Rajasthani Fen Seed Sabzi Recipe: A Dish with Methi Dana to Serve with Roti or Puri

During the Diwali festival, there is an inevitable desire to fill the home with the aromas of sweets. Although many people buy various sweets from stores, the taste of homemade baking remains unparalleled. In every city, something special is prepared during Diwali, and in Rajasthan, Mawa Bati holds a special place, often being made for any celebration.

Mawa Bati is a dessert that you want to repeat after the first taste. It is characterized by a crispy outer shell and a soft filling inside. Thanks to the sweet filling made of mawa, dried fruits, and syrup, this dessert becomes truly special. Below is a simple recipe for making Mawa Bati at home, similar to how professional pastry chefs do it.

For preparing the dough for Bati:

For the filling:

For making the syrup:

First, take flour (maida) into a large bowl. Add ghee and a pinch of salt, mixing thoroughly. Then, gradually add water and knead a firm dough. It is important not to make the dough too soft, otherwise the Bati may crack when frying. Cover the finished dough and let it rest for 15–20 minutes.

In a pan, heat a little ghee and fry the mawa on low heat. When the mawa acquires a light golden hue, turn off the heat and let it cool. After that, add sugar, chopped almonds, cashews, raisins, and cardamom powder to the mawa, mixing all ingredients thoroughly. This results in a delicious mawa filling.

Small balls are formed from the kneaded dough. Each ball is lightly rolled with the palm and the prepared mawa filling is placed in the center. Then, the edges are carefully pinched to give the Bati a round shape. It is necessary to ensure that the dough completely covers the filling so that it does not leak out during frying.

Heat ghee in a pan, but it should not be too hot. The ready Batis are placed in the oil and fried over low heat until they become golden and crispy. The Batis are occasionally turned over to cook evenly inside.

In another vessel, heat sugar and water. Boil the mixture until a one-thread syrup is obtained. Cardamom powder is added to this syrup, and the heat is turned off. The hot Batis are then dipped into the slightly warm syrup and left there for a few minutes. After that, they are removed and served on a plate, garnished with sliced almonds and pistachios.

Dal is an integral part of Indian cuisine. Usually, dal is prepared at home using adhar, moong, masar, and chana. However, there is Rajasthani Panchmel Dal, made from five different types of lentils, which is distinguished by its exceptionally delicious taste.

This dal is enriched with aroma and flavor through frying using ghee (clarified butter) and spices. It can be eaten with roti, rice, bati, or paratha. If you wish to cook something new and appetizing at home, you can make Rajasthani Panchmel Dal for lunch or dinner.

Below is the recipe and list of necessary ingredients to prepare this dish.

For preparation, you will need: 2 tablespoons adhar dal, 2 tablespoons moong dal, 2 tablespoons chana dal, 2 tablespoons udd dal, 2 tablespoons masar dal, 1 finely chopped onion, 2 sliced tomatoes, 2 green chilies, 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of hing, 2 tablespoons ghee, salt to taste, and a little fresh coriander.

To bring out the true flavor of Panchmel Dal, clarified butter should be used when preparing the tadka. It is crucial to soak all the lentils for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Furthermore, the taste and texture are improved by lightly mashing the lentils. The amount of spices can be adjusted according to your preferences.

Rajasthani Panchmel Dal is served hot with rice, jeera rice, roti, paratha, or bati. It pairs especially well with bati-dal. Adding a small amount of ghee on top further enhances the dining pleasure.

The traditional Rajasthani dish, corn flour rab, is very popular as a winter breakfast. This local snack is made from corn flour and yogurt (chaach), and the addition of ghee and spices significantly enhances its flavor. Preparing this dish at home does not require much effort, and it can be served hot.

If you want to eat something tasty but easy on the stomach in the morning, you can try the traditional Rajasthani dish—corn flour rab. In some regions of North India, it is also known as maize mahari. It is made from corn flour and chaach. In the rural areas of Rajasthan, it is especially enjoyed during winter. It is quite simple to prepare, and all the necessary ingredients are easy to find at home.

To prepare rab, take corn flour into a pot and gradually mix in a little chaach, stirring thoroughly so that no lumps form in the mixture. Then, add the remaining chaach and one or two bowls of water, mixing the mixture well.

After this, place the pot on medium heat and stir constantly so that the mixture does not burn to the bottom and lumps do not form. When the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat. Then, cook the dish for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the solution is completely cooked and has become slightly thicker, add salt to taste and roasted cumin powder.

To give rab an aroma, heat ghee in a small pan. Add whole cumin, asafoetida, and the chosen red or green chili. As soon as the cumin starts sizzling, pour this flavored fat into the rab and mix thoroughly. Finally, sprinkle with finely chopped fresh coriander on top. The ready traditional Rajasthani rab is ready to be served hot for breakfast.