From the heart of Central India, in Madhya Pradesh, we bring to you an exquisite dish called Dal Bafla. A dish that shares a close kinship with its peers, is the Rajasthani Dal Batti or the Bihari Litti.
Bafla or baked balls of dough are served with an accompaniment of Arhar or Tur daal (lentil). A more subtle cousin of the Batti or Litti which are baked directly in the oven; Bafla is first boiled and then baked, thereby giving it its signature soft, smooth texture.
The Bafla is crumbled into bite-size pieces that are soaked in the daal and relished morsel by morsel with liberal dollops of ghee.
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For Bafla –
- 2 Cups Wheat Flour
- 1/4 Cup Maize Flour
- 1/4 Cup Rava (Semolina)
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Ajwain
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Ghee/Clarified Butter
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- Salt to taste
For Dal –
- 1 1/2 Cups Soaked Arhar Dal
- 1 Cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Salt
- For Tadka:
- 1 Tbsp Ghee
- 1/4 tsp Hing (asafoetida)
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 3 Tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
How to Prepare Bafla:
1. Take wheat flour in a bowl and add maize flour, semolina cumin seeds, turmeric, ajwain, and salt. Mix them well and pour the ghee into the mixture.
2. Blend this above mixture well and knead into a stiff dough by adding water.
3. Make small roundels or balls out of the dough.
4. Now heat water in a large pan with salt.
5. When the water comes to boil, slowly put the roundels into the pan.
6. Let them cook until they start to float on the surface. Thereafter, drain the water and pat them dry.
7. Now grill the roundels or Bafla balls at 200 degree celsius, for about 20-30 minutes.
How to Prepare Dal :
- Soak Arhar/Tur dal (split pigeon pea lentil) for an hour or so.
- Take soaked Arhar dal and water in a pressure cooker. Add turmeric and salt.
- Pressure cook with two whistles, till the dal, blends well and is soft. Make sure you don’t overcook.
For the Dal Tadka or Garnish:
1. Take ghee in a pan, and add hing and mustard seeds. Mildly saute. Then add red chili powder.
2. Pour the tadka over the cooked dal.
3. Add sugar and simmer for about a minute or so.
4. Garnish with finely chopped, fresh coriander.
5. Serve piping hot with Dal poured over Bafla, a delicious dollop of ghee, and a side of Garlic chutney.
Contributed by Natasha Sinha.
