Mooli Bhaji Dal Recipe: Traditional Chattisgarh Dish with Garlic and Pepper Aroma

Anyone visiting Rajasthan must try the famous Dal Bati Churma. This dish is very popular, and people travel from afar for its taste. However, if you want to prepare something different from regular bati, try Rajasthani Masala Bati.

Masala Bati is prepared by mixing flour, dry grain, and lentil flour with coarsely ground spices. It is these spices that give the bati softness inside and a light crispy texture on the outside. The flavor of this dish becomes twice as rich when served with Dal Panchratan, Dal Arhar, green chutney, and pickled vegetables. Next, we present the method for preparing special Rajasthani Masala Bati.

Rajasthani Masala Bati Recipe:

The true taste of Masala Bati is achieved through the use of spices. For this, in a food processor, you should mix whole cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, cloves, black pepper, and salt. It is important not to turn them into a fine powder, but to grind them lightly. This will allow you to better perceive the aroma and taste of the spices when eating the bati.

How to Knead the Dough for Bati

In a large bowl, mix wheat flour, dry grain, and lentil flour. Then add the prepared coarsely ground spice mixture, asafetida, red chili powder, asafoetida, and baking powder, thoroughly mixing all ingredients. After that, incorporate ghee and mix it well with the dough. Knead the dough by gradually adding water. The dough should be soft, like chapati dough, but not too stiff and not too loose. Cover the kneaded dough and leave it for about 20 minutes to stabilize well.

Shaping Round Batis

After 20 minutes, the dough needs to be gently kneaded again until it is smooth. Then, separate small pieces of dough. This amount will yield about 15-16 pieces. Each piece must be wrapped between your palms, giving it a round shape. This is how all the batis are made.

How to Bake Bati in the Oven

Grease a baking tray with a little ghee. Arrange the ready batis on the tray with a small distance between them. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Place the tray with the batis on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 220 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take out the batis and check their color. If they are still light, reduce the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for another 5 minutes. If necessary, you can bake for another 5 minutes. The batis are ready when they become evenly golden-brown and well-cooked. This usually takes about 20 minutes, but the time may vary depending on the oven.

Serving, Dipped in Ghee

The batis should be dipped in ghee while hot. Now your hot Masala Bati is ready. It is served with Dal Panchratan, Dal Arhar, green cilantro chutney, and pickled vegetables. Adding a little more ghee on top significantly enhances the flavor.

Pro Tip: The cooking temperature and time may differ in every oven. Therefore, after the first 10 minutes, be sure to check the batis. Then continue baking them as needed until they achieve a nice golden-brown color.

During the sacred festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, it is customary to offer worship to Lord Ganesha using modaks. However, during the festive season, there are concerns about impurities and adulterated mawa in the sweets sold in the market. Instead of buying expensive and counterfeit sweets to welcome Bappa, it is recommended to prepare crispy and aromatic Mawa Modaks from regular dry grain that you have at home.

Thanks to the outer shell made of high-quality coarse dry grain and the rich filling of mawa and nuts, the taste of these modaks becomes so delightful that they will win the hearts of everyone who receives them as prasad for Bappa.

For the outer shell: 1 cup of fine dry grain, 1.5 cups of milk, 1 tablespoon of ghee, 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder, 2 tablespoons of crushed sugar.

For the filling: 1/2 cup of mawa (khoya), 2 tablespoons of grated coconut, 2 tablespoons of cashew and almonds (finely chopped), 1 teaspoon of chirunji, a pinch of nutmeg and cardamom powder, 2–3 tablespoons of crushed sugar.

First, sauté the mawa in a pan over low heat for 2–3 minutes until light pink. Then add the chopped cashews, almonds, chirunji, grated coconut, nutmeg, and cardamom powder, after which turn off the gas. When the mixture cools slightly, add the crushed sugar and set aside.

In a pot, bring 1.5 cups of milk, 1 teaspoon of ghee, and 2 tablespoons of crushed sugar to a boil. Then reduce the heat and gradually, stirring constantly, add the dry grain to avoid lumps. Continue stirring until the grain has completely absorbed the milk and the mass starts to pull away from the sides of the pot. Turn off the gas and cover the dry grain with a lid for 5 minutes to steam well.

