Dal bati

A bread dough kneaded with yoghurt and rolled to tennis-ball size, with a rai-jeera dal.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (ghee), dairy (yoghurt).

Ingredients

150 g toor dal
80 g chana dal
80 g moong dal
4 tablespoons ghee
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
6 cloves garlic, crushed
3 green chillies, slit
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
a 3 cm piece of ginger, grated
2 teaspoons salt
500 g wheat flour
150 ml plain yoghurt
80 g ghee, for the dough
1 teaspoon salt, for the dough

Method

A BREAD DOUGH KNEADED WITH YOGHURT AND ROLLED TO TENNIS-BALL SIZE, WITH A RAI-JEERA DAL. Its article gives the bread and the pulses as two full methods, and both of those details are its own: WHEAT FLOUR IS KNEADED WITH SALT, DAHI (YOGURT) AND WATER. TENNIS BALL-SIZED ROUND BALLS OF THIS DOUGH ARE COOKED IN A WELL-HEATED oven. Yoghurt rather than water alone, and balls far larger than a bati's.
WHICH IS WHY THIS IS NOT THE SAME PAGE AS BATI. Bati, as on its own page, is the bread by itself -- made with the least water it can be, baked hard and kept. Here the bread is softer, acid from the yoghurt, and made to be broken into dal the same hour.
THE DAL IS A MIXTURE AND THE ARTICLE LISTS THE CHOICES. DAAL IS PREPARED USING TUVAAR DAL, CHANA DAAL, MUNG DAL, MOTH DAL, OR URAD DAL. THE PULSES OR LENTILS ARE COOKED TOGETHER AFTER BEING SOAKED IN WATER FOR A FEW HOURS. Three of the five are below.
AND THE TEMPERING ORDER IS GIVEN EXACTLY. A SMALL AMOUNT OF VEGETABLE OIL IS HEATED IN A FRYING PAN AND THEN THE SEASONING RAI-JEERA (MUSTARD AND CUMIN SEEDS) IS ADDED TO THE HOT OIL. THEN GREEN CHILLI, GARLIC AND SOME SPICES INCLUDING ASAFOETIDA, RED CHILLI, TURMERIC, CORIANDER, AND GINGER ARE ADDED. FINALLY, THE BOILED DAAL IS ADDED AND COOKED. Mustard and cumin first, boiled dal last.
SOAK THE PULSES TWO HOURS AND BOIL THEM SOFT. They should break when pressed. The dal is poured over crushed bread, so it wants to be loose rather than thick.
MAKE THE DOUGH WITH YOGHURT AND NO MORE WATER THAN IT ASKS FOR. Ghee rubbed in, then the yoghurt, then water a spoonful at a time. Firm, not stiff.
SHAPE FIVE LARGE BALLS AND BAKE THEM AT 200C FOR FORTY MINUTES. Tennis-ball sized, as the article says, which is much bigger than it sounds. Turn them twice. They crack open as they bake and that is wanted.
CRUSH EACH BALL INTO A BOWL, LADLE THE DAL OVER, AND POUR GHEE ON TOP. Its article notes that in Rajasthan it is commonly served with churma as the complete meal known as dal bati churma, and that there MAY BE A SWEET AND SOUR VERSION OF THE DAL IN SOME REGIONS.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes