After a lot of (over) indulgence during the holidays, its time to get back to hearty, homey comfort foods. Daal Dhokli is simply a bowl of warmth and goodness. From the state of Gujarat, Dal Dhokari is made by cooking spiced chapati dough with spiced toor daal. The end product is a delicious one pot meal. If you have some Gujarati Daal leftover, Daal Dhokli is a quick meal. However, for those of you who don’t have any Gujarati Daal on hand, don’t worry. This Dal Dhokri recipe is for you – from scratch!
Prep Time: 30 minutes to cook daal (prep other steps during this time)
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
For Daal:
Toor Daal – 1/2 cup dry (washed, soaked for 30 mins (optional) and drained)
Whole Raw Peanuts – 2 Tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) – 1/8 tsp
Water – 2 cups
For the Dhokli:
Chapati (Whole Wheat) Flour – 1 cup
Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 1 Tbsp
Ajwain (Carom Seeds) – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Warm Water – 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp
For Seasoning:
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 1 tsp
Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch piece
Cloves – 4
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Ajwain (Carom Seeds) – 1/4 tsp
Dry Red Chili – 1
Asafoetida (Hing) – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves – 1 sprig
Ginger – 2 tsp (minced)
Green Chilies – to taste (minced)
Frozen Green Peas – 1 cup
Tomato – 1 large, chopped
Water – 5 cups
Salt – 2 tsp or to taste
Jaggery – 2 Tbsp or to taste (sugar or brown sugar may be substituted)
Tamarind Pulp – 1 Tbsp or to taste
Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
Coriander Powder – 2 tsp
Lemon/Lime Juice – to taste
Cilantro (Coriander Leaves) – chopped, for garnishing
Ghee or Oil – drizzle over the top at the time of serving
Method:
1. In a pressure cooker, add drained Toor Daal, Peanuts, Fenugreek Seeds and 2 cups Water. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles for soaked daal or 5-6 whistles for unsoaked daal. Allow pressure to go down by itself before opening pressure cooker.
2. In a bowl, add Chapati Flour, Chickpea Flour, Ajwain, Turmeric Powder, Salt and Red Chili Powder – mix well.
3. Add 1 Tbsp Oil and mix again to incorporate the oil into the flour.
4. Add Warm Water little at a time to form a stiff dough. Knead for 1-2 minutes.
5. Drizzle a few drop of oil and coat the dough ball. Cover and let dough rest for 15-20 minutes.
6. In a large pot, heat Oil and Ghee. Once hot, add Cinnamon Stick, Cloves, Mustard Seeds (allow them to pop), Ajwain, Dry Red Chili, Asafoetida, Turmeric Powder, Curry Leaves, Ginger and Green Chilies. Mix.
7. Immediately add Green Peas and cook for 1 minute before adding Tomatoes. Mix.
8. Add cooked Daal, 5 cups Water, Salt, Jaggery, Tamarind Pulp, Red Chili Powder, Garam Masala, Cumin Powder and Coriander Powder.
9. Allow mixture to come to a boil.
10. Meanwhile, knead dough once again and divide into 2-3 portions. Lightly grease rolling surface and roll out dough balls into thin discs (thinner than chapati). With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into small diamond shapes (roughly 1 inch pieces).
11. Once Daal comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add in dough diamonds while stirring. Roll out remaining dough and add diamonds quickly.
12. Cover and cook for approximately 30 minutes, stirring in between. Dhokli should not have a raw taste.
13. Once cooked, switch off stove and add Lime or Lemon juice to taste.
14. At the time of serving, garnish with Cilantro Leaves and drizzle Oil or Ghee over the top.
