Dal Baati Churma Recipe
Here comes a fantastic recipe from the land of royal tradition, food, culture and heritage...Enjoy this three-in-one power packed meal from the state of Rajasthan...
An Insight Into Dal Baati Churma:
Dal Baati Churma is the Signature Dish of Rajasthan, from the Indian Subcontinent and basically it has three parts as the name suggests. Dal is usually termed as panchmel dal which means that it is made of five lentils and Baati is nothing but baked wheat balls and Churma is interestingly a sweet made of baked wheat crumbles mixed with some grated dry fruits. Thus it is a perfect one pot meal that not only fills your stomach but satisfies your soul too. Dal Baati Churma is one of the traditional dishes that has travelled a long way in the culinary history of India. Rajasthani Cuisine is unique and has a lots of exclusive dishes to offer, thanks to its extreme climatic conditions and arid atmosphere which led to the innovation of new dishes that requires less water and vegetation as well. And most of the Rajasthani dishes are based on milk, ghee, curd, butter and cream and requires less water commonly. This Dal Baati Churma is one such lucrative creation that has been relished since several decades and has been passed on to generations with ardent fervor and heritage.
The origin of Dal Baati Churma leads us to an interesting reference from the history. It is said to have been invented during the Magadha Empire where lentils like wheat, jowar, bajra and rice etc., were common ingredients in the day to day meal of their times. Quite interestingly, this Baati was the common war time meal for the soldiers for the reason that is was nutritious,consumed less water and had a long shelf life. Small unsalted wheat balls were made out of ghee and camel's milk and were made into big pieces and buried under the Sun with a thin layer of sand. By the time they come back from the war, these wheat chunks would have been baked perfectly under the Sun, and they would have it with curd or butter milk (if they could get it) and have an instant nutritional boost. Dal And Churma evolved in the later years after wars and has become Dal Baati Churma. Panchmel Dal was considered as the most revered delicacy in the royal kitchen of the Guptas and it slowly merged with the Baati. The innovative invention of Churma emerged during the rule of Guhilot dynasty where the remaining batti were preserved with sugar and dry fruits. This is how Dal Bati Churma evolved and became famous all over the world in course of time. Thus the Indian gastronomic journey took a new turn with the blend of these creative dishes that paved way for the invention of dainty delicacies like Dal Baati Churma.
Traditionally the Baati is prepared with the mixture of five kinds of dals namely arhar, chana, split moong, urad dal and masoor dal, that are cooked with whole spices along with regular Indian condiments like bay leaf, cloves, cumin seeds and asafeotida. The aroma wafting out from the kadai when sauteed in ghee, makes the dish all the more exotic and irresistible. In Rajasthan, the Baatis are either made of wheat or Bajra and Churma is spruced up with ghee and jaggery. Baati is usually firm, crunchy and aromatic, while the Dal is mushy and smooth and they are blended with the crumbly wheat chunks to become the wondrous Dal Baati Churma. The way in which the dish is served is yet another delight one would always enjoy in a Rajasthani platter. The food is usually served on a large round metal plate (traditionally a brass one) with a plethora of dishes filled up in tiny cups arranged in a semi circle. The minute your taste buds starts to tantalize looking at the colorful dishes, the flavorful roti (akki, bajra, wheat etc) is being served with aroma wafting out from them and the Baati is first placed intact in your plate and instantly crushed and topped with a douse of desi ghee. Then the Dal is being squirted all over the Baati and the Churma is either sprinkled over or served in a tiny brass cup and everything happens in a split second. I would swear that it just tastes like heaven with a sip of alluring chaas ( buutetmilk) in between. No wonder it takes quite some time and patience to prepare this special dish but undoubtedly its worth the effort. If you just follow certain nuances given below you can be sure of preparing delicious Dal Baati Churma in the very first go. Plunge in and dive into the pool of foodie heaven..
Here is the recipe of the traditional Dal Baati Churma :
Ingredients Required To Make Dal Baati Churma Recipe
How To Make Dal Baati Churma Recipe
Take the measured quantities of all the five lentils in a vessel and wash them twice and pour in three cups of lukewarm water and keep aside.
Let it remain for ten to fifteen minutes approximately. Place them inside a pressure cooker and cook for four to five whistles and let it cool for a while.
Now, heat a kadai and tip in the measured quantities of ghee and cooking oil in it.
When it is heated up, just toss a teaspoon of jeera seeds followed by a bay leaf and two cloves.
Then add one or two pinches of asafoetida along with a teaspoon of giner garlic paste.
When it becomes aromatic, just add two finely chopped green chilies and stir in.
Now that the tempering is over, add in the finely chopped onion with a nice stir.
When it becomes translucent, plop in the chopped tomatoes and keep stirring.
When it softens, tip in a teaspoon of red chili powder and coriander powder each along with half a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Keep stirring for a few seconds until the spice powders blend well.
Now take out the boiled lentils and mash it up well using a masher and add them in the kadai and stir well.
Sprinkle the required salt and splash in half a cup of water and let it boil for eight to ten minutes approximately.
When the dal turns aromatic and reaches the desired consistency, sprinkle some lush green coriander leaves and turn off the flame.
Now the dal is ready and keep it aside.
Take a large bowl and add a cup of wheat flour after cleaning it up using a sieve.
Add two tablespoons of rava/ semolina and sprinkle in a little salt.
Mix it gently with your fingers for one or two seconds.
Tip in two tablespoons of ghee and start kneading the dry dough.
Add half a teaspoon of ajwain and coriander seeds each after crushing them in your palms to bring out the flavor.
Finally tip in a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and knead altogether well into a smooth dough by adding a few drops of water.
Keep kneading for a while until smooth and close it with a cup for a while.
