Indian · Rajasthan · main

Dal Baati Churma

Name: Dal Baati Churma
Prep time: 1 h 57 min
Total time: 1 h 58 min
Cuisine: Indian · Rajasthan
Ingredients: whole wheat flour — 400 g; ghee — 100 g; carom seeds — 3 g; salt — 7 g; water — 150 g; mung beans — 100 g; chana dal — 100 g; turmeric — 5 g; water — 1000 g; ghee — 41 g; cumin seeds — 5 g; asafoetida — 1 g; dried red chillies — 10 g; ground coriander — 15 g; chilli powder — 5 g; brown sugar — 100 g; ghee — 100 g

Dal Baati Churma reads richness 6.8, nutty 4.1 and sweetness 3.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indian · Rajasthan main, about 1 hr 58 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 3.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.8 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.8 / 10
Rich & Fat — 8.0 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.8 · Nutty 4.1 · Sweetness 3.8 · Salinity 3.6 · Heat 3.2 · Warm Spice 2.6 · Earthy 2.5 · Allium 1.5 · Umami 1.4 · Bitterness 1.2 · Herbaceous 1.0 · Funk & Ferment 0.8 · Floral 0.6

What's in it (17)

whole wheat flour — 400 g
ghee — 100 g
carom seeds — 3 g
salt — 7 g
water — 150 g
mung beans — 100 g
chana dal — 100 g
turmeric — 5 g
water — 1000 g
ghee — 41 g
cumin seeds — 5 g
asafoetida — 1 g
dried red chillies — 10 g
ground coriander — 15 g
chilli powder — 5 g
brown sugar — 100 g
ghee — 100 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 58 min (1 hr 57 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 226 kcal, 5.6 g protein, 12.5 g fat, 23.5 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Rub the melted ghee into the atta with the carom seeds and salt until the mixture holds together when squeezed, then add the water a little at a time and knead a very stiff dough. Rest it 20 minutes. Rajasthan cooks with ghee and milk solids and as little water as it can manage, and this dough is deliberately dry and short.
Divide into 12 balls, flatten each slightly and press a dimple in the centre. Bake at 200C (400F) for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until they are cracked open, hard-crusted and hollow-sounding. Traditionally they are buried in the embers of a cow-dung fire, which is where the smoky note comes from.
Meanwhile boil the moong dal and chana dal with the turmeric and the litre of water for 35 to 40 minutes, until soft but not disintegrated.
Heat the tempering ghee in a small pan, add the cumin and let it sizzle 20 seconds, then the asafoetida and dried chillies for 10 seconds.
Stir in the ground coriander and chilli powder off the heat so they do not scorch, then pour the whole tempering into the dal and simmer 5 minutes.
Crush 3 of the hot baati coarsely with the jaggery and 3 tablespoons of the soaking ghee to make the churma; it should be crumbly and sweet, not a paste.
Dip the remaining hot baati in the melted ghee until they drink it up, and serve all three together: the ghee-soaked baati, the tempered dal poured over, and the churma alongside.

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Keep reading: what richness, nutty, sweetness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.