#Traditional #WholesomeFood #RajasthaniCuisine

Besides its splendid history, rich culture and heritage, the most striking aspect of Rajasthan is its aromatic, colourful & delectable cuisine. ‘Dal Baati Churma’, one of the popular delicacies of Rajasthan…a wholesome trio…complete meal in itself, is a quintessential menu in all festivals and feasts.

How to make Dal Baati Churma?

Prepared using simple ingredients, this unique combo consists of flaky but soft baati, tangy & spicy mixed dal and partially sweetened churma. As baati and churma have long shelf life, they can be prepared in large batches and used along with other Rajasthani food variations.

Baati

Baati, round shaped bread is made using whole wheat flour, ghee, ajwain and salt. It is usually deep fried or baked or grilled and dipped in hot melted ghee before serving. The process of baking baati can be done over charcoal chula or in tandoor or in oven.

Here, I have mentioned both the ways of grilling of baatis in barbeque as well as baking it in oven. In winters, most of our Sunday morning is spent outdoor in our garden enjoying the weather, gazing at the colourful winter flowers, barbequing fresh garden veggies & fruits and also treating ourselves with scrumptious brunch like grilled baati with dal & churma. Grilling baatis in BBQ gives a unique smoky flavour to the dish.

Ingredients

1. Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
2. Semolina / sooji – 1/4 cup
3. Besan – 2 tbsp
4. Ghee – 1/4 cup + required amount to dip baatis before serving
5. Salt to taste
6. Ajwain – 1/2 tsp
7. Baking Powder – a pinch
8. Milk- to knead

Method

• Mix all the ingredients namely flour, sooji, besan, baking powder, melted ghee, salt, ajwain and knead it well into a firm dough using milk. Keep it aside for 10-15 mins.
• Take medium lemon-sized dough and make a round shaped ball. Flatten the rounds and make a small indentation in the centre of the baatis using your thumb. If it has some cracks, don’t worry as those cracks will help baatis to cook properly. Keep it covered with a muslin cloth or a kitchen towel.

In Oven:

• Preheat the oven at 180 deg C. Line the baking tray with baking sheet or grease it with any cooking medium. Place the baatis in rows with equal space between them so that they get baked evenly. Bake the baatis for 20 mins or till they turn golden in colour. 

In BBQ:

• Prepare the barbeque apparatus before you start grilling baatis. There are various medium with which you can create fire in BBQ. Our option is always using charcoal as it is easy to ignite the fire and maintain the required heat. Fill the bottom space of the apparatus with charcoal and ignite fire using a paper. Baatis require low to medium heat to get cooked evenly. So, wait for 2 or 3 mins to bring down the heat. Arrange the baatis on the grilling tray and keep it over the medium rack.
• Brush the baatis with any cooking medium once or twice. When it turns golden in colour, remove the baatis from the rack and let it cool. 
• Dip the baatis in the melted ghee. Break it into two and serve hot along with a bowl of mixed dal and churma.

Mixed Dal

Ingredients

1. Chana Dal – ¼ cup
2. Thuvar /Arhar Dal – ¼ cup
3. Moong Dal – ¼ cup
4. Urad Dal – ¼ cup
5. Masoor Dal – 2 tbsp, splitted
6. Turmeric Powder / Haldi – ¼ tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Ginger – 1 tsp, grated
9. Green Chillies – 1 tsp, finely chopped
10. Dhaniya Powder – 1 tsp
11. Amchoor Powder – 1 tsp
12. Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
13. Jeera – 1/2 tsp
14. Hing – ¼ tsp
15. Ghee – 2 tbsp
16. Fresh Coriander Leaves- 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Method

• Wash and soak the dals for 30 mins. Pressure cook the dals with haldi & salt till 4-5 whistles. Release the pressure and slightly mash the dals. Keep it aside.
• In a kadai, heat ghee and give tadka with jeera, hing, green chillies, ginger. Add the mashed dals and all the above-mentioned spices.
• Give a nice boil till the masala flavours gets incorporated with dal well. Switch off the flame.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with baati and churma.

Churma

Ingredients

1. Whole Wheat Flour – 1 cup
2. Semolina / Sooji – 1/4 cup
3. Ghee – 1/4 cup
4. Milk to knead
5. Refined Oil – to deep fry
6. Powdered Sugar – 1/4 cup (you can increase / decrease as per your taste)
7. Elaichi Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Dry Fruits (Badam, Cashew, Raisins) – 1 tbsp each, finely sliced

Method

• Mix all the ingredients namely flour, sooji, melted ghee and knead it well into a firm dough using milk. Keep it aside for 10-15 mins.
• Take small lemon-sized dough and make a round shaped ball. Flatten the rounds and make a small indentation in the centre using your thumb. Keep it covered with a muslin cloth or a kitchen towel.
• In a kadai, heat refined oil. Deep fry the dough balls in low heat till it turns golden in colour. Let it cool.
• Using a mixer grinder, coarsely powder the deep-fried balls. Mix it with the powdered sugar, elaichi powder and sliced dry fruits. Churma is ready to be served with dal and baati.
• Churma can be made in large quantity and stored in air tight box for later use. It stays fresh for 3-4 days on kitchen shelf and more than a week when refrigerated.

Notes

• You can also steam the baatis slightly and deep fry them in low heat. Deep fried baatis has more shelf life than baked or grilled baatis.
• In mixed dal, you can add tomatoes instead of amchur powder to get tanginess and nice colour in the dal. 

For more interesting recipes, plz checkout Laccha Paratha, Pindi Chole , Palak Paneer Paratha.

Happy Cooking!