Madhya Pradesh Daal Baati Churma Village Style

Ingredients

• For the village baati:
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 2 tbsp oil (instead of ghee — the village version)
• 1/2 tsp ajwain
• salt
• water — about 1/2 cup
• For the simple toor dal:
• 1 cup toor dal, 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder
• salt, coriander leaves
• For the simple churma:
• 1 cup wheat flour, fried in 2 tbsp ghee until golden,
• mixed with 1/3 cup jaggery and 1/4 tsp cardamom

Method

1. Make baati dough: Combine wheat flour, oil, ajwain and salt. Mix oil into flour. Add water to form a stiff dough. Divide into 10 small balls.
2. Bake in the oven (village fire method approximated): Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Place baati balls on a baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes turning once, until deep golden-brown and hollow when tapped. For the charred village style, finish under the broiler/grill for 3 to 4 minutes until some dark spots appear.
3. Cook the simple toor dal: Wash toor dal. Pressure cook with 3 cups water and turmeric for 4 whistles. Mash. Heat oil — add mustard seeds, asafoetida. Add onion — cook 8 minutes. Add ginger paste, tomato — cook 5 minutes. Add spice powders. Combine with dal. Simmer 5 minutes.
4. Make the churma: Fry 1 cup wheat flour in 2 tbsp ghee on low heat stirring continuously for 15 minutes until golden and very fragrant. Remove from heat. Cool 5 minutes. Mix with grated jaggery and cardamom while still warm. Knead together briefly.
5. Crack the baked baati: Press each baked baati apart with your thumbs to split it open.
6. Pour oil or minimal ghee inside: Unlike the festive version, the village version uses just a few drops of oil drizzled inside the cracked baati.
7. Plate the dal: Ladle the toor dal into a bowl alongside the cracked baati.
8. Serve the churma: Place a small mound of churma on the side of the plate.
9. The eating method: Break pieces of baati, dip in dal and eat with a pinch of churma between bites.
10. Serve with raw onion and green chilli.
11. Note: This village version of dal baati churma is the food eaten by farming and working communities across the Malwa, Vindhya and Bundelkhand regions of Madhya Pradesh. The distinction from the festive version is the use of oil rather than ghee, the direct fire charring and the simpler dal without multiple lentils. The dish has been the staple meal of rural MP communities for generations and remains central to the food identity of the state.