RAG Demo

Tag: Desert cuisine

  • Dal Baati Churma

    Dal baati churma is the defining meal of Rajasthan. Baati, a hard, round wheat bread, was ideal for the desert: it could be buried in hot sand or embers to bake and kept for days without spoiling, which made it useful for travelling traders and Rajput soldiers. Churma is said to have been discovered when a baati fell into jaggery and ghee and was crushed into sweet crumbs.

    The baatis are crisp outside and dense and crumbly within, made with coarse atta, semolina and generous ghee, then soaked in more melted ghee after baking. Panchmel dal combines five lentils, cooked thick and tempered with ghee, cumin, hing and dried red chillies. Churma is crushed fried baati mixed with ghee, sugar or jaggery, cardamom and nuts.

    It is the centrepiece of weddings, festivals and family gatherings, and is eaten by breaking the baati, pouring dal and ghee over it, and eating a bite of churma between mouthfuls. The baatis can be baked a few hours ahead and warmed before serving, while the dal and churma keep well. It is a filling meal, best followed by a nap. Garlic chutney and a glass of buttermilk are the customary sides.

    At a glance

    RegionRajasthan
    CuisineRajasthani
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time45 minutes
    Cook time75 minutes
    Total time120 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientswhole wheat flour / mixed lentils / ghee / sugar

    Ingredients

    For the baati (12)

    • 3 cups coarse whole wheat atta
    • 1/2 cup sooji
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 cup ghee, plus 1 cup melted ghee for dipping
    • About 3/4 cup warm milk or water

    For the panchmel dal

    • 1/4 cup each: toor dal, chana dal, moong dal, urad dal, masoor dal, soaked 1 hour
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 3 tbsp ghee
    • 1/4 tsp hing
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 3 dried red chillies
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 2 green chillies, chopped
    • 2 tomatoes, chopped
    • 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • Chopped coriander

    For the churma

    • 3 baatis, set aside after baking
    • 4 tbsp ghee
    • 1/2 cup powdered sugar or grated jaggery
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • 2 tbsp chopped almonds and cashews

    Method

    1. Mix atta, sooji, ajwain, salt and soda. Rub in 1/2 cup ghee until the mixture holds together when pressed. Add milk gradually and knead into a stiff dough. Rest 15 minutes.
    2. Divide into 12 balls, flatten slightly and press a thumb in the centre of each. Bake on a tray in an oven preheated to 200 C for 35 to 40 minutes, turning halfway, until golden-brown with cracks on the surface and hard when tapped.
    3. While baking, pressure cook the dals with 4 cups water, turmeric and salt for 3 whistles. Whisk lightly; the dal should be thick but not completely smooth.
    4. Heat ghee in a pan on medium, add hing, cumin and dried red chillies, then ginger-garlic paste and green chillies for a minute.
    5. Add tomatoes, coriander and chilli powder and cook 5 minutes until soft. Pour in the dal, simmer 10 minutes and finish with garam masala and coriander.
    6. Crack 9 hot baatis gently and immerse them in the melted ghee for a few minutes, then lift out.
    7. For churma, break the remaining 3 baatis and grind to coarse crumbs. Warm 4 tbsp ghee, add the crumbs and roast on low 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant. Cool slightly and mix in sugar, cardamom and nuts.
    8. Serve the ghee-soaked baatis with hot dal poured over and churma on the side.

    Tips

    • Coarse atta and ghee rubbed in well give the baati its crumbly interior.
    • Bafla baati is a variation: boil the baatis for 10 minutes before baking for a softer result.
    • Store leftover churma in an airtight jar for up to a week.

    Serve with

    Garlic chutney, kachumber salad and buttermilk.

  • Gatte ki Sabzi

    Gatte ki sabzi is one of the cleverest dishes of Rajasthan. In a desert where fresh vegetables were scarce, cooks turned gram flour into dumplings and simmered them in curd, both pantry staples that kept well in the heat. It is now a regular in Marwari homes and on Rajasthani thalis everywhere.

    The gatte are made from besan seasoned with ajwain, chilli and a little curd and oil, shaped into logs, boiled until firm and sliced into rounds. They are then simmered in a curd-based gravy tempered with cumin, hing, fennel and red chilli. The gatte are soft yet firm, absorbing the tangy, spicy gravy, which is thin enough to soak into rice or roti.

    It is eaten with phulkas, bajra roti or rice, often as part of a thali with dal and kadhi. It is also a popular dish during Jain and fasting-adjacent meals when cooked without onion and garlic. The gatte can be boiled a few hours ahead and kept covered, so the final cooking takes just fifteen minutes. Keep the gravy thin; it thickens as it stands.

    At a glance

    RegionRajasthan
    CuisineRajasthani
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time25 minutes
    Cook time35 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsbesan / curd / ajwain / red chilli

    Ingredients

    For the gatte

    • 1 cup besan
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric
    • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
    • A pinch of hing
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 2 tbsp curd
    • 1 to 2 tbsp water

    For the gravy

    • 1 cup curd
    • 1 tsp besan
    • 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 3 tbsp oil or ghee
    • 1/4 tsp hing
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1/2 tsp saunf
    • 2 dried red chillies
    • 1 tsp ginger paste
    • 1 green chilli, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1/2 tsp kasuri methi
    • Salt to taste
    • Chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Mix besan with all the gatte spices and salt. Add oil and curd and knead with a spoon of water into a firm, smooth dough.
    2. Divide into 4 portions and roll each into a log about 1.5 cm thick.
    3. Bring 4 cups water to a boil, slide in the logs and cook on medium for 12 to 15 minutes. They are done when they float and look slightly glossy, with small bubbles on the surface.
    4. Lift out, reserve the cooking water, cool the logs for 5 minutes and slice into 1.5 cm rounds.
    5. Whisk curd with besan, coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric until smooth.
    6. Heat oil in a kadai on medium. Add hing, cumin, saunf and dried red chillies; when they crackle, add ginger paste and green chilli for 30 seconds.
    7. Lower the heat and add the curd mixture, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil, about 4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved gatte water and salt.
    8. Add the gatte and simmer 10 minutes until they swell slightly and the gravy thickens. Finish with garam masala, kasuri methi and coriander.

    Tips

    • The gatte dough should be firm; soft dough breaks while boiling.
    • The besan-flavoured cooking water gives the gravy body – do not discard it.
    • Shallow-fry the sliced gatte until golden before adding for a richer version.

    Serve with

    Phulkas, bajra roti or steamed rice.