Daal Baati Churma – an ode to the land of Rajasthan

This Rajasthani special is indeed the best of Rajasthan’s cuisine and a real gem from India. Even though we refer it as one dish (of 3 words), it actually is a triple whammy of spicy Daal, crispy Baati and the rich/sweet Churma.

I have been a fan of this is a triple delight since childhood but I actually gave it my 1^st go only during last year (2013). I was in fact very afraid at that time because I didn’t had a tandoor/baati oven which is used to prepare Baati; instead I used the oven and luckily it came out great ! When my cutie little angel tasted it for the first time, she took an instant liking and has since then been demanding it nearly every fortnight. My darling hubby is a core Rajasthani by heart and simply adores his Churma and is too particular about it; in all the years  (till last year) he thought I cannot simply make it as per his exact requirement, and so he never requested it. When he tasted my 1^st time prepared Churma, he was absolutely spell-struck; the only thing that gave his seal of approval was the amazing sparkle in his eyes !!
Now for the benefit of everyone, this dish consists of :
1. Panchmel Daal – spicy and tangy
2. Baati : baked one, with no frying involved; crispy on the outside and soft on the inside
3. Churma : sweet, appropriately textured (neither coarse nor fine)

Panchmel Daal : The health potential of this daal (lentil) is very positive as it is made from 5 different daals (hence the name ‘Panchmel’, meaning mix of five in Hindi). It is uniquely taste, and spicy and perfectly complements the sweet Churma.

The ingredients for making the Panchmel Daal are:
1. Arhar/Tuvar daal (Pigeon peas split lentil ) : 1/4 cup
2. Moong daal (split yellow lentil) : 1/4 cup
3. Chana daal (Bengal gram) : 1/4 cup
4. Masoor daal (Pink lentil ) : 1/4 cup
5. Green Moong whole daal (Green gram whole lentil): 2 Tbsp
6. Green Moong chilka daal (Green gram split lentil) : 1 Tbsp
7. Urad daal (black gram skinned) : 1 Tbsp
8. Green Chilli : 3 (chopped)
9. Tomato : 1-2
10. Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
11. Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
12. Bay leaf : 2
13. Cloves (Laung) : 2
14. Asafoetida (Hing) : a pinch
15. Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
16. Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
17. Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
18. Salt : to taste
19. Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp
20. Clarified butter (ghee) : 2 Tbsp
21. Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) : 1 tsp

Method :

Take all the daals in a bowl; wash and rinse them with water and then soak them for 30 minutes.

Cook the daals in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles or till done.

Heat a pan with clarified butter and do tempering with cloves, bay leaf, asafoetida, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. Add green chilli, ginger and sauté for a minute.

Add tomato, and sauté for 2 minutes. Now add all dry spices red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add the cooked daals into the pan and mix properly. Let the daal boil and then add garam masala, dry mango powder, salt and mix well. Then switch off the flame. You can garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Your delicious Panchmel Daal is ready to be served.

Enjoy this Panchmel Daal with baati, churma, naan, parantha and/or rice!

Note that you may add lemon juice instead of dry mango powder in Panchmel Daal.

Baati : This is actually a form of Indian bread, and is eaten with hot Panchmel Daal. This triple delight (Daal Baati Churma) usually has plain Baati but Baatis can have various fillings like potatoes, onions, peas and sattu.

The ingredients for making Baati are:

1. Wheat Flour : 2 cup
2. Semolina : 2 Tbsp
3. Clarified butter (ghee) : 3/4- 1cup
4. Carom seeds (Ajwain) : 1 tsp
5. Fennel seeds (Saunf) : 1 tsp
6. Salt : to taste
7. Baking soda : a pinch

Method :

Take all the ingredients in a big bowl, mix them properly by your hands. Knead a firm dough by using warm water. Then keep it covered aside for 30-40 minutes.

Preheat the oven on 200°C for 15 minutes.

Pinch out a lemon size ball from the dough, making it as smooth as possible and pressing it slightly. You will get around 7-8 big baatis (balls) this way; but you should feel free to make these baatis according to your preferred size/choice (small/flat).

Brush each Baati liberally with clarified butter (ghee) and place them onto a greased baking tray. Place the baking tray on the top rack of the oven for about 20 minutes on 200°C; in between flipping them after 10 minutes. They are done once they get a golden brown colour.

Now what I am going to say will not sound healthy but this is the best/traditional way of enjoying a Baati – by dipping them in clarified butter (ghee) for a minute before actually serving them.

Enjoy the Baati with Panchmel Daal and Churma !

Note that if you do not have an oven, you may deep fry the Baati balls in clarified butter (ghee) on a medium flame.

Churma: the final element of this trio but definitely not the least in taste.

The ingredients for making Churma are:
1. Wheat Flour : 2 cup
2. Semolina (suji) : 1/2 cup
3. Clarified butter (ghee) : 1/2 cup
4. Sugar : 1 cup (powdered)
5. Milk : as needed
6. Cardamom (Elaichi) : 1/2 tsp (optional)
7. Almonds : 10 (sliced)
8. Pistachios : 10 (sliced)

Method :

Take wheat flour, semolina, and clarified butter (ghee) in a big bowl; mix them well and knead with milk. Make a firm dough and keep it aside covered for 30 minutes.

Make 8-9 balls from the dough, pressing slightly. Deep fry these balls in the clarified butter on a medium flame till they become golden brown (it will take around 12-15 minutes).

Allow these fried balls to cool down; now break all the balls in pieces and give a quick run in a mixer until it turns into a coarse powder (as I don’t like a fine powder Churma).

Now take the whole coarse powder in a big bowl and add powdered sugar; mix properly with hands. Add 1 cup of clarified butter and again mix well. Add cardamom powder, almonds and pistachios in it. The awesome tasty Churma is ready to be served!

Churma can be enjoyed along with Panchmel Daal and Baati. It can also be relished on its own; in this case, as in case of Baati, Churma will be at its best if enjoyed with a dollop of clarified butter (ghee).

My personal opinion 🙂 is to just go over the top and eat these trio in the following way – break the baatis into small pieces, pour some Panchmel Daal over it and then add Churma in it; mix it well and enjoy this highly rich, sumptuous Rajasthani delicacy.