STAPLE POPULAR CUISINE OF RAJASTHAN: DAAL BAATI

Along with the royal palaces, grandeur, culture and history, Rajasthan is famous for its royal and staple cuisine Daal Baati. It is one of the healthiest cuisines with amazing taste which tingles the taste buds. The baati’s are substitutes of bread and roti’s which are hard round unleavened breads made out of wheat flour which is served along with the panchmel daal, lemon, chopped onions and garlic chutney.

History, tradition and popularity of daal baati churma:

Daal baati along with the sweet churma is an ancient cuisine of Rajasthani’s and is made during all auspicious occasions like weddings, teej or any such functions. Traditional way of eating daal baati is to squash the baati and then adding pure ghee on it along with the hot panchmel dal, garlic chutney, lemon and chopped onions. Since it is the staple and healthy food, the recipe of daal baati is famous in every house of Rajasthani’s, Marvadi’s and Rajputs.

Recipe of staple cuisine:

The recipe and ingredients of daal baati is very easy and basic to cook.

Ingredients for the panchmel daal:

1/3 cup chana daal (split Bengal gram)
1/3 cup moong daal (green gram)
1/3 cup toovar dal
1 tbsp whole moong and urad daal
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
2 slited green chillies
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
2tsp dried mango powder and tamarind pulp
½ tsp garam masala
2 tsp red chilli powder and dhania powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Ingredients for the baati’s (around 10 baati’s):

1cup wheat flour
2tbsp besan (Bengal gram flour)
½ cup rava (semolina)
8tbsp milk
4tbsp ghee
Salt to taste

Method to prepare the daal:

• After cleaning and washing all the daals, add 4 cups of water and pressure cook all the daals until it is cooked.
• Make the paste of chilli powder, dhania powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, with 2-3 tablespoons of water and keep it aside.
• Heat the ghee in a pan like vessel and add cumin seeds, bay leaves, cloves, green chillies and asafetida. After the crackling voice of the cumin seeds, add the masala paste and saute it for 1-2mins.
• Add the cooked daal and other ingredients along with the salt and simmer for 10 mins. Check the consistency and add water if required.

Method to prepare the baati’s:

• Make a firm dough after mixing all the ingredients and knead it for 10mins.
• Make 10 round balls out of the dough into even size and flatten them lightly by using thumb.
• Take a broad vessel to boil water and drop baati’s in the water and cook it for 20minutes on high flame.
• Drain the baati’s and keep them aside. Heat the tandoor and grill the baatis on the tandoor for 20 minutes on the medium flame until the baatis become hard and are cooked from inside as well.

How to serve:

On the serving plate squash the baati’s and pour some heated ghee. Pour the hot daal along with the garlic chutney and onions as per preference and thus the cuisine is ready to relish on.

The delicious hot and spicy cuisine of Rajasthan is thus famous since ancient times and indeed a royal filling meal to relish.