Dal Baati, traditional food combination from Royal Rajasthan. Learn how to make flavourful and spicy Panchmel Dal with crispy Baatis.
How to make Dal Baati Recipe Video attached
About the Recipe
Ghee laden Baatis served with flavourful and spicy Panchmel Dal are a part of any Rajasthani Royal meal menu. Dal Baati is a very rich meal and is served with sweet Churma and spicy Rajasthani garlic chutney.
Rajasthan is the known as the Land of Royals and Rajasthani Cuisine is exotic and rich in flavours, just like it's rich culture and heritage. Even the simple and everyday meals like Gatte ki Subzi or Tikadia, Mirch Ki Tapori or Ker Sangri a special Rajasthani vegetable, are so flavourful. Food is cooked and served with so much of love.
What makes Rajasthani food so special.. the flavourful spices that are used and most of the food is cooked with desi ghee and the love that goes in making it.
If you love Rajasthani food and think that is quite difficult to get the authentic taste and flavour at home then, checkout these recipes with easy step by step procedure.. Rajasthani Pyazz Ki Kachori, Gatte Ki Pulao, Chatpate Kale Chane or Missi Roti and many more.
What is Dal Baati
The popular meal of Dal Baati Churma has interesting history behind it.
Dal Baati is believed to be a wartime food. A famous legend tells about the origin of Baati goes to the reign of Royals of Mewar. Rajasthan has a very hot and dry climate. During the time of war hot and dry climate, soldiers would make the dough balls in morning, bury under the sand. The sand used to get so hot during the day that the dough balls would baked under hot sand and in evening the soldiers would dip baatis in ghee and realised it with curd. The tradition of having baatis came much later with the coming of Guptas or Marwaris in Rajasthan who started serving baatis with Panchmel or Panchratna Dal.
Nowadays people like to cook Dal Baati on special occasions as it quite heavy on stomach. Many known restaurants that special in Rajasthani meal, serve Dal Baati Churma as part of the special meal thali along with other Rajasthani delicacies like Rajasthani Kadhi, different curries and snacks and desserts.
Baatis
Baatis are baked dough balls, made with Whole Wheat Flour and Semolina with salt and caraway seed and desi ghee. Traditionally dough balls are baked in Chulla or earthen clay ovens, especially in villages. In cities now people use there electric tandoor or ovens to bake baatis. Many people also fry baatis in desi ghee, but I prefer to bake.
You can also add chickpea flour along with whole wheat flour in case you do not have semolina/sooji.
How to make Baati
To make Baati, mix whole wheat flour, semolina, caraway seeds/ajwain and salt. Add ghee and mix it well in flour till it resembles breadcrumbs. Using lukewarm water, knead a tight dough and keep it to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
Divide the dough balls into equal sized portions, as shown in pic. Roll it, not necessarily in smooth round ball. Make a small indent in between or you can also make a criss cross on it.
Bake baatis in preheated oven. Once baked, dip hot baatis in enough melted ghee,serve with Dal Panchmel along with Churma or even Sooji ka halwa.
Panchmel Dal or Dal Panchratna
Dal or Panchratna dal is mixed lentils, tempered with onion, garlic and whole spices like cloves, bay leaf and black cardamom. Five different lentils/dals.. Chana Dal/Split Bengal Gram, Split Green Moong/Hari Moong Dal, Split Yellow Moong/ Dhuli Moong Dal, Split Black Lentil/Chilka Urad and Red Lentils/Dhuli Masoor are used to make this dal.
How to make Dal Panchmel or Dal Panchratna
Mix and wash dals together in water 2-3 times. Soak in enough water for 15-20 minutes.
Cook in Pressure Cooker(Stove-top or Instant Pot) with water. Add whole spices while cooking the lentils or you can add while making tadka or tempering.
Prepare tadka or tempering. Add in cooked dal. Mix, adjust the consistency of water as per the thickness required, neither too thick nor too thin or watery.
Serve hot with baatis . The flavourful dal can be a part of everyday meal and served with steamed or jeera rice and is also relished with hot ghee laden chapatis with any dry subzi.
