Gujarati Special Recipe 2: Daal Dhokli

Daal Dhokli is a famous Gujarati one-pot meal. The fragrant, sweet and spicy daal with silken dhokli which will melt in your mouth. 

Make sure you serve it immediately after cooking it. If it sits for long, the dhokli absorbs all the liquid from daal and it becomes lumpy.  

Ingredients:

For daal

1 cup plain Toor daal / arhar daal (split, skinned yellow pigeon peas)

3-4 pieces dry kokum

1 tablespoon jaggery 

2 green chilies

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger grated

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 

2 tablespoons chopped coriander 

Salt

For tempering

1 tablespoon oil

1 stick cinnamon 

2-3 cloves 

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Pinch asafoetida

For Dhokli 

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

2 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons cumin coriander powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

2 tablespoons coconut (fresh or dessicated)

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Wash the daal thoroughly in water.  Soak the daal in water for 30 minutes before cooking. Drain the daal, add 2 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Then put the flame on low and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Cool the cooker and when all the steam has released, remove the daal. 

While the daal is cooking, in a bowl, mix the cumin coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric, oil, sugar and salt into the flour. Add water to knead a firm dough for the dhokli. 

In a bowl mix the coriander, coconut and powdered sugar. Roll out a large roti, about 1.5 mm thick, from the dhokli dough. Sprinkle some flour on the board (chakla) surface while rolling out the roti. Using a cutter cut 3 inch diameter circles from the roti. Place about 1 teaspoon filing in between and make a modak shaped parcel. Make sure the air inside the parcel is removed. Use the scraps and additional dough for rolling another roti to cut more circles. Make 8 such modaks. 

In a large stockpot, heat the oil. Add the asafoetida, cumin, mustard seeds, cinnamon and  cloves. When they crackle, add the daal along with 2 cups of water. Add the kokum, jaggery, green chilies, ginger, chili powder and turmeric. Bring to a boil. Add the modaks to the boiling daal. 

With the remaining dough, roll out rotis 1.5 mm thick, cut into squares and put into the boiling daal. As soon as the modaks and dhokli are cooked, they will rise to the top. Daal Dhokli is ready. 

Add the chopped coriander and serve immediately. 

Daal Dhokli is served with a generous dollop of ghee on top and I like it alongside a few chopped onions as well.