Some dishes go beyond satisfying hunger – they bring back memories of home, family dinners and the comforting flavours of childhood. If you’ve moved away from home, there are days when nothing hits the spot quite like a warm bowl of the simple staples your mum used to make, including the Saturday dinner staple – dal dhokli. Fortunately, these nostalgic favourites are easier to recreate than you might think, letting you bring a little taste of home into your own kitchen.
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor has shared his take on dal dhokli, a comforting Gujarati one-pot meal that combines soft, spiced wheat flour pieces with a hearty, flavour-packed toor dal. In an article published on his website on June 18, the chef walks readers through the complete ingredient list and a step-by-step method for recreating this wholesome regional staple at home.
Check out the full recipe below!
Ingredients
- 1 cup split pigeon peas (toor dal), soaked
- Salt to taste
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ cup raw peanuts
- 1¼ cups whole wheat flour + to dust
- ¼ cup gram flour
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon asafoetida
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 tablespoons pure ghee
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 2 dried red chilies, broken into large bites
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 2 teaspoons green chilli paste
- 1½ tablespoons grated jaggery
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
Method
- Drain the soaked split pigeon peas and transfer them to a pressure cooker. Add salt, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, raw peanuts and three and a half cups of water. Secure the lid and pressure cook for three to four whistles, or until the dal is tender.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dough. In a large bowl, combine the wholewheat flour, gram flour, salt, one fourth teaspoon turmeric powder, chilli powder, one fourth teaspoon asafoetida and oil. Mix well, then gradually add three fourth cup water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Once the pressure has released naturally, open the cooker and whisk or churn the cooked dal until smooth.
- Heat two tablespoons ghee in a kadai. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, one fourth teaspoon asafoetida, dried red chillies, curry leaves and green chilli paste. Sauté until the seeds begin to splutter and the spices turn aromatic.
- Add the cooked pigeon pea mixture to the tempering and stir well. Pour in one cup water, bring the mixture to a boil, then add the jaggery. Cook for four to five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the jaggery dissolves completely.
- Lightly dust your work surface with dry flour and roll the rested dough into a slightly thick roti. Cut it into medium-sized diamond shapes.
- Gently drop the dough diamonds into the simmering dal, one at a time. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the lemon juice just before switching off the heat.
- Transfer the dal to a serving bowl, drizzle the remaining tablespoon of ghee over the top, and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and sliced onion. Serve hot.
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