Dal Baati (Oven Cooking)

                            Baati is a hard Indian Bread and is an authentic Rajasthani dish. Baati is usually cooked by deep frying and hence even being my favorite I could not enjoy it a lot ...(you know the age of calorie consciousness ;) ). Well a very dear friend of mine shared this oven version with me which tastes as good as the fried version but not better than that. (Nothing beats the fried versions after all) ....

Baati is super filling food. Highly nutritious as along with wheat, lots of "ghee"  there is also intake of variety of dals. Its what we call "a complete meal". Bati is a favorite of all the Marwaris and its oftenly a wedding meal for them.

Ingredients:

To make Bati:

3 Cup Wheat Flour
1 Cup of Semolina
2 tbsp Clarified Butter, Ghee
2 Tsp Carom Seeds, Ajwain
Salt to taste
1 tsp Baking powder
Water for kneading

To make Dal:
This is where you can have any type of dals and there combinations.
Typically the Dal is made using 5 dals or else just Toor and Chana Dal. I am going to explain the 5 Dal recipe

Toor Dal: 1/2 Cup
Chana Dal: 1/2 Cup
Split Moong Dal: 1/2 Cup
Masoor Dal: 1/2 Cup
Udad Dal : 1/2 Cup
Garam Masala Powder : per taste
Red Chili powder : per taste
Salt : per taste
Lemon juice : per taste
Oil, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Asafotida (hing), Curry leaves for seasoning
Chopped Coriander for garnishing

Some people do not like a particular Dal. You can increase / decrease the quantity used as per your liking.

Method:

Baati recipes:

1. Mix wheat flour, semolina, baking powder, Clarified butter (ghee), ajwain, and salt in a bowl.

2. Using water knead the flour to make a hard dough. The dough for Bati is different than that for Rotis. This is hard and you can see cracks in it. Once done, cover it for 1 hour.


3. After an hour knead the dough again. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Make small batis as shownin the picture form the dough. Place the batis on the baking sheet. Spread some Ghee
on top of each baati.

4. Bake the batis for atleast 15 minutes or till they are done from inside.

Dal Recipe:

1. Mix all dals and soak for and hour or two. Then pressure cook daals till they get cooked.

2. Heat oil in a skillet. Add mustrad seeds and once they crackle add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it. Then add curry leaves.

3. Immediately add Garam Masala and red chili powder and add the cooked dals.

4. Adjust masalas as per taste and add salt.

5. While serving you can have another round of temepring. But this is optional and I particulary avoid it as it brings extra oil in the meal.

Tips:

To enjoy this, break the baati into pieces, add dal and little Ghee and enjoy till it is hot.

Split Moong Daal (Split Green Gram daal recipe)

I am great fan of Moong daal. Actually fan of all the forms of it; simple Moongs, split moong daal with skin and split moong daal without skin. There is such a range of delicious recipes of moong and moong daal. The thing I love about Moong daal is it takes very little time to cook and is nutritious. It's always good for an upset stomach or for anyone who is sick because its very light to digest.

For preparing this daal we first cook it in pressure cooker. You can also cook it outside. But make sure you don't overcook it or it will turn to thick paste. The daal grains should be visible.
This daal blends very well with rotis, parathas, puris and rice as well.

Ingredients: Serves: 4 - 5

1/2 cup split dehusked split Green Gram (Moong Yellow Daal)
2 tbsp finely chopped Onion
Chopped Green Chili to taste
2 tsp chopped Garlic
2 Clove
Coriander for garnishing
Fried onion slices for garnishing (optional)
For seasoning: Oil, Mustard Seeds, Cumin seeds,
Asafetida (hing), 4-5 Curry leaves Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Take daal and wash it properly. Pressure-cook daal until it is done.

2. Take oil in a frying pan. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add hing, cumin seeds, curry leaves and stir.

3. Now add clove, chopped onion and cook on a medium flame.

4. Then add chopped green chili and garlic and stir well.

5. Now add cooked moong daal to the pan, add salt and mix everything.

6. Daal is ready. Garnish with coriander and fried onion slices.

Tips:

Serve with garma garam roti or paratha.

