Dal Dhokli Recipe, Gujarati Dal Dhokli Recipe

Gujarati Dal Dhokli Recipe – Let me share with you one of my all time favorite Gujarati dish. Simple and easy to cook Dal dhokli is a perfect combination of spiced whole wheat flour dhoklis simmered in Gujarati dal. Dal dhokli is my break-the-routine recipe which I make on weekend mostly Sunday. On Sunday we all sit together for a meal and enjoy this deliciously mouth watering dish. I call it Gujarati pasta dish in a lentil sauce 😛

For this recipe of dal dhokli I have made dhoklis by adding more spices but you can make plain dhoklis by just adding usual spices like red chili, turmeric, coriander powder etc. Also traditionally the dhoklis are not cooked but added directly to dal and then cooked with dal. This makes them a little soggy and gummy. Hence I like to semi-roast them on a pan before adding them to dal. If dhokli is less moist then they wont stick to each other while we put in dal.

Like many Gujarati dishes, Dal dhokli also has a  little sweet taste. The sweetness is attributed to jaggery or sugar. You can add any kind of sweetness you like or also avoid if you want. Dal dhoklis have sweet and nutty flavor thanks to jagerry and peanuts. I love peanuts. I personally think by adding peanuts in this dish we lift it to a whole new level.

Dal dhokli can certainly be classified as a one-dish meal, but you could also serve it with boiled rice to make it all the more tasty and wholesome.

Before we dig deeper into recipe of dal dhokli let us quickly check some tips that can help you to make perfect dal dhoklis.

Tips to make good dal dhokli

1. When you make the dhokli roast them on hot tawa on both sides. By doing this your dhokli will not stick to each other and will not taste raw when added to dal.
2. Let your dal be little watery. This is because when you add dhokli to dal and cook the dal will become thicker.
3. When the dal is nicely boiling at that time add the dhokli so that the dhokli will not stick to each other.

It is also possible to make this simple dish with left over dal. Follow these basic steps to make dal dhokli with left over dal.

Alternate  method to make dal dhokli with left over dal

So you have some left over dal sitting in refrigerator and you are not sure what to do with it! No problem. Dal dhokli is  at rescue. Take the dal out of refrigerator and let it come to the room temperature. Heat the dal by adding some water and let it boils once and add dhokli in it. To prepare dhokli follow these simple steps.

Step by step Recipe of Gujarati Dal Dhokli

Let us start with step by step recipe of Guajrati Dal dhokli with pictures. I have tried to document each and every steps that goes in making this delicious Gujarati dish. But trust me its not that hard. Just try to follow these steps and you will have a perfect dal dhokli. The dal dhokli recipe is split into two parts. First is making the dhoklis from wheat flour and next is preparing Gujarati dal. Let us check recipe now.

1. To Make Dhokli of Gujarati Dal Dhokli

Traditionally dhoklis are prepared by adding few spices in a wheat flour and kneading it into smooth dough. However for this version of dal dhokli I will add some more ingredients that makes dhokli really stands out and lift its taste.

For dhokli we will use peanut, sesame seeds, grated ginger, garlic and some garam masala. Also we will add some red chili powder and turmeric powder.

The peanut and sesame seeds gives a twist to plain old dhoklis. So finely grind the peanut and sesame seeds in powder as shown below. You can use a mixer grinder / food processor or even a mortar & pestle will do.

In a bowl take wheat flour add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, oil, garam masala and salt to taste. Mix all ingredients well.

Add the peanut and sesame seed powder to wheat flour.

Adding little water at a time knead the wheat flour & spices in a smooth dough.

Knead into smooth dough. The dough should be litter harder than roti dough.

Now divide the dhokli dough into equal round balls roughly size of roti/paratha balls.

Roll each of the dhokli dough into thin rotis on a dusted rolling board.

Roll the dhokli dough as think as you can.

Now quickly roast the dhokli on a hot tawa or flat bottom non-stick pan. We don’t want to completely roast the rotis. Just a little so that the raw taste is gone.

Semi roast the dhokli rotis on either side.

Once roasted rest the dhokli rotis for some time and then cut into diamond / square shape pieces.

Keep dhoklis aside.  We will use them once the dal is ready.

Dhoklis are ready. Now let us check the recipe to prepare Daal for dal dhokli.

2. To Make Dal of Gujarati Dal Dhokli

To prepare the dal of dal dhokli the main ingredient we will use is tuvar dal (toor dal).

Wash the toor dal thoroughly in water and soak for 10 minutes.

Also chop tomatos, ginger, green chilies for the daal. We will use cloves and cinnamon to spice up the dal and also some peanuts.

Now pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles with 2 cups of water. Allow the pressure cooker to cool and blend the dal nicely.

In the meanwhile heat a tbsp of oil in a deep non-stick pan or kadhai. Add the mustard seed, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and let them temper.

Once the spices are tempered add the chopped ginger, green chili and curry leaves. Saute for a min till the raw flavor of the ginger is gone.

Now add peanut and tomato and again saute for about a minute till tomatoes are cooked well.

Saute for a minute or two till tomatoes are cooked well.

Once the tomatoes turns soft its time to add boiled toor dal.

Pour in the boiled tour dal and 3 cups of water and mix well.

Add all the powdered spices like red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt to taste.

Let the dal gets boiled for 5 to 7 minutes. Taste the dal and if required adjust the seasoning.

Once dal starts boiling throw in the dhoklis pieces that we prepared earlier. Cook dal dhokli together for 5 minutes on high flame till all the flavors of dal blends blends into dhokli.

Dal dhokli is ready.

Garnish the dal dhokli with some freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with plain rice and butter milk (chaas).

Gujarati Dal Dhokli Recipe details below: