Meet the chefs reviving heirloom recipes at Ajit Bhawan in Jodhpur

I’m standing in the moonlit gardens of a palace, in a cabbage field with a cook and a hoe.

Chief Bikram Chandra Khadka cuts into the hot earth, making sure his white coat remains intact. There is a tinnitus. We kneel and lift a steamy bundle wrapped in sackcloth and tied with wire. A little deeper we uncover a sealed handi. The seductive scent of caramelized meat, laced with moist earth and smoke, surrounds us.

Dinner is served.

I am at Ajit Bhawan, which was built in 1927 as the residence of Maharaja Dhiraj Sir Ajit Singh, younger brother of Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur. In the late 1970s, some of it was opened to guests by the family, introducing the romance of royal Rajasthan to the world.

Heritage hotels in Rajasthan tend to lean heavily on history, grandeur and laal maas. By reviving and updating lost royal recipes for a modern audience, Ajit Bhawan moves away from clichés by learning from the past while building the future.

Dinner is served at Dhani, an open-air restaurant celebrating traditional Rajasthani dishes | Photo Credit: Special Editing

My first Jungli Maas lunch at the hotel was quite satisfactory. Made with lean, intensely flavored mutton from the village of Narlai, where herds roamed free and fed on arid grasslands, this dish stays true to the simple recipe from royal hunts: just clarified butter, salt, garlic and local brick-red Mathania peppers, famous for their complex, smoky heat.

Chef Bikram smiles: “They eat light food like salads and soups in the palace now.” But as the palace kitchens calm down, the hotel becomes a testing ground for extravagant menus that keep the past alive.

Afternoon tea on the palace lawns with samosas and kachoris | Photo Credit: Shonali Muthalaly

This is, after all, a family that created what is arguably India’s first heritage hotel.

“In the early days, the family took personal care of each guest, from taking reservations to inspecting rooms. Maharaj Swaroop Singh ji used to say that every guest is an ambassador,” says Magan Kanwar, assistant front office manager, as she checks me in and hands me my fancy brass room key. “He started the Bishnoi village safaris. He would drive the jeep and take visitors to show them the culture of Rajasthan,” he adds.

Gol Kamra at Ajit Bhawan Palace, once a family dining room and now a private space for meeting visiting dignitaries | Photo Credit: Special Editing

Reservations and revenue manager Suraj Panwar explains how the palace, built in 1927, is still home to the royal family, occupying part of the sprawling six-acre estate. Like other staff, some of whom have worked at the property for three decades, he speaks fondly of the family who still care deeply about the hotel. “They check the rooms, approve the fabric and linens. Rani Usha Devi manages the gardens…” Raj Ratnu, the front office manager, nodded: “They know all of us and meet our families as well as the locals during the annual Holi celebrations.”

Combine this loyalty with the drive of Ajit Bhawan’s current generation, Raghavendra Rathore (popular fashion designer) and Suryaveer Singh, and the result is a fondly tended, unapologetically quaint escapade: one day we tuck into samosas for afternoon tea under a canopy in the garden, under the watchful eye of the friendly palace cat, and the next day we nibble on kachoris in the royal Gol Kamra, glittering with chandeliers and crystals. jugs under curved elephant tusks and a giant stuffed crocodile.

The ceiling of J Bar in Ajit Bhawan is filled with palanquins, glittering birdcages and polished kettles | Photo Credit: Special Editing

At night we sit in the shady bar and drink spicy picantas under a roof full of old palanquins. When we return to our rooms, we are guided by the buttery, flickering lamps that the palace officials carefully place and illuminate every evening.

Which brings us back to that sidekick in the mud. This is the highlight of our dinner at Dhani, the hotel’s open-air restaurant lit by starlight and dramatic lamps.

Charismatic regional general manager Nitin Sud, who also manages the family’s other hotel, Rawla Narlai, located in a 17th-century hunting lodge, explains how working with the royal family gave him a new understanding of luxury. “It’s not about amenities or room size. It’s about hospitality, consistency and personalization. It’s about people,” he says.

And patience. “We marinated the meat for 8 hours. Then, after wrapping it in wheat and banana leaves, we placed it in the ground at 17:00,” says Chef Bikram, looking at his watch. “It’s currently 21:00.”

A thali highlighting recipes from Jodhpur royalty | Photo Credit: Shonali Muthalaly

Traditionally made with game meat such as wild boar, khada maans originated in the 15th century and was cooked all day long in hot sand dunes. It’s tender, off the bone, and all the spices hum gently in the background. The boneless mutton in handi, former Maharaja Ajit Singh’s recipe, is delicate but very flavourful; The meat is fried with ghee and thinly sliced ​​onions, then cooked with Mathania chilies, whole spices and masala powders.

The thali below is a century away from the fast, modern versions now popular across the country. To drink, there’s a refreshing Bajra raab, emerald green chandaliya ki subzi, a traditional rural stir-fry made from local leafy greens that grow wild during the monsoon, and a comforting maans ka soweeta, a one-pot dish from Marwar in which chunks of mutton are slowly cooked with bajra and vegetables.

I try sikari murghi, which is made by Rajput warrior cooks on hunts, similar to Jungli maas. “It’s made with a local breed of chicken that’s harder to catch,” says Chef Bikram, adding with a laugh: “We just add water as it fries. Rajasthani broth is high in sodium and resembles broth.” There is also the saffron-scented, nutty, crunchy slow-cooked layered rice, cooked in heavy covered pots and sometimes cooked slowly underground.

A chef unwraps meat slow-cooked underground at Ajit Bhawan | Photo Credit: Shonali Muthalaly

Earlier in the day, we explored the age-old havelis of the blue city, picking our way through garbage and open drains to admire the intricate jaali work and beautiful shades of blue. In the meantime, I have tried all the street food legends: the extremely sweet makhania lassi, the very soft plump gulab jamuns and the huge deep-fried kachoris at Mishrilal Hotel.

In an era when food is theatrically reveled, restraint is what makes Ajit Bhawan’s menus so appealing. I can’t put down the version of makhania lassi served in small mud pots: tangy with an almost elusive whisper of saffron.

As per tradition, Nitin had taken us to Bishnoi village in the morning; This was where Tulsi Ram, who learned all her English at school. BBCShe smiled and said, “I will lay my dreams at your feet,” then revealed her handmade donuts, explaining that each one takes a month to make.

As dinner gives way to midnight tequila shots accompanied by orange slices coated with caramelized sugar and cinnamon, Nitin tells us how he once helped the team light 1,500 diyas at the Rawla Narlai stepwell so guests could dine in its flickering lights.

The royal family of Ajit Bhawan pioneered Bishnoi village safaris, now popular among Jodhpur tourists | Photo Credit: Special Editing

I sit back and stare at the stars beneath the magnificent bougainvillea bushes ablaze with flowers. A weekend enjoying the glamor of a palace is an undeniable privilege. But this glimpse into royal life also reveals that true luxury lies in being surrounded by a devoted community who are generous with their time and talents.

The writer was in Jodhpur upon the invitation of Ajit Bhawan