Dera Mandawa Hotel

Fantastic cooking experience with the wonderful Mr Durgha Singh! This beautiful Haveli in the heart of old Jaipur is the ancestral home of Mr Singh's family, many of whom have held high office in the days of the Maharajas, the British Raj and, more recently the government of Independent India. Durgha greeted us personally at the entrance and shared the history of his family and his delightful home with us whilst he explained the format of our culinary evening. The emphasis is upon the simple country dishes of India, prepared in the traditional way and cooked over a small campfire and simple outside hob. Our evening began with a chat over a cool gin and tonic during which Durgha gave an introduction to the simple country ways of the Rajistani people with an emphasis on minimising wastage, recycling and making use of simple materials. And so we ventured out with Mr Singh to the local fruit and vegetable market to buy some of the fresh ingredients for our meal. Durgha is a fantastic host, full of wisdom which he imparts with a mischievous smile and a wonderful sense of humour. He is clearly well known and respected by the market traders who greeted him warmly whilst we threaded our way through and around all manner of stalls, with Durha explaining the different herbs, fruits, vegetables and spices and telling us how each of the different street snacks were made as we watched. Scooters, rickshaws, goats, cows, handcarts, cars, buses and even an elephant milled around in the market street as we made our way back to the Haveli. Another cool gin and tonic awaited us in the courtyard which we sipped as Durgha showed us how to prepare bread, and chicken to be steamed inside coconuts for cooking in the fire. Whilst it baked slowly, we were treated to a traditional puppet show by local performers of amazing skill, and Durgha explained the historical events that the show depicted. After the show - the hard "work", learning how to prepare our aubergine and potato dishes under Durgha's expert tuition. And then to the main event - eating our home made first class cuisine under the stars in the palm fringed courtyard of the Haveli whilst Durgha entertained us with his warm engaging conversation. A wonderful evening. A completely immersive experience, revealing some of the real India and its extraordinary heritage. Not to be missed.