Dal Dhokli

Today I am posting a recipe from Gujarat. Everyday this month I will post a recipe from a different state in India.

I visited Gujarat with my father when I was a teen. The visit was limited to a town called Jafrabad which is in in Saurashtra. We flew into Bhavnagar and drove to Jafrabad. My father had work there. I went along for the ride. On the way back we stopped at Palithana, where some beautiful Jain temples are located. We woke up at 5:30 in the morning and climbed thousands of steps to get to the top of the nearby mountains to see the temples. Every thing at the top was beautiful, the view, the crisp mountain air and most of all the temples. On the way down we bought yogurt from a local lady. She was selling it in mud pots. Once back in town we feasted on the prasad of farsan in one of the Dharmashalas (hostels) and then drove on to Bhavnagar.

Back to the recipe: Dal Dhokli is a very flavorful toor dal preparation from Gujarat. The Dhokli is made out of whole wheat flour and cooked directly in the dal. It is like poli and dal were cooked together. I used onion in this recipe as my husband likes onion and tomato masala.

You will need
For the dhokli
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. besan
1 tsp. carom seeds
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil divided

For the dal
1 1/2 cup toor dal
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. asafoetida
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
1/2 onion
1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and minced
1 tomato
1 tsp. coriander cumin powder
1/2 tsp. paprika (adjust according to taste)
1 tsp. jaggery (or sugar)
1 tsp. tamarind paste
salt to taste
a handful cilantro

To make the dhokli
Reserve 1 tbsp. of olive oil and mix the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Using water prepare dough. Using the reserved olive oil on the palm of your hand knead the dough well and keep aside for at least 15 minutes.

To make the dal
Pressure cook toor dal. In my pressure cooker once the pressure rises I leave it for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat. That is equivalent to 3 whistles. Let the pressure subside before opening the presuure cooker. Chop the onion. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle add the asafoetida, turmeric, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. Saute the paste for a few seconds and add the onion and Serrano pepper. Saute until the onion is cooked.

Chop the tomato and add it to the pan.

When the tomato is cooked add the dal, jaggery, tamarind paste, paprika and coriander cumin powder. Add 6-8 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. At this time the dal should look and taste watery.

To put it together
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.

Take one portion and roll it out to a disc about 1/4 in thick.

Using a pastry cutter cut it into small rectangular dhokli.

Add these rectangles to the boiling dal. Add them one at a time all over the place so that they don't form a lump. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.

Cover the dal and let the dhokli cook completely for about 15-20 minutes. The dal will thicken as the dhokli cook and absorb the water. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Squeeze a little lime juice over the dal and serve hot.