Dal Dhokli

Diamond-shaped dumplings of spiced wheat dough simmered in a sweet, sour, and gently spiced tuvar dal: the one-pot meal of Gujarati and Rajasthani homes

Origin: Gujarat & Rajasthan, India

From the journey of Pigeon Pea.

Dal dhokli is a whole meal in one pot. A Gujarati tuvar dal, split pigeon peas cooked thin and made sweet and sour with jaggery and kokum, is brought to a simmer, and into it go dhokli: a stiff dough of wheat flour and a little gram flour, seasoned with turmeric, chilli, and carom seeds, rolled thin and cut into diamonds. The dhokli cook in the dal, and the flour they shed thickens it, so that the pot ends up somewhere between a soup and a pasta dish. It is eaten in Gujarat and in neighbouring Rajasthan, in a deep bowl with a spoonful of ghee, lemon, and chopped onion, and it needs nothing else beside it. Its appeal is thrift as much as flavour: it turns a pot of the everyday dal and a few handfuls of flour into a meal that feeds a family.

Ingredients

Dal

150 g split pigeon peas (tuvar dal), rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
0.5 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp raw peanuts
30 g jaggery, grated
4 pieces of dried kokum, or 2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh ginger and green chilli, crushed together
1.25 tsp salt, or to taste

Dhokli

150 g wholemeal wheat flour (atta)
2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
0.25 tsp ground turmeric
0.5 tsp red chilli powder
0.25 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1 tbsp oil
0.5 tsp salt

Vaghar

1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
0.5 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves
1 sprig curry leaves
1 pinch asafoetida

To Serve

Ghee, lemon wedges, chopped onion, and coriander, to serve

Method

Drain the dal and cook it in 600 ml of water with the turmeric and peanuts for about 30 minutes, until soft. Whisk until smooth.
Meanwhile make the dhokli: mix the flours, turmeric, chilli, carom seeds, oil, and salt, and knead with water to a stiff, smooth dough. Rest it for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough in two and roll each piece into a thin round about 2 mm thick. Cut into diamonds about 3 cm across.
Add 800 ml of hot water to the dal with the jaggery, kokum, ginger and chilli, and salt, and bring to a steady boil.
Drop in the dhokli a few at a time, stirring gently so they do not stick together, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until cooked through. The dal will thicken as they cook.
Heat the ghee, add the mustard seeds and, when they pop, the cumin, cloves, curry leaves, and asafoetida, and pour into the pot. Serve in deep bowls with ghee, lemon, onion, and coriander.

Notes

Dal dhokli thickens a great deal on standing; serve it as soon as the dhokli are cooked.

The Gastrographer

Name: Dal Dhokli
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 150 g split pigeon peas (tuvar dal), rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 2 tbsp raw peanuts; 30 g jaggery, grated; 4 pieces of dried kokum, or 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp fresh ginger and green chilli, crushed together; 1.25 tsp salt, or to taste; 150 g wholemeal wheat flour (atta); 2 tbsp gram flour (besan); 0.25 tsp ground turmeric; 0.5 tsp red chilli powder; 0.25 tsp carom seeds (ajwain); 1 tbsp oil; 0.5 tsp salt; 1 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 0.5 tsp cumin seeds; 3 cloves; 1 sprig curry leaves; 1 pinch asafoetida; Ghee, lemon wedges, chopped onion, and coriander, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control