Dal Bafla, Dal Bati, Makke ka Bafla

Recipe for Dal Bati and Dal Bafla (Native food of Rajasthan and Malwa Region of Madhya Pradesh)

Daal Baati Choorma or rawa laddoo or Daal Bafla is a staple food in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. It is a complete meal, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and fat. Baati or bafla are baked lums of atta (wheat flour). Daal is mixed in crushed bati or bafla, flavored with chili and garlic tadka and hari chutni (coriander sauce). There is a slight difference between bati and bafla. Bafla is first boiled then baked while bati is baked directly. There are other variations in the preparation for example, some gourmet prefer bafla with makka ka atta (corn flour) and daal in rajasthan is cooked in mixing five different kinds of daal and fried in garlic and ginger tadka.

Serves 4 Adults:

Ingredients for making Dal Malwi style:






Dal in Malwi style

1½ cup (katori, vati), Tooar or Arhar daal (lentils).

1¼ tea spoon salt, can be changed to taste.

½ tea spoon Haldi (turmeric).

1 Teaspoon sugar

½ tea spoon Jeera (Cumin seed) and Rye (mustard seeds).

1 table spoon of pure ghee.

1 tea spoon red chili powder, laal mirchi powder.

Pinch of Heeng(Asfoetida).

Ginger and Green chili pieces as per taste.

Coriander leaves for garnishing.

How to make Dal according to Malwi style, as preferred generally in Madhya Pradesh:

Dal is to be cooked in pressure cooker. Follow the following steps to cook dal.

1.      Pour 4 cups of water in pressure cooker.

2.      Add 1½ cups (katori, vati), Tooar or Arhar daal in the pressure cooker.

3.      Close the lid and cook until the cooker makes 3 whistles, or until the daal is thoroughly cooked.  Wait till the cooker pressure is subsided and is ready to be opened.

4.      Open the pressure cooker, add salt, Haldi (Turmeric) and Heeng(Asfoetida).

5.      Add 1 glass of water and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring continuously to avoid daal to burn and stick at the bottom of the cooker.

6.      Heat ghee in a frying pan.

7.      Put Rye (mustard seeds) and Jeera (cumin seeds).

8.      Add adrak (ginger) and Hari Mirchi (Green Chilli) after Rye (mustard seeds) and Jeera (cumin seeds) are brown and fried.

9.      Add red chili powder to taste and pour this tadka immediately in the boiling dal. Add sugar and turn the gas off.

10.  Dal is ready to serve, decorated with coriander leaves.

Ingredients for Dal Rajasthani style:

1.      ¼ Cup (katori, vati) each of Chana daal (gram lentil), Tooar or Arhar Daal, Urd or Urad Daal, moong daal ( Either green ie with chilka or yellow without chilka. Yellow moong is also called mogar) and masoor daal (red in color and not the brown one).

2.      1¼ tea spoon salt can be changed to taste.

3.      ½ tea spoon Haldi (turmeric).

4.      ½ tea spoon Jeera (Cumin seed) and Rye (mustard seeds).

5.      1 table spoon of pure ghee.

6.      1 tea spoon red chili powder, laal mirchi powder.

7.      Pinch of Heeng(Asfoetida).

8.      Ginger, garlic and Green chili pieces as per taste.

9.      Coriander leaves for garnishing.

10.  1 chopped Onion

           How to prepare Daal in Rajasthani Style:

1.      First half cook Chana daal and Tooar or Arhar Daal in pressure cooker. To half cook, add only these two daal in pressure cooker with 4 cups of water.

2.      Heat until pressure cooker whistles two times. Wait till the cooker pressure is subsided and is ready to be opened.

3.      Now add the remaining three dals like Moong, Masoor and Urad to the same pressure cooker. Heat until pressure cooker makes three more whistles.

