Dal Baati Churma
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 alike.
Baati is quite an ancient dish which was traditionally made for the soldiers when they would return from a war. The baatis were slow cooked in sand pits. Later, this dish when paired with Dal became a very popular combination. Apparently, Churma was an accidental invention when a cook mixed sugarcane juice with crumbled baatis.
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.
The sweetness in churma can be adjusted to your taste. But the amount of sugar should be at least half the volume of the powdered baati. You can also add some misri or crystal sugar candies to churma for an added crunch.
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.
Traditionally, when the baatis are served in a plate, it is crumbled by hand and then mixed with dal and some extra ghee is added on top. Rajasthani people tend to always serve this extra melted ghee on top, even though the baati itself contains plenty of ghee! ‘Padharo mare des’ is a common phrase in Rajasthan which literally translates to ‘Welcome to my country’ and this truly reflects in the food prepared by them which is served with affection and love. So never say ‘No’ to that extra ghee, I am sure you would enjoy it 🙂
Dal Baati Churma
Equipment
- Measuring Cups & Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
For Baati
- 2.5 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- ¼ cup Semolina or Sooji
- ¾ cup Ghee or Clarified Butter ¼ cup for kneading dough + ½ cup for frying
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- 1½ tsp Salt
For Panchmel Dal
- ¼ cup Split Green Moong Dal
- ¼ cup Toor Dal
- ¼ cup Masoor Dal
- ¼ cup Moong Dal
- 2 tbsp Channa Dal
- 1 large Onion
- 2 medium Tomatoes
- 2 Green Chillies
- 1½ inch Ginger
- 5-6 cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Jeera
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1½ tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Dhaniya or Coriander Powder
- 2 Whole Red Chillies
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida or Hing
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander chopped
- Juice of Half Lemon
- Salt to taste
For Churma
- 4 Baati
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar
- 3 tbsp Ghee
- 6-7 nos Almond
- 6-7 nos Pistachio Nuts
- ½ tsp Cardamom Powder
Instructions
- For making the dough for baati, mix the whole wheat flour, semolina, salt, baking soda and ¼th cup ghee and mix well. The ghee must be incorporated well into the flour.
- Now gradually add little water and knead this to a tight and stiff dough.
- The dough must be stiffer than a Puri dough. Let the dough rest for around 15-20 minutes. In the meanwhile preheat the oven to 170 degrees (with bottom and top grill on and fan mode on too).
- Make around 14 balls out of the dough. Do not roll it smooth. It is ok to have some fine cracks or imperfections in the ball. Place them on the oven tray and place them in the oven with the bake time as 50 minutes.
- Open the oven after 25 mins and flip the baatis and place them back in the oven. The baatis must start cracking by themselves. This is an important sign of good baati.
- After cooking the baati for another 25 minutes, the baati must be fully cooked. The time might slightly vary depending on the oven. But once done, the baati must feel firm and well cooked through inside as well.
- For making Churma, reserve 4 baatis out of the baked baatis. The remaining baatis can either be immediately dipped in ghee and soaked for around 10 minutes, or can be shallow fried in ghee. For shallow frying, heat ½ cup ghee in a small kadai and add around 4-5 baatis at once and toss them for around 2-3 minutes till they absorb the ghee well. Repeat the process for all the remaining baatis.
- For making the panchmel dal, mix all the 5 dal mentioned in the ingredients. Wash the dal well.
- Pressure cook the dal with around 2.5 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric for around 5-6 whistles. If you are cooking in Instant pot, cook in Pressure cook mode for 16 minutes.
- In a kadai, add 3 tablespoons ghee and add jeera, asafoetida, finely chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies and sauté for a minute.
- Now add one finely chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and some salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, dhaniya powder and salt with little water and make a thin paste.
- Add this masala mixture to the kadai and cook on medium flame for 5-6 minutes till the ghee separates on top.
- Once the ghee separates, add the cooked dal and some salt mix. Add water to adjust the consistency. Bring it to a gentle boil and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Finish the dal with fresh chopped coriander leaves and juice of half lemon. You can add an extra tadka with some more ghee, broken red chillies, Kashmiri red chilli powder and dhaniya powder.
- For making the churma, cool the 4 baatis that were reserved earlier. Crush the baatis with hand roughly.
- Add the crushed baatis in a mixer and pulse grind till it is powdered. Heat a kadai and add 1 tablespoon ghee and roast the powdered baati on medium flame for around 5-6 minutes till it is golden brown. Add 2 more tablespoons of ghee and cook for a minute more.
- Cool this mixture thoroughly. Then add around half cup powdered sugar, cardamom powder and chopped badam and pistachio nuts.
- Mix well. Churma is ready.
Notes
- It is important to mix ghee while kneading the dough. Also the dough must be made stiff. Both these tips would ensure that the baati turns crisp and perfect.
- Do not roll the baati very smooth and let it have some fine cracks or imperfections. This will ensure that the baati cracks automatically while baking and cook through inside evenly.
- Baati can also be cooked in Appe or Paniyaram pan if you do not have an oven. Cook the baati in Appe pan on low flame for around 30 minutes by flipping once after 15 minutes.
- Though baati tastes best with Panchmel dal, but it can be served with other variety of dal too, like a mix of split green moong dal and channa dal too.
- Panchmel dal can also be made without onion and garlic and tastes equally good. For no onion and no garlic recipe, just increase the amount of ginger and asafoetida slightly.
- You can also add an additional tadka of ghee, red chillies, kashmiri chilli powder and dhaniya powder to the dal for that extra zing.
- Cool the baati before pulse grinding it mixer for making the churma, else it can become mushy.
- Similarly, cool the powdered and dry roasted baati well before mixing the powdered sugar, else the sugar can melt and would alter the texture of churma. You could also add some misri or candied sugar cubes for added crunch to Churma.
- Nuts are optional in Churma, you can skip them if you don’t like. However nuts add to the taste and richness of Churma.
Amazing blog and recipes!!
Thanks Kirtika 🙂