Rajasthani
Dal Baati
- Duration: 30 minutes + soaking time
- Serves: 2 to 4 people
-
Spice Level: Low
Authenticity Slice
Soaking the dal for 4 to 5 hours helps in giving it the perfect texture, so do not skip this essential step. Be liberal with ghee while cooking as dry Baatis are disastrous. Also, take care to keep the Baati balls small or their insides will not bake properly. Conversely, the dough needs to be very stiff or the insides of the Baatis will become too chewy. If the baked Baatis become very hard, put them in a microwave oven for a couple of seconds.
- 2604 views
- Share
Trivia Tadka
Stories about the origin of the Baati are in abundance. One of them traces it to the state’s tribal groups, who prepared the dish using a rather unusual method. They are said to have made the atta dough and buried it in sand, before leaving for the day’s work. The dough balls are said to have been baked in the desert heat and ready to be eaten by the time they returned later in the day. The tribals used to dip them in ghee and savour them as a staple. Another story states that during war, food items with longer shelf-lives was a critical requirement. With water a scare commodity, chefs had to come up with a more feasible solution, which was baking the atta dough in bulk. The nutritious Baatis proved to be a good solution as they could be cooked quickly and in large quantities, enough to feed entire armies. Later accompaniments to the Baatis include churma (sweetened cereals) and dal (a mix of lentils)
Ingredients
For Dal
- Kidney beans (rajma) (2 cups)
- Black gram (urad dal) (¾ cup)
- Onions, finely chopped (3)
- Tomatoes, finely chopped (2)
- MTR Garam Masala Powder (2 tsp)
- MTR Lal Mirch Red Chilli Powder (2 tsp)
- MTR Haldi Turmeric Powder (1 tsp)
- Ginger-garlic paste (1 tbsp)
- Green chillies (hari mirch), chopped (2)
- Fresh cream (2 tbsp)
- Ghee (4 tbsp)
- Coriander leaves (hara dhania), chopped (1 cup)
- Oil (4 tbsp)
- Salt (to taste)
For Baati
- Wheat flour (atta) (5 cups)
- Desi ghee (1 cup)
- Curd (dahi) (2 tbsp)
- Salt (to taste)
Method
- Thoroughly wash the rajma and the black gram and soak them in water for 5 to 6 hours, or overnight.
- Toss the rajma and the black gram into a pressure cooker, and time it to 5 whistles.
- Heat 4 tbsp of oil in a kadhai and fry the chopped onions in it till they turn brown.
- Add in the ginger-garlic paste and the chopped tomatoes. Stir well.
- Add in all the masalas, the cooked dal and salt and let the mix simmer till all the ingredients have blended well and the gravy has thickened.
- Pour ghee over the mix and keep aside. In a paraat (flat, round plate with high edges), knead the flour using ghee, curd, salt, and enough water to make a stiff dough.
- Break off the dough into lemon-sized balls. Cover and keep aside for an hour.
- Working in batches, roast the dough balls on hot coal till they puff up and turn golden on the outside and sponge-like from the inside. Keep them hot.
- Garnish the dal with hara dhania and slit green chillies.
- Soak the hot Baati dumplings in a pot of desi ghee for a minute and then scoop them out.
- Serve hot with the dal.
