Dal dhokli recipe - a traditional Gujarati one pot meal dish that is made by simmering wheat flour dumplings in thin gujarati dal.
In this dal dhokli recipe, dal is exact same as Gujarati khatti meethi dal. While dhokli is made from whole wheat flour aka chapati atta. Dough is made from atta with few spices. Then rolled into thin circle and cut into diamond shapes. Then added into simmering dal and cooked till it is soft and not raw anymore.
By looking at t
he ingredient list, it may look overwhelming and process looks lengthy. But don’t be scared, it is very easy to make. It is little time consuming if making from scratch but it is totally worth it. Few steps you need to take care, I have mentioned that in the detailed instructions. So read it carefully before making it.
Traditionally dal dhokli is made from leftover dal specially on Sunday. But now a day people do make it from scratch. In old days, housewives cook every single meal for 365 days a year. Not like me (feeling lazy to cook today, order a takeout, That’s me!!) . So those hardworking housewives need little break from kitchen once a week, so they make extra batch of dal on Saturday. And on Sunday they make dal dhokli using that leftover dal. By doing so, it will be ready in less than 30 minutes.
My mom makes little extra dhokli dough and from that extra dough she makes some masala paratha. These masala paratha taste best with pickle or chunda.
dal dhokli is good, perfect meal if you have toothache or recovering from illness.
Check out other Gujarati recipes
Khandvi // Makai no chevdo // Khichu // Gujarati khichdi
How to make dal dhokli recipe (Step by Step Photos):
1) Wash toor dal under running cold water till water runs clear. If you have time then soak in enough water for 15-20 minutes. Or you can skip the soaking step. It will be fine.
2) Take dal into pressure cooker. Add 1 cup of water. Now take a small piece of muslin cloth, put peanuts in it and tie it. Make a ‘potli’. Put into pressure cooker. Alternately, go for easy method. Add peanuts into a steel katori or glass and put into the cooker. Cover with the lid, put the weight on. Turn the heat on medium. Let it cook for 6-7 whistles. Then turn off the stove. Let the pressure go down by itself.
3) While dal is pressure cooking, make the dough for dhokli. Take all dry ingredients (atta, besan, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafetida, ajwain) in a bowl. Mix well.
4) Add oil and rub it with your finger till everything is incorporated well.
5) Now start kneading the dough by adding little water at a time. Make smooth and little stiff dough. The dough should be little stiff or harder than regular paratha dough. Keep it aside covered for 15 minutes.
6) After the dough resting time, divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Make smooth ball out of it and flatten it between your palm.
7) Now the dal should be cooked, open the lid of the pressure cooker.
8) Remove the peanuts potli, open it and keep boiled peanuts aside.
9) Now add 3 ½ cups of water to the dal and blend it using immersion hand blender. Traditionally, it is mashed using madani aka Valonu (a wooden whisk). The dal should be smooth, Not single piece of dal in it. Now you got it, we want those peanuts whole that why we boiled it in muslin cloth.
10) Now add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.
11) Mix and add ginger paste, green chilies and tomatoes. If you want to make it Jain then skip the ginger in the recipe.
12) Add jaggery and mix it.
13) Turn the heat on medium. Bring the dal to boil.
14) Meanwhile Let’s make the tadka. Heat the oil in a small tadka pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds. Let them pop. Then add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
15) Now add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and dried chili. Saute for 30 seconds. You will get nice aroma of spices.
16) Lastly add curry leaves and hing.
17) Immediately add the tempering to the simmering dal and stir.
18) Add lemon juice and boiled peanuts. Mix it. And let simmer on low-medium heat.
19) Now let’s make dhokli. Work with one flatten disc at a time. Roll it into about 12 inch diameter circle. Make sure that it should not be too thick or too thin. The thickness should be medium. Transfer it to a plate, cover it with clean kitchen towel. Roll the same with second dough ball.
20) Now take one rolled circle on the board, using knife cut into diamond shapes.
21) Now add two-three dhokli at a time into boiling dal and stir it. So they do not stick to each other. If you add all dhokli at once they will stick and make a big clump. So make sure to add few at a time and after adding stir it once. Then add few more and stir. Continue till all the dhokli are added.
22) Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes and don’t forget to stir in between. If needed add some more water. Taste one dhokli piece and if it is cooked mean you don’t feel raw then switch off the stove.
23) Lastly add chopped coriander leaves and mix.
