After much discussion and several permutations and combinations, my friends and I finally decided to take a trip to Udaipur recently. Once the bookings were done, I quickly began my research on the best food items to gorge on in the city of lakes. The majestic beauty and royalty of the place is definitely the main attraction yet something that we cannot ignore is the authentic food. After watching several vlogs and hearing personal experiences of people, I gathered that the heart of the cuisine lies in the city’s nook and corners i.e. street food.
While the city boasts of numerous palatial restaurants and lavish dining experiences, the authentic delicacies are best eaten on the streets, at small shops tucked away in the tiny lanes. Post sightseeing on day one, we were quite exhausted and in search of some good food. One after the other, every restaurant refused to serve us lunch because apparently, we had crossed lunch time (which is 3 pm). We kept walking until we stumbled upon a small Bhojnalaya called Hotel Gujarat. While the name sounded confusing to us at first, it was our last hope. We asked the owner that we were looking for sev tamatar and tikkad roti but in vain. He instantly said that it would not be available since lunch is over and we looked at each other helpless and clueless.
Now comes the good part. Looking at our low spirits and tired faces, he agreed to prepare the sabzi for us while we eagerly waited at one of the wooden tables in the corner. The tikkad roti could not be prepared as the dough takes time but we were served a thick sev tamatar ki sabzi with ghee-slathered tawa roti and salad. One bite in and oh my my, there was no looking back.
The thick pieces of sev were cooked along with the mashed tomatoes and onions. This was then cooked on a low flame and flavoured with garlic, jeera and haldi. Not to forget, the lehsuni chutney that was complimentary. I took a bite of the roti, dipped it in the chutney first and then the sabzi. This went on for a while till I satiated my appetite by gulping down three rotis in no time.