4.      Wait till the cooker pressure is subsided and is ready to be opened.

5.      Open the pressure cooker, add salt, Haldi (Turmeric) and Heeng(Asfoetida).

6.      Add 1 glass of water and bring it to a boil. Keep stirring continuously to avoid dal to burn and stick at the bottom of the cooker.

7.      Heat ghee in a frying pan.

8.      Put Rye (mustard seeds) and Jeera (cumin seeds).

9.      Put chopped onion and fry till onion is pink brown.

10.  Add adrak (ginger) and Hari Mirchi (Green Chilli)

11.   Add red chilli powder to taste and pour this tadka immediately in the boiling daal. Turn the gas off.

12.  Daal is ready to serve, decorated with coriander leaves.

Ingredients for Bati: To serve 4 persons:


1. 750 grams of coarse wheat flour. Coarse ground atta is not readily available in most of the supermarkets. Most probable places to find this atta are in supermarkets that specialize in Indian grocery articles. In case it is not available, then mix 375 grams of roti atta and 375 grams of rawa.

2.      1 cup milk.

3.      ½ cup pure ghee for dough.

4.      200 grams pure ghee for baati immersion.

5.      1 teaspoon salt.

6.      1 teaspoon sugar.

7.      1 teaspoon baking powder.

8.      Water to make dough.

          How to make Bati.

1.      Mix coarse atta or mixture of rawa and atta, sugar, salt, baking powder and moltlen ghee thoroughly.

2.      Add hot milk and water if required. Do not add more than 1 cup of milk. Add water if required.

3.      Make stiff dough.

4.      Prepare balls of dough of the size larger than ping pong ball and smaller than tennis ball.

5.      Flatten the top and bottom surfaces so that the baati does not roll on its own.

6.      Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-18 minutes.

7.      After 15 minutes the baati should become pink-brown, swell a bit in size and start to crack on surface. Kitchen should have a mild fragrance like baking cake.

8.      Open the oven once the baati is pink-brown on surface.

9.      Hold one baati each time with baking gloves on or with a thick cloth.

10.  Press the hot baati to crack open and dip it in 200 grams of pure ghee.

11.  The longer the baati remains dipped, the better the flavor but also more the ghee.

12.  The baati after been dipped in ghee is ready to be served with steaming hot daal, green coriander chutney, garlic tadka and rava ka laddoo or choorma.



Bafla

Ingredients for Bafla:

1.      750 grams of coarse wheat flour. Coarse ground atta is not readily available in most of the supermarkets. Most probable places to find this atta are in supermarkets that specialize in Indian grocery articles.In case it is not available, then mix 375 grams of roti atta and 375 grams of rawa.

2.      1 cup butter milk or curd or liquefied yogurt.

3.      ½ cup cooking oil for dough.

4.      200 grams pure ghee for bafla immersion.

5.      1 teaspoon salt.

6.      1 teaspoon baking powder.

7.      Water to make dough.

8.      Water to boil the bafla.

How to make Bafla:

1.      Mix coarse atta or mixture of rawa and atta, salt, baking powder and cooking oil thoroughly.

2.      Add butter milk. Add water if required.

3.      Make stiff dough.

4.      Prepare balls of dough of the size larger than ping pong ball and smaller than tennis ball.

5.      Flatten the top and bottom surfaces so that the bafla does not roll on its own.

6.      Boil water in a large vessel. Put the dough balls in boiling water.

7.      Turn the balls once or twice, carefully to not break them.

8.      Let the balls boils for 7-10 minutes or until they tend to start floating in boiling water. Do not close the lid while boiling.

9.      Remove the balls from water and keep aside for 5 minutes to let excess water flow out.

10.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-18 minutes.

11.  After 15 minutes the bafla should become pink-brown, swell a bit in size and start to crack on surface. Kitchen should have a mild fragrance like baking cake.

12.  Open the oven once the bafla is pink-brown on surface.

13.  Hold one bafla each time with baking gloves on or with a thick cloth.

14.  Press the hot bafla to crack open and dip it in 200 grams of pure ghee.

15.  The longer the bafla remains dipped, the better the flavor but also more the ghee.

16.  The bafla after been dipped in ghee is ready to be served with steaming hot daal, green coriander chutney, garlic tadka and rava ka laddoo or choorma.

