Rajasthani Dal Bati recipe - How to make dal bati churma - main course recipe - My Food blog")
Rajasthani cuisine is known for it’s delectable and royal style food that is cooked with minimal ingredients, yet packed with full of flavours. When it comes to the popular Rajasthani dishes, I can easily say that Dal Baati Churma tops the list. This is really an exemplary dish where some basic and simple ingredients can be turned into a gastronomically scrumptious wholesome meal.
Baati is made out of a dough using whole wheat flour, some semolina and ghee which is then shaped in balls and baked till they are hard and crunchy and finally soaked in generous amount of ghee. Baati tastes best with Panchmel Dal which a mixture of 5 different types of lentils and is a classic favourite in Rajasthan and needless to say, this dal tastes best when cooked in Ghee. Churma is a mildly sweet dish made with crumbled baatis mixed with sugar, ghee and some dry fruits.
Rajasthan being in an arid to semi-arid region of India, fresh green vegetables are not found as abundantly as in the other parts of the country. So traditionally, the people in this region have perfected the art of making some really delicious food with ingredients like lentils, besan or chickpea flour, dairy products like ghee, buttermilk, curd etc. and locally available veggies. Though the veggies from across the country are now easily available in this region, thanks to the increase in cold storage and transportation facilities, these traditional recipes still remain the staple and preferred option for the people of Rajasthan.
Rajasthani cuisine is very special to me, as I grew up in the city of Lakes, Udaipur in Rajasthan. Ask me on any day for the choice of food that I would like to have, and Rajasthani food would be on the top of my list. Udaipur is in the Mewar region of Rajasthan and this place is especially known for it’s dal baati churma. There are eating joints in Udaipur which just serve this one dish and are super popular among the locals and tourists a like.
Before I bore you further with more history and geography, let’s have a quick look at some tips and tricks for this traditional recipe:
How to make a perfect Baati
Baati is traditionally made with whole wheat flour which is coarsely ground. We normally find this separate variety of wheat flour sold in the local grocery shops in Rajasthan, however it is uncommon in other parts of India. But worry not, you could use the normal chapati wheat flour for making the baati too and it turns out equally good. The trick here is addition of some coarse semolina or sooji to the whole wheat flour which gives it a coarse texture.
The next important tip is to add generous amount of ghee while kneading the dough. This adds a wonderful aroma to the baati and more importantly, it makes the baati crisp through inside too.
Baati dough must be kneaded very stiff. It should be stiffer than the dough that we make for Puri. If the dough is not stiff enough, the baati would not be crumbly from inside and it would be doughy.
It is to be noted that the baati must not be rolled into a smooth ball. The characteristic of a good baati is it should automatically form cracks when it is baked or cooked. This not only helps in even cooking of the baati from inside but also makes it crisp from inside too. If the baati is rolled to a smooth ball, it might not crack or crisp up from inside.
Baati can be cooked/ baked in various ways, however a OTG oven works best. In Rajasthan, people generally have a special baati maker at home which can be used on gas cook tops. If you have a gas tandoor, that works great for this recipe too. If you do not have either of these, you could also make the baati in Appe or Paniyaram pan by covering and cooking on a low flame. The baati must have a hard and crisp outer layer and it must also be crunchy from inside.
Lastly, what imparts the great taste and flavour to baati is a good quality ghee. Homemade ghee works best for this dish. Also, it is important to completely soak these baatis in ghee for few minutes before serving, or I also prefer shallow frying the baked baatis for an extra crunch. I am sorry for all the health freaks, you have to stop counting your calories while having this dish! I believe that an indulgence once in a while does not hurt 😉
What is Panchmel Dal?
Panchmel dal or Panchratna dal is a mix of 5 different dal or lentils which mainly consist of Split green moong dal, Red masoor dal, Toor dal, Channa dal, and either Yellow moong dal or split Black urad dal. This is quite nutritious as it has the goodness of all these lentils in one single dish, and trust me this dal tastes absolutely lip-smacking. In fact, I am sure once you have this dal, this would become a regular dal in your daily routine.
Panchmel dal tastes best with baati, phulkas or chapatis and even plan rice with a dollop of ghee. Back at home, we also make this dal quite often along with simple Jeera rice.
The tadka for this dal is quite simple and is made with ghee, jeera, fresh ginger and garlic, green chillies and onions and tomatoes. The idea with this dal is to keep the tadka minimal and not overpower the flavours of dal. Always make this dal with a generous amount of ghee as it pairs very well with this dal.
How to make Churma
Churma is made by crumbling the baati to a fine powder and further roast it in a pan with some ghee till it becomes golden in colour. The mixture is cooled and then powdered sugar, chopped dry fruits and cardamom powder are added to it. Churma stays good even upto a week.
Serving Suggestion
Daal Baati Churma is a wholesome meal in itself. It makes a perfect choice for a lunch. Churma acts as a dessert for this meal. You can also serve a glass of jaljeera or buttermilk/ masala chaas which aids in the digestion. Gatte ki sabzi also pairs well as an accompaniment to Dal Baati.
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