Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Dal Dhokli

This recipe has been a favorite since I was about 13yrs old.Mum's friend had moved from Baroda and she sent us this preparation and we loved the balance of sweet, sour and the spice.Though she is not a Gujrati herself but she had made it so well that each time she prepared for her family, there was a bowl which was sent to us too.Over the years, we forgot about it as we moved on in life.
Out of the blue, I remembered this dish and my taste buds were dying to taste it again but there was no one who would help me revive the taste.I slowly lingered over and tried to remember the taste and the ingredients that would go into it.Voila,I got the taste bang on in the first go!!My family loved it, specially my husband who had grown up a few years in Baroda and loved the Gujrati cuisine. On a cold rainy afternoon or a cold night, a big bowl of piping hot dal dhokli with some steaming rice, hmmm, you touch a piece of heaven.My little girl loves it topped with a spoon of ghee,yummy.
Ingredients
Tuar dal          1/2 cup
salt                  to taste
Turmeric          1/2 tsp
Thick tamarind pulp  2 tbsp
Jaggery            1 tbsp
Crushed peanuts   1/2 cup
For Dhokli
whole wheat flour(atta)   5 tbsp
Chickpea flour(besan)     2 tbsp
Chilli powder                   1 tsp
corriander powder           1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder            1/4 tsp
hing                                 1/4 tsp
oil                                   1 tbsp
salt                                 to taste

Tempering
Ghee                            1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds              1/2 Tsp
cumin seeds                  1/2 tsp
methi seeds                    1/4 tsp
Hing                             1/4 tsp
cloves                           2 nos
cinnamon                      2 inch piece
curry leaves                  10-12 leaves
garlic chopped              1 Tbsp
ginger                            1/2 tbsp
chopped onion              1/2 bowl
chopped green chillies    1 tsp
chopped tomatoes         2 nos
corriander powder         2 tsp
turmeric powder           1/4 tsp
chilli powder                 1 tsp
garam masala                1/2 tsp

Chopped coriander for garnish

Method
Boil the washed and soaked tuar dal with turmeric and salt till soft.
Mix all the ingredients for dhokli and knead with water to a tight dough.Roll them to about 3mm thickness and cut them into 1" rhombus shape.Keep aside.
To prepare the tempering, heat ghee in a pan and add hing.When it changes color, add methi, mustard and cumin and allow to splutter.
Now add the curry leaves, ginger and garlic.Let them color a bit and then add in the chopped onions.Allow them to brown.Add the chopped chillies and all the dry masalas.When they start to emit a nice aroma, add the chopped tomatoes.let them cook till the masala comes together.Add it all to the dal.
Add tamarind pulp,peanuts and jaggery and add water about 300ml to make it thin.start to boil it and when it does, add the dhoklis and allow to simmer for about 15 mins till the dhoklis are cooked.Add the chopped coriander for garnish and ghee if desired.
Steaming hot,sweet ,sour and spicy dal dhokli is ready to savor as it is or with steamed rice.

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