Revisiting forgotten flavours of deolia

Hailing from a village around 60 km from Ajmer, Akshraj Jodha least expected he’d become a chef. But at a sit-down dinner last night, we could see this job fit him like the perfect glove. His pristine white attire and Crocs certainly didn’t give off that he’s royalty — it shines through only when you taste the richness in his food. In Chennai to promote ITC’s initiative titled Kitchens of India - Royal Repast, he gives us an insight into the cuisine of Akheraj’s Deolia that dates back several generations.

Before beginning with the meal, he gives us a brief history lesson. “Jodhpur was the third palace set up by Rao Jodha, originally a Rathore from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. During Akbar’s reign, his great grandson Chandrasen didn’t want to give up this city to Mughals, so the kingdoms went to war.

Chandrasen quickly left for Ajmer to ensure his family stayed safe and returned to the battle field, where he unfortunately died. The family that stayed back consisted of 84 villages – subsequently, his great grandson Akheraj began ruling over the region, which came to be known as Deolia.”

According to stories Akshraj has grown up listening to, his family was always open to experimenting with ingredients that helped incorporate many interesting flavours to their cuisine. He explains, “The food we eat today is not how it tasted 100 years ago; something is always influencing food:

Geographical location: On one side of my village lies Marwar and on the other is Mewar. Bajra was predominantly grown in the former because it was a crop that could thrive even on the scanty rainfall the region received. The Udaipur belt (Mewar), contrastingly, was rich in soil and water so makki flourished there. So we’ve taken ingredients from both.

Governance: Every ruler of Ajmer has left their influences, right from Prithviraj Chauhan to the Mughals.

Weddings: Inter-state marriages introduced new flavours, for example, my grandfather married a Gujarati so we were introduced to jaggery.”

This interested blend of history, culture and cuisine, deeply rooted in his life is probably what inspired him to be a chef. “Actually, I never knew I’d get into this profession. I studied in military school and fortunately didn’t get into the Army!” jokes Akshraj. He went on to study Hotel Management in IHM, Mumbai, and that’s where he fell in love with the kitchen. “During the six-month training in my second year of college, I was posted to Taj President. Their interaction and pace of life in the kitchens are probably the ones that triggered me. Moreover, standing near the hot range is one of the most difficult parts of being a chef, but it didn’t deter me and that’s why, 18 years later, I’m still a hands-on chef,” he smiles.

Working with Imtiaz Qureshi remains one of Akshraj’s most cherished memories.  He got to learn the Dum Pukht style of cooking from the man himself – “He is the one who founded this technique and I least expected that when I was just 22, he’d trust me enough to run the entire show at ITC’s (then) new hotel in Kolkata called Sonar. 

I am blessed to have been trained by someone like him and I feel it’s because of his guidance and training that I can call myself a well-rounded chef,” says Akshraj.

One of the stories he grew up listening to, which he still loves, is of his grandfather. 

“My grandfather studied in Mayo College in Ajmer. 

His batchmate and best friend was Hari Singh, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. He used to visit our village and during holidays since it was very time-consuming to go all the way back to Kashmir. Since both of them were polo players, they would ride their horses and reach Deolia. 

At such times, Hari Singh’s khansamas would accompany him and that’s how our family was introduced to dry fruits like badam and a sort of biryani from that region known as yakhni.”