Childhood memories are incomplete without food. “Do you remember how much you loved it?” This is a frequently asked question in conversations with family and friends. The time that elapses after this and the goodness is nurtured is followed by an invincible feast.
One such dish that brings a smile to my face is Dal Dhokli, a traditional lentil stew in which strips of diamond shaped dough are boiled. It is a comfort food in Gujarati households, and is a perfect combination of sweet and tangy flavours. This one-pot dish can be eaten alone or with rice or papad.
As children, when we would go home after evening play, we would try to guess what was cooking in the kitchen. The smell of boiling dal dhokli and the smell of homemade ghee would permeate the house. The sound of roasted papads, crushed and mixed with chili powder and a drop of oil, will enhance the sensory mix.
With dal dhokli, I burn my tongue many times, because my eyes ignore the rising steam and don’t want to wait for it to cool, I would burn my tongue but satisfy my palate.
rich history
During those Beni days, we hardly knew the rich history behind this dish, which dates back to the reign of Prithviraj Chauhan. Apparently, it was built by a very intelligent palace cook who wanted to serve the queen a delicious, nutritious meal when no vegetables were available during the siege. So they put together herbs, spices, leftover rotis and lentils to make a healthy, delicious meal. Who knew then that this dish would become so popular that it could spawn a variety of dishes?
Dal Dhokli has a strong hold in Gujarati and Rajasthani households, while in Maharashtra it is served as a fruit or chakolya. In Marathi, ‘varan’ means lentils and ‘phal’ means wheat dumplings or dhokli. The difference in the cuisine is in the spices. Varan fruit is known to use goda masala, a spice blend of coriander seeds, sesame seeds, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, chilies and dried coconut. Traditional Gujarati Dal Dhokli has jaggery, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves for a tongue-tickling taste.
Although every house has its own variation. While in mine, we’ve always added peanuts for extra crunch, many have been known to add cashews. Kokum and coconut are other ingredients that some people experiment with.
Even in terms of spices, while many families prefer to use whole spices, some people like me use ground spices. I learned much later in life that our secret ingredient was homemade chai masala, as it contained freshly ground cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and dry ginger.
We also did that pre-cook the wheat flour rotis in half. This was usually done so that the evening rush hour would not throw a spanner in the delicacy of the delicious food. Afterwards all we had to do was temper the lentils and cut them into diamond shapes before soaking the rotis in the goodness.
Diversity Enough
Another time-saving technique used in our household was to boil the lentils in the morning. So, while some were used for lunch, the rest were saved for dal dhokli in the evening. In this way many left over lentils were used.
Flour also has its own variations. Some make it by mixing whole wheat flour with turmeric, chili powder and coriander-cumin seeds powder, while others also add gram flour or gram flour to it. Vegetables have also made their place in some dishes by filling potatoes in Dhokli.
No matter how you choose to make it, here are some tips to keep in mind. Let the dal remain like water. Once you add the dhokli, the water will dry up. Other than that, the consistency should be similar to that of a soup or stew. Add dhokli only in the latter part. If they overcook, you will have a sticky porridge instead of a light and delicious dal dhokli.
Add vegetables and spices as per your taste. Whatever you know, you can make your own new version of it. Ghee is optional. However, it is strongly recommended as it gives a fresh flavor to the dish.
sunday recipe
Component
for dhokli
1 cup whole wheat flour
tsp turmeric
tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander cumin powder
1 tbsp oil
water to bind
for lentils
cup toor dal
1½ cups water
tsp turmeric
tsp chili powder
tsp coriander-cumin powder
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin
some curry leaves
handful peanuts
lemon
a pinch of asafoetida
small piece of jaggery
tsp garam masala or chai masala
salt to taste
coriander to garnish
Method
1. Mix all the ingredients for dhokli and tie the dough together. Let it rest for half an hour.
2. Roll the dough like a roti and fry it on a griddle without oil. Cut into diamond shaped segments.
3. After this boil the dal or pressure cook it.
4. Heat ghee in a deep pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Then add peanuts and curry leaves.
5. Put it in the lentils with water and let it come to a boil.
6. Add turmeric, coriander-cumin seeds powder, red chili powder and garam masala/chai masala. Garam masala can be replaced with whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon sticks and cloves.
7. When the dal mixture comes to a boil, add lemon juice, jaggery and salt.
8. Add to the dhokli and let it cook till the pieces become slightly soft.
9. Serve hot garnished with coriander.
The author is a freelance digital marketing strategist who loves words, data and everything
in the middle.
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