The hot, dry desert weather of Rajasthan makes water a scarce resource. Native plants have adapted to the arid conditions and fiery hot temperatures. Some of these native plants are foods both for humans and for animals.
Names of some typical Rajasthani vegetarian dishes are daal-baati-churma, gate-ki-sabzi (chickpea flour dumplings in a spicy yogurt curry sauce) papad-ki-sabzi (thin, crisp lentil cake in a spicy yogurt curry sauce), and kair-sangri. Sabzi (pronounced “sub-zee”) means both "vegetable" or "a vegetarian dish". All traditional Rajasthani vegetarian dishes can be made from plants that grow easily in this area.
Some non-vegetarian dishes are laal maas and safed maas. The sauce for laal maas (red meat) is made from tomatoes, whereas, safed maas (white meat; pronounced “suh-fedh maa-s”) is made from cream.
Some typical breakfast foods are poha and kachoris. Poha is flattened white rice that is very briefly steamed and then sautèd. I frequently eat poha for breakfast. Here is a recipe. Green chilli or onion kachoris are an iconic food of Jodhpur. Large, green chilli-peppers or onion slices are battered and then fried. I have not yet found any kachoris that I enjoy eating.
