The Rustic Panchmel Dal & Baked Baati !



This is my Rajasthani platter ..daal,baati,gatte ki sabzi and aloo fry :P

 Dal-Baati is Rajasthan's signature dish ,here dal used is panchmel dal,meaning mixture of five different variety of lentils and baati is made up of wheat flour dough which was traditionally cooked in cow-dung in rajasthan ,now cooked in gas tandoor or can be baked in oven.Dal -baati goes hand in hand never made alone,actually baati is eaten in combination with dal ,it is nutritious and whole meal but is very rich and enriched in ghee ( clarified butter ).Usually most of the  people get confused in baati & bafla ,baflas are a variation of baati .In some parts of rajasthan baflas are also a common wholesome meal ,the dough of baati and bafla might be same but the technique used is completely different.
Let me tell u today in brief the main difference between the both ... in baati the dough are divided into balls ,fattened a bit and directly baked in charcoal fire or gas tandoor or electric oven whereas in baflas,the dough is divided into equal parts but they are first boiled in boling water and then deep fried or roasted or baked  .Both the dishes are equally good but the taste are completely different.One can also stuff potatoes or some veggies in baatis / baflas to make it more heavier and healthy .But for us the plain baatis are just enough to satisfy our palates and today im sharing the panchmel dal which is my mom's recipe & baked baati version which i picked up from priti singh's blog,indian khana.Few days back she sent me her baked baati dish as an entry for my ongoing event and i just luved the fact that it was baked in oven ,i dont have a gas tandoor here in australia right now and so i was desperately hunting for a baked version.
Thank you so much priti for letting me know the idea of baked baati ,i have changed a bit according to my family taste ,when i went through her recipe i noticed that even my mom uses the same ingrdients ,she uses yogurt instead of baking soda as she roast the baati in gas tandoor and dont bake,also i have skipped the turmeric and added ghee instead of oil to give the authentic flavour .I have kinda kept both the recipes in mind and made this baati.This panchmel dal & baked baati staright away goes to my event Flavours Of Rajasthan ,an event which was started by Nayna,also im reposting and updating my gatte ki sabzi and papad ki sabzi for this event.

approx will make 15-17 baatis

ingredients for baati :
3 cups wheat flour ( regular aatta )
1/2 cup rava ( coarse semolina )
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp carom seeds ( ajwain )
5-6 tbsps of ghee ( clarified butter )
salt to taste
luke warm water as required
2 cups ghee ( clarified butter ) to soak your baatis.
method :
Mix flour,rava,soda,salt and carom seeds together.Rub the melted ghee in the flour, mix well with your fingers till the flour gets crumpled .Add little water at a time and make a tight dough.Cover the dough and let it rest for half to one hour.Preheat the oven at 225 C.Line a foil paper or grease the baking sheet.Take a golf size ball and flatten it a bit and place in the baking sheet.Bake the baatis for 20-25 mins and keep turning the baatis over after 5-7 mins.In case if u feel its not baked you can bake more for 5-7 mins or till it turns golden brown in colour.Usually baati is little hard and crisp from outside and soft and crumbly from inside.Once the baati is baked dip it immediately in warm and melted ghee long before serving so that it soaks ghee and it gets the required flavour.These baatis can be stored for couple of days and every time you consume just make sure the ghee is warm and melted.

ingredients for panchmel ki dal :
1/2 cup tur dal ( arhar dal )
2 tbsp urad dal ( white split lentil )
2 tbsp moong dal ( yellow split moong lentils )
2 tbsp green chilke wali dal ( green split lentils )
2 tbsp chana dal ( yellow grams )
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
salt to taste
corriander leaves for garnishing
lemon juice to taste
for tempering (tadka )
2 tbsp ghee
3-4 curry leaves
3-4 cloves
1-2 whole dry red chillies
1 green chilli,chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp hing ( asafoetida pwd )
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp garam masala
method :
Wash and soak the five lentils together for half an hr.Pressure cook them with little salt and turneric pwd on slow flame and cook till the daals are soft and tender .( i usually take 3 whistles ) .Once the daal is cooked , mix well and keep aside.Now prepare the tempering (tadka),for tempering heat ghee,add bay leaf,red chilli,clove,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,hing,curry leaves and green chillies.Turn off the heat and add red chilli pwd.When its time for serving add this tempering to the daal ,add garam masala and simmer the daal for 5-7 mins.Serve immediately.Take 2 baatis,crush it with your hands,pour some ghee over ,add some daal ,gatte ki sabzi and njoy the meal !


1.Papad ki sabzi.

2.Rajasthani gatte.