Approximately after ten to fifteen minutes take out the dough and give a final knead and make small even sized balls out of it.
Then place a large pan in the stove and pour in three cups of water and when it comes to a boil drop in all the wheat balls and let it boil for a minute or two.
When the balls begin to pop up, just take it out and place them over a plate.
Place a kadai and pour enough amount of cooking oil as required for deep frying.
When the oil is heated, drop in the boiled wheat balls one by one and fry them till they turn crispy and golden brown.
Place it over a plate and keep aside. Now the Bati is also ready.
Take four or five batis and drop them in the blender.
Blend them for two to three pulses and make a coarse powder out of it.
Transfer it to a bowl or plate and add two teaspoons of jaggery powder and ghee each. You can also use powdered sugar instead of jaggery.
Mix them gently using a spatula and tip in half a teaspoon of cardamom powder and rock sugar each.
At last, add some grated almonds and pistachios and stir in well.
Now the delicious churma is ready.
Take a serving plate and place three or four Batis and crush them gently with your fingers.
Swirl a dash of ghee over the Bati and squirt in three to four ladles of Dal all over the Bati.
Now spread a layer of Churma over the dal and sprinkle some lush green coriander leaves over it.
Toss over some finely chopped onion and finally squeeze a little lemon and serve hot with a cup of chilled Nimbu Pani or Aam Panna.
Tips and tricks To make Dal Baati Churma Recipe
- Soak the lentils in lukewarm water at least for about ten minutes before boiling to make it soft and mushy.
- While making the Bati, just knead the dough first with ghee and sprinkle just a little water so that the dough is tight to make patties that are intact and firm.
- The mixture of ajwain and ghee always gives an alluring smell and just crush them in your palm with a drop of ghee before you add it up to the dough.
- You can make the bati beforehand and can store it up at room temperature in an air tight container for two to four days as it has a long shelf life, and use whenever needed.
- As Dal Bati Churma gives you a feel of satiation, you need not prepare any other dish along with it. Just a glass of jaljira, mint lime juice or buttermilk would suffice.
- There are quite a few ways to make the Bati, you can either semi boil it and deep fry, or you can bake it in oven or grill. Moreover, you can even prepare it in a gas or coal Tandoor. You get good result in all the methods. Choose any way which is convenient for you.
- You can either make salted or unsalted Bati according to your likes.
- At any cost, the dough should not be loose or sticky as it will not give the desired Bati.
- You can either use sugar or jaggery for Churma and you can add any number of dry fruits in it to spruce it up.
- rock sugar is in the form of crystals and it is available at all Indian stores.
- At some regions they use whole moong instead of masoor dal. Therefore it is upto your choice and preference to either include or skip masoor dal. In both ways, the dal tastes good.
Ingredients
Directions
Take the measured quantities of all the five lentils in a vessel and wash them twice and pour in three cups of lukewarm water and keep aside.
Let it remain for ten to fifteen minutes approximately. Place them inside a pressure cooker and cook for four to five whistles and let it cool for a while.
Now, heat a kadai and tip in the measured quantities of ghee and cooking oil in it.
When it is heated up, just toss a teaspoon of jeera seeds followed by a bay leaf and two cloves.
Then add one or two pinches of asafoetida along with a teaspoon of giner garlic paste.
When it becomes aromatic, just add two finely chopped green chilies and stir in.
Now that the tempering is over, add in the finely chopped onion with a nice stir.
When it becomes translucent, plop in the chopped tomatoes and keep stirring.
When it softens, tip in a teaspoon of red chili powder and coriander powder each along with half a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Keep stirring for a few seconds until the spice powders blend well.
Now take out the boiled lentils and mash it up well using a masher and add them in the kadai and stir well.
Sprinkle the required salt and splash in half a cup of water and let it boil for eight to ten minutes approximately.
When the dal turns aromatic and reaches the desired consistency, sprinkle some lush green coriander leaves and turn off the flame.
Now the dal is ready and keep it aside.
Take a large bowl and add a cup of wheat flour after cleaning it up using a sieve.
Add two tablespoons of rava/ semolina and sprinkle in a little salt.
Mix it gently with your fingers for one or two seconds.
Tip in two tablespoons of ghee and start kneading the dry dough.
Add half a teaspoon of ajwain and coriander seeds each after crushing them in your palms to bring out the flavor.
Finally tip in a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and knead altogether well into a smooth dough by adding a few drops of water.
Keep kneading for a while until smooth and close it with a cup for a while.
Approximately after ten to fifteen minutes take out the dough and give a final knead and make small even sized balls out of it.
Then place a large pan in the stove and pour in three cups of water and when it comes to a boil drop in all the wheat balls and let it boil for a minute or two.
When the balls begin to pop up, just take it out and place them over a plate.
Place a kadai and pour enough amount of cooking oil as required for deep frying.
When the oil is heated, drop in the boiled wheat balls one by one and fry them till they turn crispy and golden brown.
Place it over a plate and keep aside. Now the Bati is also ready.
Take four or five batis and drop them in the blender.
Blend them for two to three pulses and make a coarse powder out of it.
Transfer it to a bowl or plate and add two teaspoons of jaggery powder and ghee each. You can also use powdered sugar instead of jaggery.
Mix them gently using a spatula and tip in half a teaspoon of cardamom powder and rock sugar each.
At last, add some grated almonds and pistachios and stir in well.
Now the delicious churma is ready.
Take a serving plate and place three or four Batis and crush them gently with your fingers.
Swirl a dash of ghee over the Bati and squirt in three to four ladles of Dal all over the Bati.
Now spread a layer of Churma over the dal and sprinkle some lush green coriander leaves over it.
Toss over some finely chopped onion and finally squeeze a little lemon and serve hot with a cup of chilled Nimbu Pani or Aam Panna.