Mirchi Bada and Pyaaz Kachori | Memories of Rajasthan

Pyaaz Kachori and Mirchi Bada
Pyaaz Kachori and Mirchi Bada

Last night when the dinner was served, I was certain that I would’ve half the meal. With each passing minute and a half empty stomach, I waited for my Dad to arrive. He was on a one-day tour to Jaipur in Rajasthan. Which naturally meant, he had to carry back boxes of Pyaaz kachori and Mirchi bada, without which he couldn’t enter home.

Extremely popular Rajasthani snacks, Mirchi Bada and Pyaaz Kachori, both of which originated in Jodhpur. Mirchi Bada is prepared with green chilli covered in spicy mashed potatoes and deep-fried in gram flour (besan). And Pyaaz Kachori is a round shaped flour dough fried and filled with spicy caramlised onions.

The chilli, spicy, crunchy, and sour taste of these snacks, makes them the ultimate evening food for many locals. During the rainy season, one can find long queues outside the local mishthan bhandars.

Though Jodhpur is the hub for these delicacies, other tourist friendly cities in Rajasthan also offer them. However if you’re in Jodhpur, a visit to Janta Sweet Home at the station road is a must.

Many years back, when we stayed in Jodhpur, Kachoris and Mirchi badas were our daily snacks. We were the strange Punjabi Kids growing up on Rajasthani flavours. As a toddler, my brother would finish a spicy mirchi bada, all by himself.

Today, even though I feel great about growing up in various parts of the country, I feel quite attached to Jodhpur. The rich colours, food and a culture that is so different from my own, gave me a foundation which I find missing in a lot of my friends, who have grown up in the same city. My ethnographic studies started much before I realized.

So when we talk about mirchi bada or kachoris, it’s more than just a snack. It’s about revisiting the memories of my grandparents running after my siblings and me. Our house help carrying home packets of hot kachoris on his cycle. Even today, a visit to Dilli Haat isn’t complete without visiting the Rajasthani stall and relishing kachoris and badas.

Thankfully, my Dad carried his ‘entry ticket’ to home and I finally managed to enjoy my full hearty meal before going to sleep.

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