Dal Baati Churma (Rajasthani Baked Wheat Balls with Dal and Sweet Crumble)
دال باٹی چورما (راجستھان کے بیک کیے گندم کے گولے، دال اور میٹھا چورا)
Dal baati churma is three dishes on one plate and the pride of Rajasthan. *Baati* are hard, crusty balls of wholewheat dough, baked until they crack, then broken open and soaked in ghee. They're eaten with a thick dal made from several lentils, and with *churma*, a sweet, crumbly mix of crushed baati, ghee and jaggery. It's filling desert food, made to last travellers and soldiers through long days, and it's served at every Rajasthani celebration.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 30 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 1 hr
- Medium
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the atta, semolina, ajwain, baking soda, salt and 3 tbsp ghee. Rub in well, then add warm water little by little to make a stiff dough. Divide into 8 balls and press a dent into the top of each.
Bake at 200°C for 30–35 minutes, turning halfway, until golden brown, hard and cracked on the surface.
Meanwhile, cook the four dals with turmeric, salt and 3 cups water for 25–30 minutes until soft. Mash lightly. Make a with 1 tbsp ghee, cumin, , tomato and chilli powder and pour it in.
Take 3 baati for the churma: crush them in a grinder to coarse crumbs. Mix with 3 tbsp warm ghee, the jaggery, cardamom and almonds.
Crack the remaining hot baati open and dip them in warm ghee. Serve with the dal poured over and the churma on the side.
Kitchen notes
Traditionally baati are baked in the embers of a cow-dung or wood fire; an oven or an appe pan works at home.
The dough must be stiff, or the baati will spread and won't crack.
Dunking in ghee is traditional; brushing with ghee is a lighter option.
The meal of the desert
Rajasthan’s dry climate shaped its food: ingredients that keep well, like wheat, lentils, ghee and jaggery, and dishes that don’t spoil quickly. Baati could be buried in hot sand or embers to bake, and they kept for days, which made them ideal for soldiers and travellers. Dal baati churma is now served at weddings, festivals and in roadside dhabas across Rajasthan.
Three parts, one plate
The baati is plain and crusty; the panchmel (five-lentil) dal is savoury, spiced and tangy; and the churma is sweet, crumbly and rich with ghee. Eaten together, the combination is surprisingly balanced. Churma was supposedly invented when a cook accidentally dropped baati into sugarcane juice.
Ghee, generously
This is not light food. The baati are dipped in melted ghee until they soak it up, which makes them tender inside. Use less if you prefer, but some ghee is essential.
Serving
Serve with the dal, churma, sliced onion and green chilli, and a glass of masala chaas. For another Rajasthani dish, try gatte ki sabzi.
Questions people ask
Can I make baati without an oven?
Yes. Boil the balls in water for 15 minutes, then fry them in a pan or cook them in an appe (paniyaram) pan, covered, until crusty.
Is churma eaten with the dal?
Yes, on the same plate. Many people mix a little of everything in each bite: savoury, sweet and buttery together.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 720
- Protein
- 20 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 88 g
