Dal Baati Churma
Indian cuisine, I guess, is the most versatile one among all the given cuisines. Each state has it's own specialities. The Taste, way of cooking, ingredients; everything changes from state to state and henceforth from cuisine to cuisine. Each dish of each cuisine has special ways in which it's been made. Our Grandmothers never used to keep a recipe book but all these traditional recipes pass onto the next generations.
Mother is the first teacher of children. Kitchen is the place where mother and daughter make the fondest memories with delicious food. And in the process all our traditional state recipes flow onto the next generations and are still a favourite among new generations too.
This share of mine, Dal Baati Choorma, comes from the colorful land of Rajasthan. A western desert state of India which is known primarily for it's folk culture and spicy varied cuisine. When you mention Rajasthani food, dal baati has to be on the top of the list, otherwise it is incomplete. Dal baati is a typical and very popular Rajasthani delicacy.
The Rajasthanis specialise in serving sweet and savoury dishes in combinations that steal the heart and delight the taste buds. A platter of sweet Churma, spicy Dal and baked Baati, is one such traditional combination. Fresh Baatis drenched in ghee and drowned in piping hot dal is a perfect accompaniment for sweet Churma.
This is one calorie laden and sleep inducing share. Ask me;)
The amount of ghee goes into making it, will probably take you to the deepest slumber before even finishing your meal ;)
My humble request to all weight watchers- keep your eyes closed while adding the ghee. You surely gonna get a heart attack.
This Republic Day (INDIA) instead of going for the cliché Tricolor Dishes I decided to put up a meal that is pure and authentic and traditionally Indian. A meal which reminds you of india and it's culture the moment you see it. A meal which takes you down the memory lanes. A meal on which you have grown. A meal of which you have your fondest memories.
When you are away from your homeland you miss it just like you miss your family especially on special occassions and festivals. I made this dish because I never leave a chance to make traditional Indian dishes, especially ones like these that help me recollect my memories from what feels like an eternity ago when I was a young child in India.
Hope you all will like it.
I will be giving all three recipes separately. Let's start with Churma
FOR CHURMA
INGREDIENTS:
Wheat flour- 1 cup
Clarified Butter/ Ghee- 4 tablespoon (melted)+ 1 tablespoon
Fennel seeds/ Saunff- 1 teaspoon
Milk- 1/4th cup
Cardamom powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Mixed nuts (Almonds, Cashew, Pistachios)(chopped)- 2 tablespoon
Powdered Sugar- 3/4th cup
Clarified butter or Ghee for deep-frying
DIRECTIONS:
Mix flour,fennel seeds and melted ghee well.
Add milk as required and knead into a stiff dough.
Keep the dough for ten minutes for resting.
After that knead it again and divide the dough into nine lemon sized balls.
Flatten the balls a little bit and make an indent in the center.
Heat sufficient ghee in a kadai and deep-fry the balls on low medium heat.
Remember to keep the flame on low medium heat so that the balls are cooked from inside too.
Fry them till they are well done or turn to dark brown color.
Drain and place on an absorbent paper and cool.
Coarsely grind the fried wheat balls in a mixer.
In a wok or kadai put 1 tablespoon of ghee and add in the grounded mix. Sauté on low flame for 3-4 minutes. This will ensure that grounded mix is evenly cooked. Otherwise, you can skip this step.
Add in chopped nuts and cardamom powder.
Once done, switch off the flame and take out the mix in a deep plate.
Let the mix come to room temperature.
Then add in the powdered sugar.
Churma is ready. You can pour more ghee over the churma while serving.
FOR DAL
INGREDIENTS:
Chana dal (split gram)- 1/4th cup
Toor dal (pigeo peas)- 1/4th cup
Moong dal (split without skin)- 1/4th cup
Urad dal (split black lentil with skin)- 1/4th cup
Salt- according to taste
Carified butter (ghee)- 2 tablespoon
Bay leaves- 2
Cloves- 3-4
Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
Onions- 2 (medium, chopped)
Tomatoes- 2 (medium, chopped)
Tomato paste- 1 tablespoon (optional)
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Mango powder (amchoor)- 1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder- 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Asafetida (hing)- 1/8th teaspoon
Dried red chili broken in pieces- 3-4
DIRECTIONS:Clean and wash the dals. Rinse them 3-4 times to remove any dust particles.
Soak dals in clean water for about two hours.
Next, combine the dals, 4 cups of water and salt in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Do not drain the water and keep aside the boiled dal.
Heat the ghee in a deep wok/kadhai, add the cloves, bayleaves, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
When the seeds crackle, add the ginger garlic paste and onions and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
When onions become translucent add the chopped tomatoes.
Let tomatoes cook on low heat. Cover the pan and let them cook.
Once tomatoes become soft, with the back of the ladle mash them and add coriander powder, turmeric powder, Chilli powder, mango powder, garam masala powder and tomato paste.
Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked dals (along with the water), mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Dal is ready. While serving you can put a tempering of ghee+ broken Chillies over the dal. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
FOR BAATIS
(Makes 12 Baatis)
INGREDIENTS:Whole wheat flour/ Atta- 2 cups
Semolina/ Sooji- 1/2 cup
Gram flour/ Besan- 1/2 cup
Carom seeds/ Ajwain- 1 teaspoon
Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
Clarified butter/ Ghee- 1/4th cup
Milk- 1/2 cup (or as needed to make the dough)
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and knead into a semi-stiff dough.
Keep the dough aside for 10-15 minutes.
After that give the dough a good knead again and divide the dough into 12 equal portions and shape each portion into an even sized round ball.
