Wednesday, September 30, 2020

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 3 - Regional Thaalis

Week 4 - Indian Flatbreads

Week 5 - Platters

7 comments:

  1. Excellent spread Suma and I love all the dishes you have on display. I have immensely enjoyed reading all the elaborate details you have shared. Great job and I can imagine the time you spent reading all that for the post. Kudos on that!..I have bookmarked so many of your thalis, each one done so well!..it is surely a fantastic effort! thank you for joining us with all these wonderful thalis!

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  2. Wow! What a spread this is. I love dal baati and churma. The other dishes definitely complement each other.
    Loved all your thalis and the elaborate explanations for each of the thalis.

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  3. Stunning ! Suma I don’t know where to begin. You have done a intense study for the thalis , it shows from your spreads . This state is our neighbor and we visit regularly , but trust me not even the best of restaurants have ever served such a beautifully presented thali . Kudos ! Each a d every dish compliments each other and the bright colours - they look gorgeous !

    All your thalis have been well thought of with detailed information , it surely has been such a virtual treat enjoying each spread laid so beautifully . Hoping to do more such marathons with you . 🥰

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  4. The thali is so beautifully presented that it is such a treat for eyes! The dishes are delicious and crowd pleasing..it is not a mini thali to me.

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  5. Excellent spread and as always your research is amazing. Kudos to all your effort. I don't know why you are calling this as mini platter. this is indeed a full-fledged thali to me.

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  6. Delicious and tempting platter Suma. Loving that Lehsun ki Chutney looks so yummy. Your batti has turned out so well and it looks like some yummy and delicious donuts.

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  7. Rajastani platter looks so inviting and stunning as your other platters. You call it is mini thali but have elaborate dishes. Baked batti looks so healthy.

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