Night Traffic, Tea, and Parathas in Jaipur

Above: night traffic, Shyam Nagar, Jaipur, 13 Feb 2009.

To make Rajasthani chai boil half part water, half whole milk with loose black tea and sugar. Pour through a sieve into mugs and serve. For masala chai add none, some, or all of the following: black pepper (whole peppercorns or ground), ginger (fresh or dry), cardamom (pods or crushed), cinnamon (sticks or powder).

I’m in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. The last week I have been traveling between here and far western Rajasthan to the desert city of Jaisalmer. Back in Jaipur, I’ve been working with a guesthouse cook on typical local dishes. The past few mornings the cook, Harish, was making parathas, a north Indian breakfast bread often stuffed with vegetables and spices.

I had tea and chatted with Harish in my broken Hindi and his broken English. We had few words in common so mostly I just read the paper and watched him cook.

He made a simple spicy potato filling for the paratha: Boil potatoes, let cool, peel with fingers, and grate. Add salt, chili powder, coriander powder, a little oil, and mash well. The bread dough — just wheat flour and water — is rolled out flat, pinched in the center to form a dumbbell shape, and a spoonful of the potato mix goes onto one side.

The other side folds over and it’s rolled out flat with a rolling pin. On a hot griddle they cook in less than a minute and are finished with a brushing of oil, ghee, or butter.

Kailash, below, a helper in the kitchen, makes more bread dough.

Kailash, 14, is from Bihar, one of India’s poorest, most underdeveloped, and least safe provinces. He works and lives at the guesthouse in Jaipur and returns home to his village in Bihar only once every six months. He and Harish sleep on blankets on the floor just off the kitchen. Besides doing all of the cooking and cleaning for the 17-room guesthouse, they are also live-in help for the Tyagi family, owners the property.

Above is Mr. Tyagi, known as Uncle Ji, the 76-year-old guesthouse owner. It’s winter in Rajasthan, which means cool, comfortable nights and clear, sunny days, but Mr. Tyagi considers it quite cold and prefers wearing a Russian hat and wool sweater. Below, his daughter-in-law Purnima does her morning puja, or prayer.