The complete trifecta — hard wheat balls baked over coals served with five-lentil dal and sweet crushed wheat churma — the definitive ceremonial meal of Madhya Pradesh.
Ingredients
For baati:
2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 cup semolina (sooji)
1/4 cup ghee
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 tsp salt
Water — to bind
For five-lentil dal:
1/4 cup each: toor, chana, moong, masoor and urad dal
4 cups water
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tomatoes — chopped
For dal tadka: 3 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp asafoetida, 4 garlic cloves sliced, 2 dried red chillies, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
For churma:
1 cup coarse whole wheat flour — dry-roasted in 3 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup jaggery grated
1/4 tsp cardamom
2 tbsp ghee for binding
For serving: 1/2 cup ghee to dunk baati
Method
Make baati: combine atta, semolina, ghee, ajwain and salt.
Rub ghee in until crumbly. Add just enough water to form a stiff dough.
Divide into 8 balls. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes turning once, or cook on a wire rack over gas flame turning regularly, until hollow-sounding and golden-brown all over. Immediately dunk each baati in ghee.
Make five-lentil dal: cook all five lentils in 4 cups water with turmeric and tomatoes until completely soft.
Whisk. Season with salt. Make tadka with ghee, cumin, asafoetida, garlic, dried red chillies and red chilli powder. Pour over dal.
Make churma: add grated jaggery and cardamom to warm roasted wheat flour.
Mix well. Add ghee and press into rough balls or serve crumbled.
To serve: break open a ghee-dunked baati into a bowl, pour five-dal over it, add churma alongside.