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Recipe | Daal Dhokli, My Indigenous Pasta – A Healthy One-Pot-Meal with Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

3 September 2012 24 Comments

Recipe | Daal Dhokli, My Indigenous Pasta - A Healthy One-Pot-Meal with Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Mom, make your Rajasthani Pasta today” Said my son enthusiastically. History repeats, I murmured to myself handing over the bowl of dough to both of them. Yes, I am a happy mom to see my children enjoy rolling these Dhoklis as we did in our childhood. They love to make shapes and faces with the dough and later struggle hard to search for their creations in the final recipe.

This soupy comfort food always reminds me of home & mom. I grew up eating Daal Dhokli which used to be our Sunday meal for as long as I remember. I still disagree and argue with my Gujrati friends who call the recipe a signature dish of Gujrat.

Mom being a working woman never got time to make special recipes on weekdays. Sunday was the only day when she cooked scrumptious lunches and comforting dinner. She would knead the dough and give it to me and my brother to roll the Dholiks, This was her way to keep us busy on Sundays and avoid fights between us. Television & computer come to existence much later in life. Blessing in disguise I must say 🙂

Dhokli or Wholegrain Dumplings

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Making of the dimpled dumplings…

Ingredients;

  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 2 tbsp. finely chopped greens*
  • 2 tsp, vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Carom seeds or Ajwain (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
  • Water as required

Method; Take a large bowl and add the flours, turmeric powder, chilly powder, carom seeds, salt and mix it well. Wash and chop the greens very finely.

* I add Spinach/mint/coriander or any other veggies such as shredded radish/carrots to my Dhoklies.

Pour oil and add water to make stiff dough. Coat it with oil and knead it for a few minutes.

Pinch small marble sized balls from the dough and roll into a circle. Keep the round ball in between palm and flatten it to make a small thin disc. You could even roll each ball if you wish.

Poke a small hole in the centre of each disc. Keep all the Dhoklies in a large plate or on a parchment paper to avoid getting struck to each other.

2nd Method; Avoid the greens and make dough using the above ingredients. Take a large tennis size ball sprinkle a little flour on a board and roll the dough into a thin large circle.

Cut the circle into diamonds using a sharp knife and keep all the diamonds onto a parchment paper. You could slice the rolled out dough into thin strips which when boiled with the lentil looks and taste like Pasta.

This method is easy and quicker than the previous method.

Lentil Curry or Daal

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Split green and black gram lentils…

Ingredients;

  • 1/2 cup split whole green gram daal
  • 1/4  cup split whole black gram daal
  • 2 cups water or more
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 tbsp. oil
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sugar

Spices;

  • 1 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 garam masala
  • 3-4 cloves
  • Pinch of asafetida powder (hing)
  • Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Method: Wash and soak both the lentils together for an hour. Peel and chop onion. Chop the onion, tomato and chilly into thin slices.

Pressure cook the soaked lentils along with water and turmeric powder for 3 whistle or cook directly in a large vessel till the lentils are soft and cooked.

Mash the cooked lentils slightly with the back of a ladle.

At this stage add the prepared Dhoklis and simmer the lentils for 20-25 minutes on low flame. The lentil curry will thicken after adding the Dhokli.

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Whole gram lentils and fresh vegetable salad…

Heat oil in a wok and crackle mustard and cumin seeds in it. Add mustard seeds, asafetida powder and cloves and sauté for a few seconds.

Add sliced onion, ginger-garlic paste, tomato, chilly, cook for 2 minutes and take off the wok from the flame.

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Add garam masala, chopped fresh coriander leaves and lemon juice in the tempering and pour over the lentil curry.

Serve hot with fresh vegetable salad made with capsicum, onion, tomatoes and mint leaves.

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Daal Dhokli with Pigeon pea and diamonds dumplings.

The above recipe is with pigeon peas or Tuvar daal, use the same recipe and just replace the whole grams with split pigeon pea. I used diamonds made with only wholewheat flour dough  in the lentil curry.

Here are a few lentil recipes on Lite Bite;

Whole black gram lentil

 Whole green gram rcipe 

Sambhar recipe

Masoor Daal or red lentils

Quick pigeon pea or Tuvar daal

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

For you…

You can use any of the lentil recipe given above to make this Daal Dhokli.

Recipe | Daal Dhokli - Wholegrain Dumplings in Lentil Curry

Mmm….

The recipe is a protein packed one-pot-meal and a wonderful treat for any vegetarian looking for extra protein in their diet. The wholegrain dumplings make the lentil curry thick giving it a look of soupy pasta.