When the dry grain is slightly warm, knead it by hand for 2 minutes, lubricating your hands with a small amount of ghee, until it resembles dough. Lightly grease the modak molds with ghee. Place a small amount of the dry grain mixture on both sides of the mold and form an indentation in the center with a finger. Then, place the prepared mawa and nut filling into this central hollow, and cover it with a small amount of the dry grain mixture, sealing the mold from below. After removing the mold, you get a beautiful, clean, and delicious Suji Mawa Modak. Similarly, prepare all other modaks and offer them to Bappa.

Although many have tried various types of curry phakoda, few are familiar with Rajasthani curry made from lentils. This recipe does not require deep frying; instead, the lentil phakoda is cooked directly in the boiling curry. We will present a simple way to prepare Rajasthani lentil curry phakoda.

Curry is an important part of Indian cuisine and is prepared differently in various regions. Usually, phakoda for curry is made from chickpea flour, but in Rajasthan, a different approach is used—phakoda is made from lentils. The main feature is that these phakodas are not fried separately but are boiled directly in the simmering curry. Because of this, the phakodas absorb the tangy flavor of the curry and the aromas of the spices excellently, becoming very soft.

This Rajasthani dish is served with curry rice, flatbreads, or hot puris. Although some preliminary preparation is required for its making, its taste is sure to please.

For the Phakoda

Ingredients needed for the phakoda:

• 1 cup of washed lentils
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of hing (asafoetida)
• Water as needed

For the Curry

Ingredients for the curry:

• 1 cup of yogurt
• 4 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• ¼ teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 10–15 black peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 curry leaves
• 10–12 curry leaves
• 2 green chilies
• 2 medium onions
• ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon of hing
• 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ cup of water
• Salt to taste

For the Tempering (Tadka)

Ingredients for the tempering:

• 2 tablespoons of ghee
• 3–4 cloves of garlic
• A little ginger
• 3 dried red chilies
• ½ teaspoon of red chili powder
• A little fresh coriander

First, the lentils should be thoroughly washed with clean water 4-5 times. Then, soak the lentils in water for about 2 hours; if you want to speed up the process, you can use slightly warm water. After the lentils have swelled well, drain the water and place them in a blender. When blending, do not add too much water at once; first, add 1 tablespoon of water and gradually add a little more as needed. The lentils should become thick and smooth. It may take 4 to 5 tablespoons of water to blend, but this depends on the lentils themselves.

Transfer the blended lentils to a bowl, add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of hing. Then, knead this mixture thoroughly for 3-4 minutes to make the dough lighter and airier. To check the readiness of the dough, take a small amount of the mixture in water; if the dough starts floating on the water surface, it means it has been kneaded well.

To make the curry, mix 1 cup of yogurt and 4 cups of water in a bowl, whisking them thoroughly. Ready-made buttermilk (chaach) can also be used.

Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pot. Add fennel seeds, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Then add the curry leaves and finely chopped green chilies. Next, add the chopped onion and sauté it lightly without browning it too much. Add turmeric, hing, and Kashmiri red chili powder, and mix. Pour in ½ cup of water and let the spices cook well.

When the spices are fully cooked and the oil starts separating, pour in the prepared yogurt mixture. Stir constantly while adding, as it must be stirred continuously until the curry boils, otherwise, the yogurt may curdle. Salt should not be added at this stage.

After the curry boils well, reduce the heat but continue to simmer the curry. Now, form small phakodas from the lentil dough by slightly moistening your hands, and drop them directly into the boiling curry. A spoon can also be used to add the phakodas. Do not make the phakodas too large, as they expand after cooking. The curry should not stop boiling when adding the phakodas. Cook the phakodas in the curry for about 4-5 minutes. After this, add 1 teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Continue to cook the curry for another 15 minutes. During this time, the phakodas will be completely cooked, and the curry will thicken slightly.

To give the curry extra flavor, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a small pan. Sauté the sliced garlic until golden brown. Then add the finely chopped ginger and 3 dried red chilies. Finally, add ½ teaspoon of red chili powder and turn off the gas. Immediately pour this tempering over the curry. Add a little curry broth to the tempering pan and pour it into the pot. Cover the curry and let it sit for 5 minutes so that the flavor of the tempering fully penetrates the curry.

Finally, sprinkle with fresh coriander on top. If you did not use whole spices, you can add a little garam masala.