Gentle reminder : Only 15 days more to go for my ongoing event Flavours Of Rajasthan ,i sincerely request u all to pls keep sending your delicious entries and do spread a word around for the same  :)

Dana methi aur shimla mirch ki sabzi ( fenugreek seeds & capsicum curry)

A typical and authentic Rajasthani curry,the awesome sour,sweet and spicy combination of flavours and above all a very healthy and nutritious fenugreek seeds which gives just a dash of bitter taste in this form,absolute delicious , can be preserved in refrigerator for a couple of days,best served with phulkas / rotis / plain parathas / puris.The actual rajasthani dana methi ki sabzi is usally made with dana methi,jaggery,raisins and dry dates but i added capsicums in it to enhance the sweet & spicy flavour,here the fusion of capsicums and fenugreek seeds are just incredible  .This dish is occasionally made on naag panchmi / baasheda where we make the food previous day and eat the day after ,but i do make it sometimes in my regular meal also becoz my hubby and i both are fond of this healthy and nutritious curry. Needless to say this dish goes to Flavours of Rajasthan event ,started by Nayna of simplysensationalfood and guest hosted by me  . .. :))

ingredients :
1 cup fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp chopped capsicum
1/2 cup grated jaggery
1 tsp amchur pwd ( dry mango pwd )
2 tsps red chilli pwd ( pls adjust acc to your taste )
2 tsps corriander pwd
1/4 tsp hing ( asafoetida pwd )
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp dry dates
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
method :
Soak fenugreek seeds overnight.Soak raisins and dates in seperate bowl for half an hour.Boil fenugreek seeds in open deep  pan till the seeds swells up taking care it dosent break ,strain the water to avoid the bitterness.Heat oil ,splutter mustard seeds,cumin seeds,add hing,fennel and capsicums.Saute capsicums for few mins ,add fenugreek seeds,soaked and strained raisins and dates ,turmeric pwd,amchur pwd,red chilli pwd,salt and corriander pwd.Grate jaggery or chop finely and add into the curry .Mix well ,add approx 1/2-3/4th cup of  water and let it simmer for a while.Turn off the flame and njoy with chapatis / phulkas/puris/parathas.
pls note :
1. while soaking and boiling dont touch the seeds much ,if its touched more the more bitter it tastes,this tip was given by my mother in law and i have myself tried and tasted :)
2.After soaking and boiling the bitterness surely reduces ,do strain that water or else the curry will be tooo bitter.
3. Adding jaggery and dry mango pwd too reduces the bitterness so you can adjust the amount according to your taste,if you find more bitter u can increase the amt .
4.The curry which i made is running consistency as we luv in that form but you can add less water and consume the curry which wont affect the flavour.

papad ki sabzi

Papads are very thin crispy crackers which can be eaten as an appetizer and is commonly used in most of the parts of india,years back at the time of our mothers,grand mothers and great grand mothers it was a tradition to make moong dal papads /chana dal papads at home which use to take hours and days ,it was actually a small get together types where close relatives ,friends and neighbours /society people use to come and help in rolling thin papads,then they drying the rolled papads on sheets or old sarees/dupattas for sometime,then later use to keep in sunlight for few minutes and then finally it was stored in stacks.These home made papads were just unbeatable and it was real fun , i still remember when i was a kid even i wanted a rolling pin and small balls of the dough to roll the papads,though i wasnt able to make a circular shape still i wud try my best and atleast make some small pancakes and give it to my mom,she would then roll it again and give it a proper size and shape.Even now a small amount of rajasthani  people have continued this tradition not on daily basis but atleast during some family weddings,they make a small amount of papads as it is our custom and so called shagun to make them at home.We friends use to play a game of  "kacha pappad,pakka pappad "a hilarious and funny tongue twister saying these words fast and continuosly was real fun as we use to make mistake saying "kacha pakkad,pakka pakkad " instead of papad.....those were one the funny & unforgetful memories of my childhood.About this recipe ...usually this was made in our family when we were out of our grocery stock ..even now sometimes i make this for myself when i dont have any veggies in my kitchen as my husband justs hates this dish,he will prefer starving or having maggie instead ;)

ingredients :
1 cup raw moong dal papad ( broken into small pieces )lijjat/punjabi papads/bikaneri papads
1 tbsp yogurt
1 chopped green chilli
2-3 curry leaves
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida pwd
2 tsps corriander pwd
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
chopped corriander leaves for garnishing

method :
heat oil,add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,let them splutter,add asafoetida pwd,curry leaves,green chillies.Add broken papads and fry for a min,add turmeric pwd,chilli pwd,corriander pwd,add yogurt and mix well,add 11/2 glasses of water,salt and mix well.let it boil & simmer till the papads are tender and soft.Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with phulkas/chapatis/rotis/parathas.

rajasthani gatte

ingredients for gatte :

1 cup gram flour ( besan )

1 tbsp oil
2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
salt to taste
1/2 tsp carom seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida pwd
method :
mix all the above ingredients together with very little water to make hard dough.take ltl dough at a time and make elongated cylindrical rope like strips.boil 3 cups of water and drop the long strips into it and let it boil for 5-10 mins or till it floats on top of the water.after cooling down strain the water ( dont throw the strained water keep it aside and use in the gravy ).cut into small pieces and fry them in ltl oil for few mins.

ingredients for the gravy :
2 onions
1 tomato
1-2 green chillies
1 pc ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
salt to taste
1-2 tbsp fresh cream
1 tbsp yogurt
 finely chopped corriander leaves
oil
method :
grind onion,tomato,green chilli,ginger and garlic into a paste.heat oil,add the ground paste and fry till it leaves kadhai .add all the masalas,yogurt,the strained water (in which gatte was boiled ) and cream.mix well.add gatte and simmer for a while.garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot.