Authentic Rajasthani Dal Baati Recipe At Home

See I am going to tell you something. When I think of Rajasthan the first thing that comes to my mind is not forts or deserts. It is Dal Baati. Yes yaar that is the truth. I have eaten so many things in my life but nothing comes close to this dish. My grandmother used to make it and I swear even today when I smell ghee and garlic together I go straight back to her kitchen.

First Let Me Tell You About This Dish

Okay so Dal Baati is basically two things. One is Baati which is like a hard bread ball made of wheat flour. The other is Dal which is a thick lentil curry. But yaar it is not that simple. The Baati is not like your normal roti or paratha. It is cooked in a different way. And the Dal is not your regular dal tadka. It uses five different lentils.

I remember my mother telling me that in olden times soldiers used to carry Baati with them when they went to war. Because it stays fresh for many days. It does not get spoilt. They would just dip it in water or carry some dal and eat it. Can you imagine? Eating hard Baati in the middle of the desert. But now we make it so rich and tasty with ghee and spices.

In Rajasthan Dal Baati is served in every wedding. Every festival. Every happy occasion. It is like our celebration food. When we are happy we make Dal Baati. When guests come we make Dal Baati. It is just that special.

What You Will Need For Baati?

Okay let me start with Baati first. You need simple things. Nothing fancy. Just go to your kitchen and check.

Take two cups of whole wheat flour. The normal atta that you use for roti. But make sure it is fresh. Old flour does not give good results.
Take one cup of sooji. That is semolina. You know the one we use for making upma and all. This is important yaar. Without sooji your Baati will not have that crunch.
Take half cup of ghee. If you do not have ghee you can use oil also but trust me ghee is better. It gives that proper taste. My grandmother used to say ghee is gold for us.
Take one teaspoon of salt. Normal table salt.
Take half teaspoon of ajwain. That is carom seeds. This helps in digestion. Because Baati is heavy so ajwain makes it easier for our stomach.
Take some warm water for kneading. About three fourths cup but you may need more or less. It depends on the flour.
For frying the Baati you need ghee. About two cups. If you want to bake then you do not need this much ghee. Just some for brushing.

What You Will Need For Dal

Now for the Dal you need five types of lentils. I know it sounds like a lot but trust me this is what makes the Dal so tasty.

Take half cup of chana dal. That is the split chickpeas.
Take half cup of tuvar dal. This is the pigeon pea lentil. We use it in sambar also.
Take half cup of moong dal. The split green gram.
Take half cup of urad dal. This is black gram.
Take half cup of masoor dal. The red lentils.

I know finding all these may be hard for some people. But you can find them in any big grocery store. Or you can order online. But if you really cannot find all then at least use three types. Chana tuvar and moong are must.

For spices you need onions tomatoes ginger garlic green chillies. Take two medium onions. Two medium tomatoes. One tablespoon of ginger garlic paste. Two green chillies.

For powder spices you need turmeric red chilli coriander and cumin powder. One teaspoon of turmeric. Two teaspoons of red chilli. One teaspoon of coriander powder. One teaspoon of cumin powder. Salt as per your taste.

For tempering you need half cup of ghee. One teaspoon of cumin seeds. One tablespoon of chopped garlic. Two dried red chillies. A pinch of hing which is asafoetida. And some fresh coriander leaves for putting on top.

Also keep about four cups of water for cooking the dal.

Now Let Me Tell You How To Make The Baati

Okay so take a big bowl. Put the wheat flour in it. Add the sooji. Mix both flours nicely with your hand. Do not use a spoon yaar. Use your hand. It mixes better.

Now add the salt and ajwain. Mix them in the flour.

Then add the half cup of ghee to the flour. Now use your fingers and rub the ghee into the flour. Rub rub rub until the flour looks like bread crumbs. You know when you crumble bread and it becomes like small pieces. Like that. This is very important. My grandmother used to say if you do not rub the ghee properly the Baati will be hard like stone.

Now slowly add warm water. Little by little. Start kneading. Now listen carefully. The dough for Baati should be very hard. Much harder than roti dough. If you make it soft the Baati will not hold its shape. It will become flat. So knead it really well for about ten minutes. Your hands will start hurting but that is okay. That is the love you put in the food.

Once the dough is ready cover it with a wet cloth and keep it aside for twenty minutes. This resting time is important. It makes the gluten work and the Baati becomes soft from inside.

After twenty minutes take the dough and make small balls. You will get about twelve to fourteen balls depending on the size. Roll each ball between your palms. Make it smooth and round. Then press it slightly to make it a little flat. Not too flat just a little.

Now comes the cooking part. There are two ways. One is deep frying in ghee. This is the traditional way and the tastiest way. The other is baking in the oven. This is healthier. I will tell you both.

For deep frying take a deep pan. Put two cups of ghee in it. Heat on medium flame. When the ghee is hot put the Baati balls in it. Do not put too many at once. Maybe four or five. Cook on low flame. This is the secret yaar. Low flame. Because if you cook on high flame the outside will burn and the inside will stay raw. So be patient. Keep turning the Baati. Fry until they become golden brown and crispy. This will take about fifteen to twenty minutes. I know it is long but trust me it is worth it.

For baking preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Put the Baati on a tray. Brush with ghee. Bake for twenty minutes. Then turn them over. Brush again with ghee. Bake for another twenty minutes. They will become golden and crisp.

Once the Baati are done keep them aside. When serving you will dip them in warm ghee.

Now Let Me Tell You About The Dal

Okay so the Dal is the soul of this dish. You cannot have good Dal Baati without good Dal. So pay attention.

First wash all the five lentils well. Wash them two three times until the water becomes clear. Then soak them in water for about one hour. This soaking makes the lentils soft and authentic rajasthani dal baati recipe at home.

After one hour drain the water. Put the lentils in a pressure cooker. Add four cups of water. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Close the cooker and cook on medium flame. Let it whistle three times. Then lower the flame and cook for ten more minutes. Turn it off and let the pressure go by itself.

If you do not have a pressure cooker you can use a normal pot. But it will take about one hour. You have to keep checking and stirring. The lentils should become completely soft and mushy.

While the lentils are cooking let us make the masala. Take a pan and heat two tablespoons of ghee in it. Add the chopped onions. Fry until they become golden brown. This takes about five to seven minutes. You will see the onions turning brown and smelling so good.

Now add the ginger garlic paste and the green chillies. Fry for two minutes. The raw smell of ginger garlic will go away.

Now add the chopped tomatoes. Fry until they become soft and mushy. You will see the ghee starting to separate from the masala. This is the sign that the masala is ready. It takes about five minutes.

Now add the red chilli powder coriander powder and cumin powder. Fry for one minute. The smell of spices will fill your kitchen. It is amazing.

Now open the pressure cooker. The lentils should be soft and mushy. Pour this cooked lentils into the pan with the masala. Mix everything well. Add some more water if the dal is too thick. The dal should be of medium consistency. Not too thick not too thin.

Let the dal simmer on low flame for ten minutes. Keep stirring so it does not stick to the bottom. Taste the salt and add more if needed.

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The Tadka That Makes Everything Perfect

Now comes the best part. The tadka. This is what makes Rajasthani Dal so special. Take a small pan and heat half cup of ghee in it. When the ghee is hot add the cumin seeds. They will crackle and pop. So beautiful.

Now add the chopped garlic and the dried red chillies. Fry until the garlic turns golden brown. Be careful not to burn it. Burnt garlic tastes bitter.

Add the pinch of hing and turn off the flame immediately. Pour this hot sizzling ghee over the simmering dal. You will hear that sound. Chhchhhh. That is the sound of magic. The smell will make your mouth water.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Your Dal is ready.

How To Eat Dal Baati?

How To Eat Dal Baati

Okay so now the most important part. How to serve and eat. You cannot just put it on a plate and eat like normal food. There is a proper way.

Take a Baati and dip it in warm ghee. Let it soak for a minute. This is important because the ghee makes the hard Baati soft. Then put it on your plate. Break it into pieces with your hands. Or if it is too hot use a spoon.

Now pour the hot Dal over the broken Baati. Add some more ghee on top if you want. Some people also like to add chopped onions and green chutney on the side. But I like it simple. Just Dal and Baati and lots of ghee.

Now eat with your hands. Take a piece of the ghee soaked Baati and dip it in the Dal. Put it in your mouth and close your eyes. That taste yaar. Nothing else like it.

The Dal should be served hot. If it becomes cold it loses its taste. So serve the Dal straight from the pan.

Let Me Tell You About Churma Also

In Rajasthan Dal Baati is always served with Churma. Churma is a sweet dish made from the same Baati dough. It balances the spicy Dal perfectly.

When you make the Baati dough take a small portion of it. About one fourth of the dough. Make small balls from this portion. Fry these balls in ghee until golden and crisp. The same way you fried the Baati.

Let them cool down. Then crush them coarsely with your hands or rolling pin. Do not make fine powder. Keep it coarse.

Now take a pan and heat two tablespoons of ghee. Add the crushed balls. Add half cup of powdered sugar or jaggery. Mix everything well. Cook on low flame for two minutes until the sugar melts and coats everything. Add some cardamom powder.

Your Churma is ready. Serve it with the Dal Baati. You can eat it with the Dal or have it as a sweet ending.

Some Things I Have Learned From My Mistakes

I have made Dal Baati so many times. And I have made so many mistakes also. Let me tell you so you do not make the same mistakes.

First mistake I made was the dough. I made it soft. Big mistake. The Baati became flat and hard like a papad. My husband laughed and said what is this. So remember the dough must be hard.

Second mistake was frying on high flame. I was in a hurry. Put the Baati on high flame. Outside became black and inside was raw. Such a waste of ghee and flour. So always fry on low flame.

Third mistake I made was using only one type of lentil. I did not have all five lentils so I just used tuvar dal. The Dal was thin and did not have that rich taste. So try to use all five. It makes a big difference.

Fourth mistake was skipping the soaking. I was in a hurry and did not soak the lentils. They took forever to cook and some were still hard. So please soak for one hour.

Fifth mistake was not adding enough ghee. I thought I will make it healthy. But yaar Dal Baati without ghee is not Dal Baati. It is something else. So use ghee generously.

FAQs

People ask me so many things about Dal Baati. Let me answer some.

Can I bake instead of fry?

Yes you can. I have given the baking method. It is healthier. But honestly the fried ones taste better. So if you are making it for a special occasion fry them.

Can I use oil instead of ghee?

You can but the taste changes. Ghee gives the authentic flavour. If you use oil it will not taste like Rajasthani Dal Baati.

How many Baati can one person eat? It depends. Some people eat two. Some eat four. I eat three usually. They are filling because of the wheat and ghee.

Can I make it in advance?

You can make the Baati in advance. Store them in a box. When you want to eat heat them in the oven or pan. The Dal is best made fresh but you can reheat it too.

What should I serve with it?

Dal Baati is a complete meal. But some people like onion slices and green chutney on the side. Pickle also goes well. And after the meal a glass of buttermilk helps with digestion.

Is Dal Baati Healthy Or Not

Okay so lets be honest. Dal Baati is not diet food. It is heavy. It has ghee. It has carbs. It has protein from lentils. But it also has a lot of calories. So if you are trying to lose weight maybe eat this once in a while. Not every day.

In Rajasthan people eat this in winters. Or on special days. The ghee gives energy. The wheat fills the stomach. The protein from dal is good for muscles. The spices like turmeric and cumin have health benefits.

But if you have diabetes or high cholesterol you should be careful. Eat one Baati instead of three. Use less ghee. That way you can enjoy the taste without harming your health.

My grandmother used to say everything in moderation. So enjoy Dal Baati but do not eat it every day.

My Memory With This Dish

I told you about my grandmother. Let me tell you one more memory. Every year on my birthday she used to make Dal Baati. I would wake up and smell ghee. I would run to the kitchen. She would be standing there with her saree pallu tucked in. Her hands covered in flour. She would smile and authentic rajasthani dal baati recipe at home.

She would give me the first Baati. Dip it in ghee. Break it and put it in my mouth. And I would feel so loved. She passed away a few years ago. But whenever I make Dal Baati I feel her presence. I feel like she is standing next to me telling me what to do.

That is the power of food yaar. It is not just about taste. It is about love. It is about memories. It is about family.

So when you make this recipe do not just think about the steps. Think about the love you are putting in it. Think about the smile on your familys faces when they eat it. That is what makes food truly special.

Conclusion

I think I have told you everything about Dal Baati. I hope you try this recipe. I hope it becomes a favourite in your house too.

Cooking is not about being perfect. It is about trying. Your first Dal Baati might not be great. So what. Try again. Learn from your mistakes. One day you will make it perfectly.

And when that day comes and you taste it you will feel so proud. You made Dal Baati at home. Authentic Rajasthani Dal Baati. Just like they eat in Rajasthan.

So go to your kitchen. Get your ingredients. Put on some music. And start cooking. Your family will love you for it.

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