Dal Bafla is a dish that comes from Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. It is comparable to the staple Dal Baati Rajasthani or the Bihari signature Litti. The meal is just a ball of baked pulp served with a spicy dal side. The flavour is a wonderful combination of firm baked wheat in Dal. For the next dinner, you may quickly and easily prepare this tasty Dal Bafla dish at home. Like Dal Bati, these ghee-laden balls of dough in Madhya Pradesh are quite popular. First, they are cooked and baked before they are torn down and overlaid with dal.
You will find the best Dal Bafla at Hotel Rajhans, in Indore. Established in 1975, now the 4th generation is working at this classic hotel. It was started by the now owner’s grandfather, Mr. Gyan Chandra Raga. The speciality of this Dal Bafla is, in addition to boiling the bafla, they also dip it in ghee and then fry it, instead of baking it. The entire bafla is filled with ghee and leaves you licking your fingers, long after you have already finished it. The feeling of not wanting a food item on your plate to ever finish, is very real when you are tasting their mouth-watering Dal Bafla. This style of cooking the Dal Bafla has originated from Malwa.
At the initiation of the hotel franchise, the Dal Bafla at Hotel Rajhans was priced at ₹5. But the growing popularity and demand for the dish, made them increase the cost over the time, and now it is priced at ₹200 per plate for dine in, ₹250 for takeaway and ₹280 for home delivery. While serving it in a thali at the hotel, the plate is decorated with the bafla, dal, pulav, kadhi, salads, two types of chutneys – a green coriander chutney and a red garlic chutney – along with aloo sabji and buttermilk on the side. A whole meal around the Dal Bafla, makes your day go from good to amazing.
As a testament to the quality and flavour of their Dal Bafla, they serve about 500 dishes every single day and a record of 1500 to 2000 plates every weekend. With their growing demand and traction, they were able to open another outlet in Palasia, Indore, with the same quality and taste of their amazing food, especially the Dal Bafla.
Dal Bafla is a culturally recognised dish in India. Indore, being home for so many different types of Indian food that is loved by so many, attracts tourists for the very same reason. If you ever happen to find yourself craving a good old Dal Bafla, or plan a trip to Indore, we encourage you to visit this amazing and a beautiful world of food that is Hotel Rajhans, that culturally defines India.