जयपुर में बाजरे के साथ अब पहाड़ का मंडुआ और घी भी।
Jaipur grew up on bajra and ghee, so the idea of a millet roti with a spoon of ghee on top needs no explaining here. Madua, the finger millet of the Uttarakhand hills, is eaten the same way in Kumaon and Garhwal, and a bag of it is a good first order for a Jaipur kitchen.
The rest of the hill pantry is less familiar and harder to find: gahat and bhatt, jakhiya and jambu, pisyu loon, buransh sharbat. Families from the hills living in Jaipur can order these straight from the family shops that make them, and each shop packs and sends its own parcel. Cash on delivery is available where the shop offers it.
Jaipur fills its sky with kites on Makar Sankranti, and til sweets are passed around below. In Kumaon, the same day is Ghughutiya, when ghughute fried from flour and jaggery are strung into garlands for the children, who call the crows to share them the next morning. A plate of ghughute on the roof between kites is a fair way to keep both.
Jaipur's dry heat is easy on flours and dals, which keep well in closed containers. Ghee will melt in summer and set in the cold desert nights of winter; both are normal. Keep pickles shaded and honey away from the sun, and close spice jars tightly against the dust.