Make a small indentation in the center of the baatis using your thumb.
Brush them with ghee.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 180*c for about 7-8 minutes.
After that, turn them and further bake for 7-8 more minutes or till they turn to golden brown color.
I have used Air fryer to bake them. Which gives similar results as of my oven.
Once done pour some ghee over them while they are warm.
Baatis are ready.
HOW TO SERVEBreak baati into pieces and arrange 2 baatis on a serving dish.
Pour some of the piping hot dal evenly over it.
Sprinkle some chopped onions and green chutney evenly over it.
Serve immediately with churma.
Enjoy the heavenly meal!!!
This recipe is going to my blog hop group
Healthy wealthy FB Group . This Republic Day, instead of making tri colour dishes we decided on sharing some authentic Indian recipes.
Priya Singh-Pudina Lachha Paratha,
Recipe Card
Dal Baati Churma
Dal Baati Choorma, comes from the colorful land of Rajasthan. A western desert state of India which is known primarily for it's folk culture and spicy varied cuisine. A platter of sweet Churma, spicy Dal and baked Baati, is one such traditional combination. Fresh Baatis drenched in ghee and drowned in piping hot dal is a perfect accompaniment for sweet Churma.
I will be giving all three recipes separately. Let's start with Churma
FOR CHURMA
INGREDIENTS:
Wheat flour- 1 cup
Clarified Butter/ Ghee- 4 tablespoon (melted)+ 1 tablespoon
Fennel seeds/ Saunff- 1 teaspoon
Milk- 1/4th cup
Cardamom powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Mixed nuts (Almonds, Cashew, Pistachios)(chopped)- 2 tablespoon
Powdered Sugar- 3/4th cup
Clarified butter or Ghee for deep-frying
DIRECTIONS:
Mix flour,fennel seeds and melted ghee well.
Add milk as required and knead into a stiff dough.
Keep the dough for ten minutes for resting.
After that knead it again and divide the dough into nine lemon sized balls.
Flatten the balls a little bit and make an indent in the center.
Heat sufficient ghee in a kadai and deep-fry the balls on low medium heat.
Remember to keep the flame on low medium heat so that the balls are cooked from inside too.
Fry them till they are well done or turn to dark brown color.
Drain and place on an absorbent paper and cool.
Coarsely grind the fried wheat balls in a mixer.
In a wok or kadai put 1 tablespoon of ghee and add in the grounded mix. Sauté on low flame for 3-4 minutes. This will ensure that grounded mix is evenly cooked. Otherwise, you can skip this step.
Add in chopped nuts and cardamom powder.
Once done, switch off the flame and take out the mix in a deep plate.
Let the mix come to room temperature.
Then add in the powdered sugar.
Churma is ready. You can pour more ghee over the churma while serving.
FOR DALINGREDIENTS:
Chana dal (split gram)- 1/4th cup
Toor dal (pigeo peas)- 1/4th cup
Moong dal (split without skin)- 1/4th cup
Urad dal (split black lentil with skin)- 1/4th cup
Salt- according to taste
Carified butter (ghee)- 2 tablespoon
Bay leaves- 2
Cloves- 3-4
Turmeric powder- 1 teaspoon
Onions- 2 (medium, chopped)
Tomatoes- 2 (medium, chopped)
Tomato paste- 1 tablespoon (optional)
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
Mango powder (amchoor)- 1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder- 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Asafetida (hing)- 1/8th teaspoon
Dried red chili broken in pieces- 3-4
DIRECTIONS:Clean and wash the dals. Rinse them 3-4 times to remove any dust particles.
Soak dals in clean water for about two hours.
Next, combine the dals, 4 cups of water and salt in a pressure cooker, mix well and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
Do not drain the water and keep aside the boiled dal.
Heat the ghee in a deep wok/kadhai, add the cloves, bayleaves, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
When the seeds crackle, add the ginger garlic paste and onions and sauté on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
When onions become translucent add the chopped tomatoes.
Let tomatoes cook on low heat. Cover the pan and let them cook.
Once tomatoes become soft, with the back of the ladle mash them and add coriander powder, turmeric powder, Chilli powder, mango powder, garam masala powder and tomato paste.
Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked dals (along with the water), mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Dal is ready. While serving you can put a tempering of ghee+ broken Chillies over the dal. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
FOR BAATIS
(Makes 12 Baatis)
INGREDIENTS:Whole wheat flour/ Atta- 2 cups
Semolina/ Sooji- 1/2 cup
Gram flour/ Besan- 1/2 cup
Carom seeds/ Ajwain- 1 teaspoon
Salt- 1/2 teaspoon
Clarified butter/ Ghee- 1/4th cup
Milk- 1/2 cup (or as needed to make the dough)
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and knead into a semi-stiff dough.
Keep the dough aside for 10-15 minutes.
After that give the dough a good knead again and divide the dough into 12 equal portions and shape each portion into an even sized round ball.
Make a small indentation in the center of the baatis using your thumb.
Brush them with ghee.
Bake them in a preheated oven at 180*c for about 7-8 minutes.
After that, turn them and further bake for 7-8 more minutes or till they turn to golden brown color.
I have used Air fryer to bake them. Which gives similar results as of my oven.
Once done pour some ghee over them while they are warm.
Baatis are ready.
HOW TO SERVEBreak baati into pieces and arrange 2 baatis on a serving dish.
Pour some of the piping hot dal evenly over it.
Sprinkle some chopped onions and green chutney evenly over it.
Serve immediately with churma.
Enjoy the heavenly meal!!!