24) The consistency should be medium and look like this. If it is more watery then let it boil for few minutes or till you get desired consistency and if it is too thick and add little water and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
This should be served warm. As it cools and sits, dal will gets thicken. So make accordingly. If not serving right away and making it ahead of time. Meaning you will be serving it after an hour or two, keep the dal thinner consistency. Reheat before serving.
Serving suggestion: Serve dal dhokli as such as a lunch or dinner. Remove dal dhokli into individual serving bowl or plate, drizzle some ghee (clarified butter) on top and then serve. (If you are vegan then do not drizzle the ghee on top.) It can be served with plain steamed rice and roasted papad on side.
Dal dhokli recipe
Ingredients
To pressure cook dal:
- ½ cup Arhar dal (toor dal or split pigeon peas)
- 1 tablespoon Peanuts
- 1 cup Water
For the dough:
- ½ cup Whole wheat flour (Chapati atta)
- 1 tablespoon Besan (gram flour) optional
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- a pinch Hing (Asafoetida)
- ⅛ teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds)
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- ⅓ cup Water
For dal dhokli recipe:
- 3 ½ cups Water
- ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ¼ cup Tomato chopped
- 1 Green chili slit
- ½ teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 1 tablespoon Jaggery (Gur)
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro or coriander leaves finely chopped
For Tempering (Tadka):
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- ¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 6-7 Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
- 1 Cloves
- ¼ inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Dried red chilies broken into two pieces
- 5-6 Curry leaves
- a small pinch Hing (Asafoetida)
Instructions
pressure cooking the dal:
- Wash toor dal under running cold water till water runs clear.
- If you have time then soak in enough water for 15-20 minutes. Or you can skip the soaking step. It will be fine.
- Take dal into pressure cooker. Add 1 cup of water.
- Now take a small piece of muslin cloth, put peanuts in it and tie it. Make a ‘potli’. Put into pressure cooker. Alternately, go for easy method. Add peanuts into a steel katori or glass and put into the cooker.
- Cover with the lid, put the weight on. Turn the heat on medium. Let it cook for 6-7 whistles. Then turn off the stove.
- Let the pressure go down by itself.
making the dough:
- While dal is pressure cooking, make the dough for dhokli.
- Take all dry ingredients listed under 'the dough' in a bowl. Mix well.
- Add oil and rub it with your finger till everything is incorporated well.
- Now start kneading the dough by adding little water at a time. Make smooth and little stiff dough.
- Keep it aside covered for 15 minutes.
- After the dough resting time, divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Make smooth ball out of it and flatten it between your palm.
Making dal dhokli recipe:
- Now the dal should be cooked, open the lid of the pressure cooker.
- Remove the peanuts potli, open it and keep boiled peanuts aside.
- Now add 2 cups of water to the dal and blend it using immersion hand blender.
- Now add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.
- Mix and add ginger paste, green chilies and tomatoes.
- Add jaggery and mix it.
- Turn the heat on medium. Bring the dal to boil.
Making the tadka:
- Heat the oil in a small tadka pan on medium heat.
- Once hot add mustard seeds. Let them pop.
- Then add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Let them sizzle a bit.
- Now add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and dried chili. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Lastly add curry leaves and hing.
- Immediately add the tempering to the simmering dal and stir.
- Add lemon juice and boiled peanuts. Mix it. And let simmer on low-medium heat.
making dhokli:
- Work with one flatten disc at a time. Roll it into about 12 inch diameter circle.
- Transfer it to a plate, cover it with clean kitchen towel. Roll the same with second dough ball.
- Now take one rolled circle on the board, using knife cut into diamond shapes.
- Now add two-three dhokli at a time into boiling dal and stir it. So they do not stick to each other. If you add all dhokli at once they will stick and make a big clump.
- So make sure to add few at a time and after adding stir it once. Then add few more and stir. Continue till all the dhokli are added.
- Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes and don’t forget to stir in between.
- If needed add some more water. Taste one dhokli piece and if it is cooked mean you don’t feel raw then switch off the stove.
- Lastly add chopped coriander leaves and mix.
Shabnam Dhalla
Very well explained. Thank you
Kanan Patel
you're welcome.
Shashi
Tried this out today. It was so good we licked the pot clean😋. I switched out the garlic paste with chopped garlic and it still tasted great.
Kanan Patel
Very glad to know that you enjoyed.