It is quintessentially Rajasthani. But if you have the nose to find the local Marwari shopkeeper, you will find that it has travelled the length and breadth of the country along with this business community. Sangri ki phali (pods of the khejari tree; Prosopis cineraria) grows in Rajasthan but can be found easily in Burra Bazaar of Kolkata, Khari Baoli in Old Delhi or Sahukarpet in Chennai. You can also find it in London and New York, though you will have to be lucky and persistent.

It is an essential part of the regional cuisine, especially during festivities. Sangri is a must in a Rajasthani household on the occasion of sitla ashtami (about one week after the holi festival), when no food is cooked in the house. Sangri is cooked at night and eaten with relish the next day.

The real value of sangri, though, is that it has been the Thar desert's survival food for millennia. Khejari is found widely across the Thar. Sangri is plucked, dried and stored for use round the year. It can be eaten for several days after it has been cooked