Dal Dhokli

Say Hello to a traditional Gujarati One Pot meal recipe – Dal Dhokli. This is a dish that you can have any time of the day.

It is made by simmering wheat flour squares in sweet, sour, and spicy seasoned lentils, and is very common in Gujarati Households. This recipe is one of my favorite one-pot meals that provides comfort to the soul!

It is a delicacy that none can resist, especially if served hot and fresh with a dollop of ghee. Today, I am sharing the Gujarati Dal Dhokli recipe with a yummy twist. So stay tuned!

Jump to:

• What is Dal Dhokli?
• Why you will make this recipe?
• Ingredients required
• Step by step process
• Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQs
• More Gujarati Recipes
• Dal Dhokli (With Kachori)
• Video

What is Dal Dhokli?

Dal dhokli is a very popular delicacy from the western states of India.

Dhokli means tiny wheat pasta and dal means seasoned and tempered cooked lentils.

So this is a delicious concoction of flavorful dal lentil stew mixed with homemade egg-free whole wheat pasta.

Every region has a little variation in terms of the type of lentils used, the shape of dough dumplings, and spices.

In Rajasthani dal dhokli, the dough is not rolled to make chapati. Instead, the dough of dhokli is divided into small balls. These dough balls are then cooked in a spicy urad-chana dal. This version is more on the spicier side.

The Maharashtrian version of dal dhokli is known as ‘Varan Phal’ also known as Chakolaya. In Marathi,   ‘Varan‘ means dal and ‘phal’ means wheat dumpling. In this version, goda masala and kokum are added, making it different from other regional versions of dal dhokli.

The version of dal dhokli that I am sharing today is known as Gujarati Dal Dhokli. In this version, the dough is first rolled into a thin chapati and then cut into square or diamond pieces.

This is then added to toor/arhar dal. The addition of jaggery and lemon juice makes this a bit sweet and sour (khatti mithi) in flavor.

It is a wholesome meal made with easily available pantry ingredients.

Traditionally dal dhokli is made from leftover dal. But now a day people do make it from scratch.

I gave a little twist to this traditional Gujarati recipe by adding coconut, cilantro and pomegranate stuffed kachoris.

My mother-in-law taught me this recipe 15 years ago. This version is such a favorite at our home that we can never get enough of it whenever I make it.

Though the recipe is quite lengthy with so many ingredients, don’t freak out. The flavor of this dish is huge and is worth the effort when preparing from scratch.

You can completely skip stuffing the dhokli to make the process a little easier. But I would recommend you to try making it this way once. You will love it.

I make a little extra dhokli dough and make some thepla for the breakfast next day. They taste best with Gujarati pickle, raita marcha, or chunda.

Why you will make this recipe?

• makes a perfect, nutritious, comforting, and delicious meal.
• can be served all by itself
• can enjoy it any time of the day – from breakfast to dinner.
• perfect vegetarian, and crowd-pleaser recipe
• Can be made vegan.

Ingredients required

To make the dough, you will need

• Whole wheat flour – to make gluten-free, use bajri or jawar flour.
• Spices – Basic spices like chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt are added.
• Oil – added to make the dhokli soft.

To make the Dhokli stuffing

This step is optional but highly recommended. You will need

• Cilantro – Lots of cilantro added to this stuffing. It gives a very nice crunch and taste.
• Pomegranate – gives a nice sweet fruity taste.
• Grated coconut – I have used fresh coconut in the stuffing. If you don’t have it, you can use dry grated coconut too.
• Spices – Only two spices, garam masala, and salt are added to this recipe.
• Sugar and lime – To balance the flavors.

To make Gujarati dal

You will need

• Arhar dal – Also know as toor dal or Piegon peas lentil. You can not substitute this dal with any other dal to make a Gujarati version of dal dhokli.
• Tomato and lime juice – to give a sour taste and balance out the sweetness from jaggery.
• Spices – you will need very basic spices like chili powder, turmeric, and salt to make Gujarati dal.
• Whole spices – With ground spices, you will also need whole spices like cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and red dried chili.
• Jaggery – This is a must in this recipe. You can substitute it with sugar too.
• Asafetida and curry leave – It is added in tempering. It gives an appetizing aroma and enhances the flavors of the dal.
• Peanuts – Added for the crunch. You can skip if you are allergic or don’t like the peanut.
• Fat – Hear I have added a combination of ghee and oil. You can use only ghee or only oil too.

Step by step process

Step – 1 Cooking the dal

Wash toor dal 2 to 3 times with water or until water is clear. (image 1 and 2)

If you have time then soak in enough water for 15-20 minutes. Or you can skip the soaking step. It will be fine.

Take washed dal in a bowl (It should fit in the pressure cooker). (image 3)

Take a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water. Place a trivet or disc. (image 4)

Now place the dal bowl on top of the trivet, cover it with a lid. (image 5 and 6)

Now take peanuts in a small bowl and place them on top of the dal bowl. (image 7)

Cover the pressure cooker with the lid. Turn the heat. Let it cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Then turn off the stove. (image 8)

Let the pressure go down by itself.

