Dal Bafla
Madhya Pradesh's cousin of Rajasthani dal baati: boiled and roasted wheat dumplings soaked in ghee, served with spiced toor dal.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Large pot
- •Oven or tandoor
- •Pressure cooker
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 20 g
- carbs
- 58 g
- fibre
- 8 g
- protein
- 16 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Knead wheat flour, semolina, 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter), ajwain and 1 tsp salt with warm water into a firm dough. Rest for 20 minutes.
- 2
Shape the dough into fist-sized balls. Press your thumb into the centre of each ball to make a small dent.
- 3
Boil the balls in salted water for 20-25 minutes until they float and turn firm. Drain them well.
- 4
Roast or grill the boiled balls in an oven or over embers for about 20 minutes. Turn them until golden and slightly crisp.
- 5
Meanwhile, pressure cook toor dal with turmeric and salt until soft. Mash the cooked lentils lightly.
- 6
Heat ghee in a pan and sizzle cumin. Add garlic, dried red chillies, asafoetida and tomato, cook until soft, then pour into the dal.
- 7
Simmer the dal gently for 5 minutes to combine the flavours.
- 8
Crack open the roasted bafla (baked dough balls) and soak generously with melted ghee. Serve hot with the dal.
Chef's tips
Do not skip boiling before roasting, or the bafla stays dense inside. Serve immediately after dousing in ghee for the best texture.
Ingredient substitutions
- tandoor roasting → baking at 200°C for 25 minutes
Storage
Store bafla and dal separately in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat bafla in the oven to restore crispness; warm dal on the stove.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Making the dough too soft, which prevents the balls from holding shape while boiling.
Serving suggestions
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