Dal Baati Churma Platter

 

After more than a year of mulling over and planning the recipes, and cooking, this month seemed to have come and gone in a flash. My final platter of this mega marathon comes from the desert state of India, Rajasthan known for it's culinary vibrancy in spite of it 's dismal geographical conditions. The arid conditions limit the availability of fresh produce all year round which most of us Indians take for granted. The locals had to improvise and come up with recipes using either no vegetables or dried vegetables and the available pantry staples. One would be wrong to assume that their recipe repertoire is as bleak as the surroundings or their meager supplies. 

The Rajasthani thaalis I have eaten in India have been enjoyable experiences. I can still reminisce over the abundant variety of  delicacies served and the hospitality that makes you feel at home instead of eating at a restaurant. I could not cook a Rajasthani meal as planned but instead I made this mini platter around dal baati churma which has also been on my to-do list. 

Dal baati churma needs no introduction if one is even slightly familiar with Rajasthani cuisine. It is the most iconic dish of the region and is an integral part of any celebratory meal. The dish was created again keeping in mind of the harsh geographical conditions but the combo is a delectable one where sweet and savory dishes are enjoyed together. The cuisine has dishes that can be stored for longer and batis and churma fall under that category. The dal served along with batis is panchratan dal or panchmel dal which uses a combination of five pulses. One can still try the spicy dal and enjoy even if not using all the five varieties of pulses. 

Baatis are wheat flour based hard, unleavened rolls which were originally war time food. I read that the Mewar soldiers would bury  chunks of dough under thin layers of sand to bake under the sun. They would return from the battlefield and dig out the perfectly baked baatis and eat it slathering with ghee and yogurt made from goat or camel milk. Baatis are traditionally baked over coal or in clay ovens but they can be baked in the oven which is lot easier. The baked baatis are immersed in ghee and served. Baatis can be made plain or stuffed with variations and is made with different flours as well. Baatis are made in other regions of India too with slight variations.

Churma is believed to be an accidental invention when a Mewar cook accidentally poured sugarcane juice over baatis making them sweeter and softer, which further evolved into the present day version churma. The Churma is the sweet counter part for the savory dal baati and was traditionally made by grinding the baatis / left over rotis with ghee and sugar / jaggery and optionally adding dry fruits and nuts. They can be rolled into laddus, binding them with ghee. 

This combo, a traditional delicacy filled with high calories is valued for it's high nutritional value and the longer shelf life. The combo is loaded with ghee but I did not find the flavor overwhelming and indeed enjoyed the combo. My platter contains the following dishes.

Panchmel Dal - A gravy amde with five varieties of pulses / legumes. (Recipe here.)

Baati - Oven baked wheat and semolina rolls 
Churma - A sweet dish made with wheat, semolins, sugar, ghee and nuts 

Salad - I had onions, cucumbers, tomatoes. Also lemon slices 

Papad

Ghee - To serve over baati and dal

Lehsun ki Chutney - Spicy Garlic chutney

Mirchi ke Tipore - Rajasthani Green chili pickle

Papad ki Kadhi - A chickpea flour based gravy with papad

Boondi Raita - A yogurt sauce with boondi. (Recipe here)

I have posted the following recipes so far in the series.

Week 1 - Everyday Thaalis
Tamil Nadu thaali (From South)
Goan vegetarian meal (From West)
North Indian mini thaali (From North)
Bengali niramish thaali (From East)

Week 2 - Breakfast Platters
Banarasi kachori aur subzi
East Indian Breakfast Platter 
Dal Pakwan
West and Central Indian Breakfast Platter
Kerala Breakfast Platter
South Indian Breakfast Platter

Week 3 - Regional Thaalis

Andhra 'Dasara' Thaali (From South)

Bihari Thaali (From East)

Assamese Thaali (From North East)

Uttarakhandi Thaali (From North) 

Andhra 'Taddinam' Vanta (From South)

Maharashtrian Festival Thaali (From West)

Week 4 - Indian Flatbreads

Gahat ka Paratha / Horse Gram Parathas

Tikar Roti

Mandua ki Roti / Ragi Roti

Paneer Paratha

Bajra Aloo Roti / Millet Potato Flatbread

Thalipeeth - Multigrain Flour Flatbread

Week 5 - Platters

Andhra Sweet and Snack Platter

Idli platter

Mandyali Dham

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