Step – 2 Making the dough:

While dal is pressure cooking, make the dough for dhokli.

Take all the ingredients (whole wheat flour, salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, and oil) in a bowl. Mix until incorporated well. (image 9)

Now start kneading the dough by adding little water at a time. I have added around ¾ cup of water. You may need tablespoon less or more according to the quality of flour you use. Make smooth and a little stiff dough. (image 10 and 11)

Keep it aside covered for 15 minutes. (image 12)

Step – 3 Make the stuffing

Take all the stuffing ingredients (coconut, cilantro, Pomegranate, salt, garam masala, sugar and lime juice) in a big bowl and mix well. Keep it aside. (image 13 to 18)

Step – 4 Making gujarati dal recipe:

Now the dal should be cooked, open the lid of the pressure cooker.

Remove the peanuts bowl, open it and keep it aside. (image 19)

Take out the dal bowl. Blend it very well using an immersion/hand blender. (image 20 and 21)

Now add 4 cups of water to the dal. Mix well. Keep it aside. (image 22)

Step – 5 Making the tadka:

Heat the oil in a pot on medium heat.

Once hot add cinnamon, cloves, red dried chilies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Let them pop. Then add curry leaves and thing. (image 23 and 24)

Immediately add the dal to the tempering and stir well. (image 25)

Now add salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, jaggery, boiled peanuts, and lemon juice. (image 26 to 30)

Mix it. And let it boil for about 6 to 7 minutes on medium heat.

Step – 6 Making Dhokli

After the dough resting time, first, make small marble-sized 20 balls. Flatten all the balls between your palm. This is to make the stuffed dhoklis. (image 35)

From the remaining dough, divide the dough into 3-4 parts.  Make a smooth ball out of it and flatten it between your palm. This is to make the plain dhoklis. (image 31)

Cover all the dough balls with a kitchen towel.

Plain dhokli:

Work with one flatten disc at a time. Roll the ball like a roti in about a 10 to 12-inch diameter circle. (image 32 and 33)

Transfer it to a plate, cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Roll the same with the remaining 2 dough balls. Don’t roll it too thin or too thick.

Now take one rolled circle on the board, using a knife cut into square or diamond shapes. Keep them aside. Keep it in a single layer or else they will stick to each other. (image 34)

Making stuffed dhokli

Take one small portion of the dough (the one we made for stuffing). Roll it into a small 1 ½ inch circle. Don’t roll it too thin or too thick. Keep the thickness medium. (image 36)

Put a very little amount of coconut-cilantro stuffing in the center. Bring all the sides together towards the center to seal it and press it lightly. Keep it aside. Make all the remaining 19 kachoris the same way. (image 37 to 40)

Cover it and keep it aside.

Note – Making stuffed kachori is completely optional. You can skip this step and make all the dhoklis plain.

Step – 7 Adding dhoklis in dal.

Now add two-three dhokli (plain and stuffed) at a time into boiling dal and stir it. So they do not stick to each other. If you add all dhokli at once they will stick and make a big clump. (image 41 and 42)

So make sure to add a few at a time and after adding stir it once. Then add a few more and stir. Continue till all the dhokli are added.

Tip – Make sure the dal is boiling when you add dhoklis

Let it cook for 6 to 7 minutes on medium heat and don’t forget to stir in between.

If needed add some more water. Cheak the dhokli piece by cutting it with a spoon. If it’s easily cutting means it’s ready.

Lastly, add chopped cilantro leaves and mix. Switch off the flame. (image 43)

Gujarati Dal Dhokli with kachori is ready. Serve it in a deep bowl or plate, add a dollop of ghee and enjoy!

Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQs

• To make it more wholesome and nutritious, you can add chopped spinach, kale, methi, or any greens of your choice while kneading the dhokli dough. You need to reduce the amount of water in this case.
• Do not make the dough very soft. it should be smooth and a bit tight just like you make for poori.
• Dhokli tends to absorb a lot of water, so add enough water while cooking.
• This dish will thicken on cooling. So do not make it very thick. Also if the dish gets very tick on cooling, just add some water and reheat it a bit.
• You can double or triple the recipe easily.
• To make it interesting for kids, you can cut the dhokli in different shapes using a cookie cutter.
• Add the thin dhokli one by one. Do not overcrowd. Overcrowding may result in dhokli sticking to each other and my form lump while boiling.
• Add prepared dhokli only after the dal starts boiling.
• For a vegan version, substitute ghee with oil.
• For the gluten-free version, substitute whole wheat flour with the same amount of bajra flour.

More Gujarati Recipes

• Bharwa Aloo Baingan | V+GF Stuffed eggplant potato curry (instant Pot)
• Doodh Keri
• Gujarati Kadhi
• Undhiyu
• Surti Locho
• Rasavalu Bateta Nu Shak | Instant Pot Simple Potato Curry

Warm regards,

Dhwani.