L06 · Lunch · Madhya Pradesh
Dal Bafla (Baked) with Panchmel Dal
Madhya Pradesh's answer to Rajasthan's dal baati: wheat dumplings boiled first, then baked, served with a five-dal mix. This version brushes the bafla with ghee rather than soaking it.
- Region
- Madhya Pradesh (Malwa)
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Time, as written
- Soak 1 h · Prep 25 min · Cook 50 min
- Serves
- 3 (2 bafla plus about 250 ml dal each)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Status
- Traditional; ghee brushed on rather than poured over
- Good for
- Weekend lunch, festive meal
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bafla and panchmel dal | 420 | 18 g | 61 g | 11 g | 6 g | 12 g | 4 g | 4.0 g |
| With 100 g curd | 480 | 21 g | 66 g | 14 g | 8 g | 12 g | 8 g | 4.5 g |
Headline figures are for the full plate as served, with its stated roti, rice or bhakri; the dish alone is shown in the table.
Tier: Good source. Traditional bafla is dunked in ghee; that adds 100–200 kcal per serving. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Panchmel dal
Bafla
Plate
Method
Soak the dals together for 1 hour. Pressure-cook with turmeric and 600 ml water for 4 whistles.
Knead the bafla ingredients into a firm dough. Rest 15 minutes. Divide into 6 balls; press a thumbprint into each.
Boil a large pan of water. Drop in the bafla and boil 15 minutes, until they float and look slightly translucent. Drain.
Bake at 200 °C for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until golden with small cracks. (Or cook in an appe pan, covered, on medium-low, 15–20 minutes.)
Meanwhile, heat ghee for the dal; add cumin, hing and red chillies, then onion for 4 minutes and tomato with spices for 5 minutes. Add the dal and 200 ml water; simmer 10 minutes.
Crack each bafla open, brush with ghee, and pour dal over. Serve with curd.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Panchmel dal supplies 12 g per serving; bafla 6 g. Wheat and five dals complement each other's amino acids.
- Boost
- Add 25 g besan to the bafla dough (+2 g protein per serving), or serve with 150 g hung-curd raita instead of curd.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Rajasthani dal baati — bake without boiling; serve with churma (not counted here).
- Substitution
- Any equal mix of dals works; keep chana and urad for body.
- Storage
- Dal keeps 3 days refrigerated; bafla 2 days refrigerated, re-crisped in the oven.
- Food safety
- Reheat dal until boiling.
- Meal prep
- Good — boil the bafla ahead and bake before serving.
Allergens
Gluten (wheat), milk (curd, ghee)
Labels: Good source · High fibre · Soy-free · Whey-free