India is home of many delicious authentic recipes. Every region of India has its own delicacies and Rajasthan is no exception. Baati (a.k.a. Bati, Daal-Baati, Batti) is probably the most popular Rajasthan dish and liked nationwide. Originally it was cooked on charcoal (BBQ style) in open area however with the growing metro culture it’s hard to find open cooking areas which makes it difficult to make Baatis. The good news is that you can still make Baatis at home using electric or Tandoor oven. These mouth watering dumplings soaked in ghee are mostly served with Daal, Baingan Bharta, chutney, salad and Choorma (sweet). In Rajasthan the Daal is usually a mix of five kinds a.k.a. Panchmel Daal (mix of 5 type of pulses, I will post the recipe soon) but in other areas like Malwa region it’s just the Toor Daal (Pigeon Pea). This is great combination and once you taste it you can’t resist yourself from falling in love with its flavour. The process of making Baati is much easier than most people think and its fun!! And honestly speaking, it’s totally worth it. Here is the recipe for this great dish…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup- Whole wheat flour (Gehun ka atta)
• 1/2 cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1 table spoon- Fine semolina (Fine Suji/Rava)
• 1-1/2 tea spoons- Ajwain (or as per taste)
• 1-2 table spoon- Oil (for moyan)
• 2-3 tea spoons- Salt (as per taste)
• A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
• Water for kneading
• Ghee to soak Baati

Method :

• Take whole wheat flour, Besan, Rava, Ajwain, salt and oil in a big bowl and mix all together.
• Add water in the flour mixture, knead into tight dough like we do for poori.
• Cover the dough with damp towel and let it rest for at least half an hour.
• Preheat oven at 245 degree Celsius/ 475 Fahrenheit for 10 mins.
• Divide the dough in small portions, roll them like round balls. Push the balls gently with palms to make it slightly flat like Pattie
• Depress the center of the Baati (dough Pattie) with your thumb. ( The depression will flatten while baking and this practice will help you to know that your Baatis are perfectly baked from inside as well) once the Baatis are fully baked from inside the depressed portion will flatten up.
• Place the Baatis in the oven and bake them for 30-40 minutes or till they turn golden brown. Flip the Baatis upside down in between to make sure that your Baatis are done from both the sides.
• Meanwhile, heat some ghee in a deep bowl/pan until ghee is fully melted.
• Once baked, carefully take the Baatis Out of the oven as the Baatis will be very hot. Now using a clean cloth slightly squeeze the Baatis so that the top part of it cracks and opens the shell.
• Now dip the Baatis in melted ghee from the open side so that Baatis can absorb the ghee.
• Serve hot with Daal, Baingan ka Bharta, Chutney and salad.

Baingan (a.k.a Eggplant or Brinjal) is an ordinary vegetable however when used creatively, it can create mouth watering wonders. “Baingan Bharta” is one such wonderful recipe. This is usually served as the side dish with Roti, Naan, Parantha or even Daal-Baati. Some people also call it vegetarian’s grilling substitute for chicken. The magic of “Baingan Bharta” lies in its roasted smokey flavor which originally came from the clay ovens (a.k.a. “Tandoors”) used in old times. Though the new style homes usually don’t have these clay ovens anymore but the good news is that you can still make this delicious dish using the common electric oven or even on the regular gas stove burners. As usual, I did some experimenting with the traditional recipe by adding peanuts to give it a crunchy (rather than usual soggy) texture. This is very popular among my friends and I am certain you will enjoy it too. So what are you waiting for…..Go and give it a shot!!

• 1 medium sized eggplant (Baingan)
• 2 medium sized onions
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 2 small green chills
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 4-5 table spoon- cooking oil
• 1 tea spoon- turmeric
• 1 table spoon- coriander powder
• 1 tea spoon- red chili powder
• 1 tea spoon- Garam masala (optional)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 cup- Peanut (Moongfali)

Method:
Baking/ Roasting:

• Make a hole on the top of the Baigan (as shown in the first picture above).
• Fill 4-5 garlic cloves in the hole and reseal it.
• Grease the baingan with little oil.
• Place the baingan in the oven @ 475 degree Fahrenheit for 30-45 mins or over the flame (whichever available)
• Let it cool down for 5-10 minutes.
• After cooling remove the skin and mash it finely. Now Keep it aside for later use.

Preparation of Masala:

• Grind onion, garlic, ginger and green chilis all together to make a paste.
• Now take tomatoes in a grinder separately and make a purée, keep both of them aside.
• Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry peanuts.
• After cooling, grind fried peanuts into a coarsed powder. Keep it for garnishing.
• Add the paste (onion, garlic, ginger and green chili) into the remaining oil in the pan used earlier and sauté till they turn golden brown.
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
• Add tomato purée, mix and cook until the oil starts separating from gravy.

Putting it altogether:

• Mix the mashed baingan (eggplant) into the gravy. Stir well.
• Cover the pan with a lid and let the mixture cook for 10-15 mins on a low heat. This way, mashed baingan absorbs all the flavors of masala.
• Take out in a serving bowl, garnish with coarsed groundnuts and fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve hot as a side dish.