Dal Baati Churmaदाल बाटी चूरमा
⏱ Prep 30m🍳 Cook 60m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegetarian
Video: Your Food Lab (YouTube)
Dal baati churma is Rajasthan on a plate — hard-baked wheat dumplings dipped in ghee-laden five-lentil dal, finished with the sweet crumble of churma. It is the food of desert warriors who baked baati in hot sand, and of festivals where whole families gather to eat from brass thalis. Rich, rustic, and completely unforgettable.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- For the Baati
- ▪whole wheat flour (atta) — आटा2 cups
- ▪semolina (coarse sooji) — सूजी1/4 cup
- ▪ghee — घी4 tbsp (for dough) + extra for dipping
- ▪carom seeds (ajwain) — अजवाइन1/2 tsp
- ▪baking soda — मीठा सोडाa pinch
- ▪warm water, as needed
- For the Panchmel Dal
- ▪chana dal (split Bengal gram) — चना दाल1/4 cup
- ▪toor dal (split pigeon peas) — तुअर दाल1/4 cup
- ▪moong dal (split yellow) — मूंग दाल2 tbsp
- ▪masoor dal (red lentils) — मसूर दाल2 tbsp
- ▪urad dal (split black gram) — उड़द दाल2 tbsp
- ▪ghee — घी2 tbsp
- ▪onion, finely chopped — प्याज़1 medium
- ▪tomatoes, chopped — टमाटर2 medium
- ▪ginger-garlic paste — अदरक लहसुन पेस्ट1 tbsp
- ▪cumin seeds — जीरा1 tsp
- ▪red chili powder — लाल मिर्च1 tsp
- ▪garam masala — गरम मसाला1/2 tsp
- For the Churma
- ▪coarsely ground wheat flour (atta)1 cup
- ▪ghee — घी3 tbsp
- ▪jaggery (or sugar) — गुड़1/4 cup
- ▪cardamom powder — इलायची1/4 tsp
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Five dal types can be hard to source together abroad — substitute with a 50:50 mix of toor dal and chana dal for a simpler but still authentic result.
- Traditional baati are baked in a charcoal chulha or special baati stand; a home oven at high heat replicates this well; an air fryer at 200°C for 20–25 minutes works even better for crispiness.
- Jaggery for churma is sold as gur in Indian grocery stores; light brown sugar is an acceptable substitute though less fragrant.
Method
- 1Baati: Combine atta, semolina, 4 tbsp ghee, ajwain, baking soda, and salt. Add warm water gradually to make a stiff, smooth dough. Divide into 10–12 balls.
- 2Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Place baati balls on a baking tray and bake for 30–35 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and hard all around.
- 3While hot, crack each baati slightly (to absorb ghee) and submerge immediately in warm melted ghee for 5 minutes. Keep warm.
- 4Panchmel Dal: Wash and pressure cook all five lentils together with 3 cups water for 4 whistles. Mash lightly.
- 5In a pan, heat ghee. Add cumin seeds; let crackle. Add onion and cook until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste, then tomatoes; cook until oil separates.
- 6Add chili powder, garam masala, salt. Add the cooked dal, adjust consistency with water, simmer 10 minutes.
- 7Churma: Mix atta with ghee and enough warm water to make a firm dough. Roll into small balls and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Cool, then crumble coarsely in a grinder. Mix with melted ghee, crushed jaggery, and cardamom.
- 8Serve baati alongside a generous bowl of dal with a good drizzle of ghee. Place a mound of churma on the side.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.