Dal Baati is a quintessential Rajasthani dish that forms an integral feature of every conventional Rajasthani menu and revered as much for its simplicity as for its delicious taste.
Indian cuisine can be overwhelming, with different states having different kinds of food and regional variations of the same dish. But Rajasthan is a different kind of sensory stimulation – it’s colours, sights and sounds are very different from any other state.
Dal Baati consists of a special ‘panchmeli dal’ made of 5 different lentils and seasoned with Indian spices which is poured over the ‘baati’, i.e., baked balls made of wheat flour, crushed and made tastier with a generous helping of clarified butter or ghee.
My nephew’s wife (my daughter-in-law) makes the most amazing Rajasthani food. Couple of years ago Nidhi invited us for lunch. It was an elaborate Marwari home cooked lunch, complete with the Rajasthani specialty – the Dal Baati Churma, transporting me to a different dining experience that no award-winning fine dining or the most popular street food can replicate – the warmth of ‘ghar ka khana’ (home cooked food) is totally irreplaceable. I was drooling over the food and although I cook Rajasthani food myself, hers was the best I have ever eaten!
Nidhi shares the same passion for food and keeping the traditional recipes alive as I do. So, she has shared her dal, baati recipe with me.
