Dal Baati (Indian Lentil Soup with Baked Flour Balls)

Dal Baati is a staple dish from the state of Rajasthan in India. Dal is a lentil curry that Indians love and make in uncountable variations that are possible. Baati is a flour ball that is traditionally baked on coals. My recipe is an oven version, as that was readily available to me. This is usually accompanied by garlic and tomato chutney and gate ki sabzi which is a chickpea flour gravy.

It is one of my favorite dishes and I have fond memories of eating this when I was studying while graduating. This needs a little hard work but the outcome is so tasty that you will make this again and again like I always do. My husband who didn’t like these earlier has developed a taste for them and

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 2-3
DIFFICULTY SCALE: High

INGREDIENTS:  

For the Baati:

1. Whole wheat flour – 1.5 cups
2. Carom seeds – ½ teaspoon
3. Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
4. Milk – 1 cup
5. Oil – 2 tablespoons
6. Salt – to taste
7. Ghee (clarified butter) – 4 tablespoons

For the Dal:

8. Toor dal (split pigeon peas) – ½ bowl
9. Onion – 1 medium, chopped
10. Tomatoes – 2 medium, fine paste
11. Turmeric Powder – 1 teaspoon
12. Coriander Powder – 1 tablespoon
13. Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
14. Red Chilli powder – ½ teaspoon
15. Oil – 2 tablespoons, for tempering
16. Salt – to taste
17. Coriander leaves – for garnish

RECIPE:

For the Baatis –

1. Add the whole wheat flour, carom and cumin seeds, salt, and oil in a big bowl and massage the flour to mix the oil well.
2. Add milk to the bowl and knead the mixture into a soft dough.
3. Slap some oil on the dough and rest it for 15-20 minutes.
4. Make small round balls from the dough and place them on a microwave tray. Brush them well with oil and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 175 degrees.
5. You might need to turn the balls if they are browning a bit more on the bottom to ensure a smooth overall color.
6. Take a pan and melt the ghee/clarified butter. Add the baked flour balls to the ghee and let them sit there for a minute to soak it. Drain the baatis and serve hot.

For the Dal –

1. Soak the Toor dal in a bowl of water and keep aside.
2. Add the soaked Toor dal to a pressure cooker and add salt and turmeric powder and add 3 cups of water. Place the pressure cooker on high flame and after a whistle, turn down the flame to low and allow it to cook for 10 more minutes.
3. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
4. Take a pan and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and allow them to crackle, then add chopped onions to it.
5. After the onions have caramelized and turned brown add chili and coriander powder and let it cook for a minute.
6. Grind the tomatoes in a blender and add the paste to the pan and allow it to cook till the oil starts to leave the pan.
7. Add the tempering to the boiled dal and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.