Palak - Moong Daal (Spinach and split Green Gram Lentil)

Ingredients: Serves: 4

1 cup split Moong Yellow Daal (Green gram)
1 bunch of spinach chopped
1 medium size tomato chopped
1 medium size onion chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 green chilli slit
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter / ghee
½ tsp turmeric powder
Red chili powder and salt as per taste
Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

1. Wash and soak the moong daal in water for about an hour.

2. Grind the garlic, green chili, ginger and onion to a fine paste.
Add the turmeric and red chili powders to the paste and mix.

3. Heat the butter /ghee (clarified butter) in a pan and fry the cumin seeds till they splutter. Add the paste and fry till the ghee leaves the sides.

4. Now add tomato and salt. Cook on medium level for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the soaked daal and double the water. Cover and boil on medium level till the daal becomes soft.

6. Add the chopped spinach and simmer for about 3 minutes or till the spinach is cooked.

Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Tips:

Serve with garama garam Laccha Parathas

Dal Fry (Desi Style)

Ingredients: Serves 4-5

1 cup - Yellow Lentil, Toor dal, Tuvar dal
1/2 cup - Tomato : Cut into small pieces.
1/2 cup - chopped Onion
1 tsp - Pav bhaji Masala
1 - Green chilly : Chopped
1 - Clove
1 tsp - Red Chili Powder
1 tsp - Cumin-Corriander Powder (DhaniyaJeera)
1 tsp - Onion-Garlic Powder (Kanda-Lasun)
4-5 - Curry Leaves
1 tsp - Mustard Seeds
1 tsp - Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp - Hing
1 tbsp Oil

Cilantro For garnishing

Method:

1. Boil Toor Dal into pressure cooker Take care not to over cook and not to smash.

2. Heat Oil into a pan. Add mustard seeds and after they crackle add hing, cumin seeds, Clove, Curry leaves into it.

3. Add chopped onion and saute until they turn light brown. Also add chopped green chili to it and saute again.

4. Add tomato , red chili powder, Cumin-Coriander powder, Onion-Garlic powder and saute well till the oil come out of the mixture.

5. Now add daal and about 1 1/2 cup of water and let it cook for 8 minutes.

6. Add Pavbhaji masala and stir and garnish with coriander.

Tips:

You can add 2 tsp of butter at the end to the daal.
Try adding little amount of jaggery to get a sweet and spicy taste.

Gujrati Meethi Daal

Ingredients:

1 cup - Yellow Lentil (Toor Dal) (Cooked and mashed)
1/2 medium size - Tomato :cut into small cubes
1 medium size - jaggery piece
1/2 Green Chilly : cut into 2 pieces
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilly Powder
Coriander-Cumin seeds powder (Dhaniyajeera)
4-5 Curry Leave
Mustard Seeds
Cumin Seeds
Asafoetida (Hing)
1 tbsp Ghee

Method:

1. Whisk the cooked daal.

2. Take Ghee into a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When the splutter add hind and cumin seeds. (Mustard seeds should be less than cumin seeds)

3. Immediately add Curry leaves, Green chillies and tomato cubes into it. Saute until tomatoes become soft.

4. Add dhaniyajeera pwd, red chilly pwd as per taste, turmeric pwd to it and continue to saute until tomatoes turn softer.

5. Now add daal, tamarind, jaggery and about 1 cup of water. Let it cook for next 5 minutes till you smell its sweetness.

6. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Tips:

You can also add few drops of lemon juice to it.
You can also add peanuts to this daal.
Take care not to make it too water while adding water.
Serve with hot phulkas (rotis) or plain rice and enjoy.

Kachi Paki Daal (Yellow Lentil)

Ingredients:

1 Cup - Yellow Lentil (Toor Daal)
2 small pieces of Tamarind
1 tbsp - Grated Coconut
Red Chili Powder
Cumin + Coriander seeds powder (Dhaniya-jeera)
Turmeric Powder
Salt as per taste
4-5 Curry Leaves
Mustard Seeds
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
Asafoetida (hing)
1 tbsp Oil
Chopped Cilantro

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add some mustard seeds into it. When they splutter add hing , Cumin Seeds, Curry leaves to it.

2. Add grated coconut and cilantro and stir for about 30 seconds.

3. Add about 2 cups of water and then add dhaniyajeera powder, red chilly powder, turmeric powder to it.

4. Add yellow daal and after about 5 minutes, add tamarind into the pan.

5. Let the daal cook. Take care not to overcook this daal.

6. Daal is now ready.

Tips:

Add few drops of lemon juice to this daal and enjoy the taste.