Daal Dhokli

Daal Dhokli is a delicious dish from Gujarat that is eaten by itself or as part of a meal. Having grown up in Mumbai with lots of Gujarati friends, I have had the pleasure of eating this dish in their houses, hence never felt the need to try making it myself. When I saw the Flavors of Gujarat event, this was the first dish that came to my mind. I haven't eaten it here in the US for the past 15 yrs, so I immediately decided to make it. I made my aunt (who is visiting me from Mumbai), call up her friend Hansa Ben and note down her recipe, which I proceeded to use promptly.

Here's how I made it:

Tur Daal - 1 cup - soak in water for 1/2 hr, then cook in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles.

Other ingredients for the daal-

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp red chilli pwd or to taste

1 tsp cumin pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

Salt to taste

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tomato - chopped

Handful of frozen peas

2 tbsp jaggery

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

1 spring of curry leaves

1 green chilli - chopped

1 tbsp ghee

1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

2 cloves

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

few seeds of methi

pinch of asafotida

Ingredients for the Dhokli-

1/2 cup wheat flour

2 - 3 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

pinch of turmeric pwd

1/2 tsp red chilli pwd or to taste

For garnish - chopped cilantro, lemon wedges

Procedure -

Add all the ingredients from turmeric pwd to green chilli listed above under igredients for daal to the cooked toor dal. Mix well and boil on medium high heat. Lower heat and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Make the tempering in a separate pan by heating the ghee, adding the mustard seeds first. When they stop crackling, add the other ingredients, fry 2 mins and pour into the simmering daal.

Take the wheat flour in a wide bowl, add enough oil so the flour gets a little sticky, then add the other ingredients for the dhokli. Use enough warm water to make a dough which should be a bit hard (as for puris). Roll out the dough (using oil to roll out) to a thin circle, cut into diamond shape (like shankarpalya) and when all the dhoklis are ready, gently drop then one by one into the simmering daal. Simmer for 5 mins and turn off the heat.

Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro and lemon wedges. For me this is a meal in itself, requiring no other accompaniments.

This Daal Dhokli goes to the Flavors of Gujarat event at Simply Food.