Ingredients for Makka ka bafla:

1.      750 grams of coarse makka flour. Coarse ground makka atta is not readily available in most of the supermarkets. Most probable places to find this atta are in supermarkets that specialize in Indian grocery articles.

2.      1 cup butter milk or curd or liquefied yogurt.

3.      200 grams pure ghee for bafla immersion.

4.      1 teaspoon salt.

5.      1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

6.      Water to make dough.

7.      Water to boil the Bafla.

How to make Makka ka Bafla:

1.      Mix coarse makka  atta, salt and baking powder thoroughly.

2.      Add butter milk. Add water if required.

3.      Make stiff dough.

4.      Prepare balls of dough of the size larger than ping pong ball and smaller than tennis ball.

5.      Flatten the top and bottom surfaces so that the bafla does not roll on its own.

6.      Boil water in a large vessel. Put the dough balls in boiling water.

7.      Turn the balls once or twice, carefully to not break them.

8.      Let the balls boil for 7-10 minutes or until they tend to start floating in boiling water. Do not close the lid while boiling.

9.      Remove the balls from water and keep aside for 5 minutes to let excess water flow out.

10.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 15-18 minutes.

11.  After 15 minutes the bafla should become pink-brown, swell a bit in size and start to crack on surface. Kitchen should have a mild fragrance like baking cake.

12.  Open the oven once the bafla is pink-brown on surface.

13.  Hold one bafla each time with baking gloves on or with a thick cloth.

14.  Press the hot bafla to crack open and dip it in 200 grams of pure ghee.

15.  The longer the bafla remains dipped, the better the flavor but also more the ghee.

16.  The bafla after been dipped in ghee is ready to be served with steaming hot daal, green coriander chutney, garlic tadka and rava ka laddoo or choorma.

Ingredients for Makka ka Dhokla eaten with Tooar or Arhar dal or mixed Rajasthani dal:

1.      750 grams of coarse makka flour. Coarse ground makka atta is not readily available in most of the supermarkets. Most probable places to find this atta are in supermarkets that specialize in Indian grocery articles.

2.      100 grams moong daal mogar, yellow moong daal.

3.      1 cup butter milk or curd or liquefied yogurt.

4.      200 grams pure ghee for dhokla immersion.

5.      1 teaspoon salt.

6.      ½ teaspoon each of red chili powder and cumin seed (jeera).

7.      Pinch of asfoitida, Heeng.

8.      1 teaspoon papad khar. If papad khar is not available, use ¼  teaspoon baking soda.

9.      Water to make dough.

10.  Water to steam the dhokla.

How to make Makka ka Dhokla:

1.      Soak moong ka mogar for three hours.

2.      Drain the water and mix makka ka atta, moong ka mogar, salt, red chili powder, jeera, asfoitida (heeng) and papad khar or baking soda.

3.      Add butter milk. Add water if required.

4.      Make stiff dough.

5.      Prepare balls of dough of the size larger than ping pong ball and smaller than tennis ball.

6.      Flatten the top and bottom surfaces so that the dhokla does not roll on its own.

7.      Boil water in a large vessel. Cover the boiling water with a sieve or perforated metal lid.

8.      Put the dough balls over the sieve or lid and cover them with yet another inverted vessel. Steam them for 20-25 minutes. Best idea is to place the balls on a stand in a rice cooker and steam.

9.      Remove the balls from steaming unit.

10.  Cut the steamed dhokla into four pieces with a knife.and dip it in 200 grams of pure ghee.

11.  The longer the dhokla remains dipped, the better the flavor but also more the ghee.

12.  The dhokla after been dipped in ghee is ready to be served with steaming hot daal, green coriander chutney, garlic tadka and rava ka laddoo or choorma.



Dal Bafla Thali