does not really allow one the luxury of rich Marwari food on a daily basis and considering we don't work in the fields or fetch water by walking for two hours, it's mostly a treat to have once in a while, like say, on a rainy weekend. On such days, the entire family loves digging into a Marwari lunch which you can sleep off,” says Ruia. Panchmela dal,bati, (baked wheat ball), bajra rotis, churma (ground wheat cooked with ghee and sugar), bedmi aloo, bedmi kachori, aloo mangori, kair sangria (a curry made of small round desert fruit and dried wild desert beans) are staples of such a meal.
“At home, my parents and in-laws are very health-conscious and fried food is taboo, which is why in our household we have changed traditional recipes to eliminate oil and make our food healthier. Most things are now roasted or baked, instead of fried. We enjoy the oil and spice but only once in a while,” says Ruia.
“One of the things we enjoy preparing and eating a great deal are vegetables where a live burning coal is placed in the middle of the vegetable and the container is shut and then re-opened which adds a smoky flavour to the dish. It's all about innovating from traditional recipes these days,” she adds. “If there is a pooja or shraddh, every Marwari family has its own traditional recipes that are prepared and served, especially to the Brahmins. Chawal ki kheer and pudaas (a sweet dish) are usually a part of the menu,” says Ruia.
What about eating out? “Chetna does a good Marwari thali in Bombay. At Rajdhani, food is served with such gusto and love. What I like about these places is that they go the extra mile if you request for some gur with a phulka,” says Ruia.
Marwari fare
Rajdhani, Charni Road- For its Dal bati-choorma
Chetna, Kalaghoda- Try its Bikaneri karela and panchmIela dal
Golden Star Thali, Charni Road- For Kair Sanger ki subzi
Chowkhi Dhaani, Kalyan- Try its Gutte ki subzi
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