Dal, Baati and Churma!

When Comfort Food Calls, It’s Dal Baati Churma On The Menu!

Rajasthan is famous all over the world for its tradition and culture. it itself create their own identity on everyone’s heart. This land is the combination of culture, monuments and food. the land of ‘braves’ is not only famous for their war stories but also famous for their cuisine and spices. One of the dishes which is famous as Rajasthani food is dal baati churma. This dish is the part of every Rajasthani’s soul and the soul is undestroyable according to Hindu mythology and so is this recipe. Baatis are round balls of bread made of wheat flour which are cooked over coal or oven. After that, each second is counted as thousand years for the one who is craving for it and finally when it is cooked these beautiful brown balls are pushed into the pool of ghee before decorating it on the plate.

On the other hand, five different types of lentils are united i.e. urad, moong, chana, arhar, moth to make delicious ‘Panchmel dal’. Ghee is the key ingredient in this delicacy which is heated in a pan accompanied by cumin seeds until it’s spluttered then cloves cardamoms, asafoetida, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, chopped tomatoes and red chillies completes tadka part of the cuisine. Then this gorgeous preparation is served to hungry people like me with spicy garlic and sweet guava chutney. The first bite reminded me of my grandmother whose last wish was to have dal baati and after having this I’m sure she died in peace.

Few bites and couples of tears later it was time to reveal the best part which surely is every part of the dish but slightly over-privileged because it’s sweet yes ladies and gentleman I’m talking about churma. While baatis were dissolving in my mouth with the memories of my grandmother few of baaties were abducted by the chefs and was crumbled and poured with ghee and powdered jaggery. Here comes the best part of the love story when spiciness meets up its love sweetness in my mouth where even I started falling for churma and I prayed it should never go out of stock in my plate.

So where did Baati really originate? This little wheat globe made of wheat, ghee and camel milk was first mentioned during the time of Bappa Rawal the founder of the kingdom of Mewar in Rajasthan and then spread across the northern region.

It is believed that the Rajput soldiers would break the dough into chunks and leave it buried under thin layers of sand to bake under the sun. On their return from the battlefield, they would dig out the perfectly baked baatis that was then slathered with ghee and consumed with curd made from goat or camel milk. It was later, when traders from the Gupta Empire settled in Mewar, that the combination of dal and Baati became popular – Panchmel Dal was a much-loved favourite in the royal court of the Guptas.

Churma, on the other hand, is believed to have been invented when a cook of Mewar’s Guhilot clan accidentally poured sugarcane juice into some baatis. Realising that it had made the baati softer, the women of the clan started dunking the battis in sweet water (made from sugarcane or jaggery) in an attempt to keep the baatis soft and fresh for their husbands. This eventually evolved into churma,  a sweetened and cardamom-flavoured mix of crushed baati.

The history remains and for sure this traditional recipe is preciously taken forward and beautifully updated and craze for this cuisine isn’t limited to Rajasthan but in other parts of the country as well developing the taste buds for this. Also, this isn’t going easy on your pocket but who cares when you are getting gold and platinum served on your plate. We are proud to say that we live in a country where tradition can be tasted.

Already savouring the delicious taste of dal, baati and churma? Do  review us at udaipurblog.com.