You will meet Mohan at 10:30am at the entrance to Samode Bagh, a gorgeous property owned by a royal family in the countryside of Samode. Here you will be treated to a cup of tea or coffee before you depart in a jeep and ride 15min with Mohan to the Samode Village. You will take a walking tour through the village, exploring the working life of ironsmiths and artisans. You will then drive 10min in the jeep with Mohan to his farmhouse.
At Mohan's 40-acre farm you will walk through fields of seasonal vegetables such as cauliflower, radish, carrots and aloe vera. You may even pick a few vegetables on your stroll back to the farmhouse to prepare a farm fresh meal with Mohan’s wife and mother. In an outdoor courtyard, you will watch Mohan’s wife Sushila and his mother “Maa ji” prepare cooked vegetables in homegrown spices on a wood fire and learn how to grind fresh garlic chutney. Please note that this is a family cooking demonstration and not a hands-on cooking class. After watching Mohan's wife and mother cook, you will share the vegetarian Rajasthani meal with Mohan at the farm table.
Dishes might include gobhi hara tamatar ki sabzi (cauliflower cooked with green tomatoes and cumin), mogri aur balol aloo ki sabzi (a variety of beans and potatoes cooked in onions and spices), aloo ka jhol (potato curry), lasun dhaniya ki chutney (freshly ground garlic and cilantro chutney), bharwan deshi mirach (stuffed local green chilies), bhatwe ka raita (amaranth leaves in yoghurt), namkeen chawal (rice with vegetables), gahoon ki roti (wheat bread) and masala cchach (buttermilk with roasted cumin and rock salt). Your meal concludes with homemade chai made from milk from the cows you are surrounded by on this beautiful rural farm.
This is a village tour, rather than a visit to a market. Please note that while Mohan speaks good English, his wife and mother only speak in Hindi so he will act as their translator.
Please note this host has a custom 1-week cancellation policy.
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Mohan is a kind and gentle farmer with a wife and three children who is excited to share his rural culture and traditions with travelers. He opens up about life with his family on the farm and his passion for food and cuisine. He works at the Samode Palace as a food and beverage assistant and cares deeply about serving and eating farm-fresh vegetables. Mohan’s serene and pastoral farmland and fields in the village are filled with cows, goats and beautiful plots of local green vegetables.
“I love nature and feel like I have everything I could want in the world - my family, beautiful farmland and the freshest vegetables.”
"This was the highlight of our weekend in Jaipur! Mohan was an excellent host and we felt like we were part of his family. From the visit to the village of Samode and his flexibility when we saw the gem store and had to stop for 45 minutes he was nothing but gracious and nice to be with. His wife made us a delicious lunch and we spent time on the farm better understanding how his whole family works together to bring in the crops. Seeing the difference outside a large city like Jaipur was one that won't be forgotten and I very much hope we can go back to visit him and his family. I strongly recommend this tour if you are interested in a very different life from the bigger cities like Jaipur. You won't regret it!"