“Why is that hole in the center” my children question eveytime they eat the Daal Dhoklis  “It helps the dumpling cook evenly and also makes it look pretty & appetizing, so says your nanny” is my answer always. May be she is right 🙂

Well, the empty vessel says it all…Mmmm..

Notes;

  1. Try to make the Dhoklies as thin as you can, these will cook faster than the thick Dhokli, which sometimes taste like eating dough if not cooked properly. Thick Dhoklis cooked well taste much better than the thin Dhoklis (personal taste). I keep my Dhoklis slightly thick and pressure cook along with the lentils at times.
  2. Increase or decrease water in the lentil curry as per your requirement. Add more if you like soupy Daal Dhokli.
  3. The above recipe is mildly spiced, add 1 tsp of chilli powder when preparing the tempering for the Daal to make it more spicy.
  4. Avoid adding sugar in the recipe if you dislike slight sweet tasting recipe.
  5. Mix various greens and shredded vegetables while making the lentils to make it more healthier and filling recipe.
  6. I sometimes add Ragi or finger millet flour and Bajra also to make the wholegrain Dhoklis.

 

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24 Comments »

  • swati said:

    oh I’ve had daal dhokli’s since I’m a gujju, but this ones truly innovative and different… surely am gonna try out this version.

  • Priti said:

    Yum….I love this too …we use to make different shapes and search in the end too ….lovely shorts

  • Priti said:

    *shots 🙂

  • chinmayie @ love food eat said:

    I have been wanting to try dal dhokli for ever! I have some cooked dal ready so I think i’ll make it for dinner tonight 🙂 Bangalore is gloomy and chilly right now and a spicy soupy dal sounds great!

  • Swasthi said:

    Great Recipe and awesome clicks. Loved the writeup.

  • Deepa said:

    We too used to help our Mom in kitchen when young…Life was much more easy without T.v and computer games…Delightful dhoklis with lentil

  • Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb said:

    For sure I have never tasted or seen your dumplings before, so they are something totally new to me. Kind of exciting at the fact that u use besan.

    The curry just looks exceptional. Love the colore and the fact that u add dark daal as well and lemon. I like it a bit tart. ^.^

  • Kavi | Foodomania said:

    thank you so much for this recipe Sanjeeda! The whole dish looks amazing! I read in the recipe that you serve with a salad. But this looks like a side dish. Is it traditional to eat with rotis?

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Kavi, The recipe is a whole meal in itself. Salad served with it adds the extra crunch to the dish.

  • Spandana said:

    I have never tasted dal dhokli before. But all these beautiful pictures are making me drool.

  • mjskit said:

    This is far from the dumplings my mother used to make! Of course anything with dumplings is definitely comfort food as you mentioned! I love this dumpling curry! This is going on my list to be made once the weather starts to cool (still above 90F here – UGH!). I can already smell it!

  • Asmita said:

    I have tasted this dish at a friend’s house and so love it! I would love to try your recipe. It looks fabulous!

  • foodwanderings said:

    OMGoodness love everything about this post. SO mouthwatering the colors the dish the dumplings, everything about it. I wish you lived next door!

  • Sneh | Cook Republic said:

    I love daal dhokli. Haven’t made it in ages. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

  • Kavi | Foodomania said:

    Thank you! 🙂

  • Anamika@madcookingfusions said:

    Hey, I have eaten dal dhokli in gujarat but never tried making on my own, your post gives me an inspiration to try this out soon, lovely clicks Sanjeeta 🙂

  • Susmitha - Veganosaurus said:

    Oh wow, the dhokli looks delicious! One of my friends used to make this many years ago and I loved it so much that I tried making it at home a few times too. Then I completely forgot about it, until just now. Thank you so much for the delicious reminder. I’ll try your version of the recipe really soon. 🙂

  • Faith said:

    I would love to dive right in and take that bite! 🙂 This looks like a delicious, comforting meal, the perfect thing for when nights start to turn a bit cooler.

  • dassana@veg recipes of india said:

    i love dal dhokli and it high time i make them at home now

  • Viswa said:

    What a wonderfully different recipe!! Good one

  • Latha said:

    That looks very comforting and delish…..never made it and will try it soon.

  • Kiran @ KiranTarun.com said:

    Daal dhokli is one of the first few dishes I learnt and tasted after marriage 🙂

  • Nami | Just One Cookbook said:

    I love your food styling Sanjeeta! Always unique and inspiring! Although I’ve never tried Dal Dhokli, it looks delicious from your gorgeous photos!

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