For a Perfect Sunday Lunch

For a Perfect Sunday Lunch

The rains finally made their presence felt in Delhi. It was as if god finally decided to answer our prayers and sent the rains over on a Saturday evening. The surprise monsoon spell set the mood to make a perfect Sunday lunch. So I and my daughter-in-law decided to prepare our signature dish – Dal & Bafala along with some crunchy salad and plain rice. So here goes the healthy recipe for all those who wish to make Sunday’s lunch an affair to remember.

Bafala

This one is the main dish and so care must be taken to make the dough properly. Follow the steps to make perfect dough.

Ingredients

• Four cup wheat flour
• One cup suji
• One tablespoon salt to taste
• Three tablespoon oil or ghee (prefer to use olive oil in keeping the health factor)

Preparing the dough

Mix all the given ingredients mentioned above using warm water. Ensure when you knead the dough, it is hard and mixed well. Then leave the dough for 15 minutes in the vessel with a slightly wet muslin cloth.

After 15 minutes or so just run a hand over the dough and even it out. Then divide the dough in small equal portion in the form of small balls. Once all the balls are ready just flatten them a bit and pinch a hole in the middle of the flattened ball.

Boil some water in the meantime. Once the water is boiled and you see steam coming out place a strainer on top of the vessel. Then place the entire rolled out ball on the surface of the strainer. Steam them for 10-20 minutes till the bafala look well cooked. To get an idea just use a toothpick to check if they are cooked.

While these bafala are steamed, pre-heat the microwave at 180 degree for about 10 minutes. Then get the baking try, apply olive oil on the surface and keep the bafala on it. Brush some olive oil on the surface of the bafala before keeping the tray in the convention oven.

Keep the tray in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes. Once you see the surface turning crisp red and glazed, it indicates that the bafal are properly cooked and ready to serve.

For accompanying Dal

Buy the mixed dal packet from the department store. Soak them in water for about 15 minutes in normal water. Till the dal is soaked, make a nice tomato gravy for it. Just pressure cook the dal to ensure it is properly boiled and ready for preparation.

Ingredients for gravy

• Two tomatoes
• Some ginger shreds
• Black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• Small cinnamon strip
• One cardamom

Preparing the gravy

Mix all the above listed ingredients in a mixer grinder and make a paste of it. Add a little water while grinding it.

Then take a pan, add some oil or ghee and pour the tomato puree in it. Let it cook properly till the oil begins to appear on the surface. Then add boiled mix dal into it and all the masala that include red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and a pinch of garm masala as well as salt as per the taste. Let the dal shimmer and pressure cook it for about 5 minutes.

For the crunchy salad

Check your refrigerator cabinet and see what all fruits you have. I had fresh kiwi, green apple, pomegranate, tomato and a small onion. Cut all of them in thin slices or as you want, then mix them in a bowl and squeeze in a lemon and some salt.  

 Try this simple, healthy and tasty dish and let us know how your experience in preparing and devouring it was. A little piece of information, this legendary Dal & Bafala dish belongs to Malwa region in the area of Indore, Ujjain and Ratlam.