Dal Baati
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker(Stove-top or Instant Pot)
- Oven/Tandoor to bake Baatis
- Mixing Bowls
- Ladles
- Knife
Ingredients
To make Baati
- 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour/Atta
- ¼ Cup Sooji/Semolina
- 4-5 tbsp Desi Ghee
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼-½ tsp Ajwain/Caraway Seeds
For Panchmel Dal
- ½ Cup Split Black Lentils/Chilka Urad Dhuli Urad/Split Black Lentils skinned
- ¼ Cup Red Lentils/Dhuli Masoor
- ¼ Cup Split Yellow Moong/Dhuli Moong
- ¼ Cup Split Green Moong/Chilka Moong
- ¼ Cup Split Bengal Gram/Chana Dal
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/4 tsp Asafetida/Hing
- Salt to taste
- 4-5 Cloves
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1-2 Black Cardamom
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
For Tempering
- 1 Onion(Medium size)
- 4-5 Garlic Cloves
- Ginger piece(small)
- 1-2 Green Chillies
- 1-2 Tomatoes optional
- 1-2 Whole Red Chillies
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½-1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tbsp Desi Ghee
Instructions
Make Baatis
- Mix Whole Wheat /flour, Semolina, salt and ajwain.
- Add ghee and mix it well in flour till it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Using lukewarm water, knead a tight dough and keep it to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Divide the dough balls into equal tennis ball sized portions. Not necessarily in smooth round ball. Make a small indent in between or you can also make a criss cross on it.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes at 420°F or 200°C
- Once baked till light brown in color, take melted ghee in a bowl and dip hit baatis in it.
How to make Panchmel Dal
- Mix and wash dals together in water 2-3 times. Soak in enough water for 15-20 minutes.
Cook Dal in Instant Pot
- Drain water from Dal and add soaked dal in inner pot of Instant Pot. add water 2-3" above the level of dal.
- Switch on the SAUTE Mode on and set time to 10 minutes.
- Once the water starts to boil, remove the froth that accumulates at the top.
- Add whole spices, turmeric powder, salt. Cover the lid.
- Cancel the SAUTE Mode and set the PRESSURE COOK Mode on . Set timer to 8 minutes.
- Cook till the timer goes off. After 2-3 min.do QPR(Quick Pressure Release), and open the lid.
- Check whether the dal is cooked. Add tempering/tadka and add water to adjust the consistency of dal if required.
- You can cover and keep dal for another 5-10 minutes or till serving time so that the flavours of tadka infuse in dal. Or you can also cook dal on SAUTE Mode for 2-3 minutes for the same.
- Serve hot with baatis or rice.
Cook Dal in Stove-top Pressure Cooker
- Drain the water from soaked dal, transfer in pressure cooker, add water as required to cook dal(2-3" above the level of dal).
- Once the water starts to boil, remove the froth that accumulates at the top.
- Add whole spices, turmeric powder, salt. Cover the lid.
- Cook dal till 2-3 whistles. Let the pressure go away naturally.
- Check whether the dal is cooked. Add tempering/tadka and add water to adjust the consistency of dal if required.
Prepare Tempering
- Finely chop onions, ginger, garlic and tomato(if using).
- Switch on the gas to medium. In a pan or small kadhai, add ghee, when it is hot enough add hing/asafoetida then add cumin seeds/jeera.
- When the seeds crackle add finely chopped garlic and ginger whole red chillies and saute till the raw smell of garlic goes away and it starts turning light brown.
- Add onions and saute till light pink in color, then add tomatoes and green chillies and cook till soft and mushy.
- Add garam masala and red chilli powder and mix. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add tempering to dal cook dal for another 2-3 minutes to infuse the flavours of tadka.
Video
Notes
How to eat Dal Baati..
Always serve Dal Baati hot. Serve dal in a bowl, coarsely crush 1-2 baatis in dal, top it with more ghee, chutney and chopped onions if you like and enjoy the meal!!
You can serve baatis with simple Urad Dal also or a combination of 2-3 dals.
In winter months, ghee solidifies very quickly, so if you are making baatis ahead of serving time, you can heat these in oven on preheat mode. These stay good to store for 4-5 days, keep dipped in ghee. Many say you can store it even for a month, but I have never done that.
If you haven't tried the Rajasthani Dal Baati Churma or want to recreate the authentic Rajasthani meal in your kitchen.Then, do try this rich and flavourful meal on your special occasions with Churma or when guest come.
Any spicy garlic chutney like this with bell peppers, garlic and tomato also goes best with dal baati. Kids also like Dal Baati and you can always adjust the spice level in dal as per their taste. It can also be relished during cold winter months, make a comforting meal combo and it is very quick and easy to make.
Do give me your feedback about the post and recipe whenever you make it.
Visit my social media accounts.. FB, Pinterest and Instagram. Whenever you make this, do post on my FB page or tag me on Instagram(#foodtrails25). Pin the recipes for later reference.
If you like my work, then do hit the follow button to subscribe to my blog to get notifications on new posts. Also do share the blog info with your loved ones.
Thanks for stopping by and keep coming back!!
ARCHANA
Now I want some dal baati! Subh subh I am hungry! Looks awesome Swati and will love try this version too.
Swati
Thanks Archana!! Do try it!!