The star anise-rich aroma of Gujarati daal simmering in a huge pot on the cooker will forever remind me of home. Enter One-Pot Daal Dhokli. It reminds me of my parent’s home, to be specific.
Paired with rotli, stuffed vegetable curry and rice, it’s always been our staple Sunday lunch.
What is Gujarati Daal?
Gujarati daal is made with oily tuver daal (arhar), also known split pigeon peas. They are dried and coated in a slick of oil to preserve them for months, even years.
This makes tuver the ultimate pantry ingredient to have on standby when the contents of your fridge is looking sparse.
Tip: Always wash your daal!
Always wash daal to rinse away oil. As a child my mother would keep me occupied by placing a bowl of tuver daal in warm water in front of me so I could swish and swoosh the oil away. It was the ultimate sensory activity for a bored little monkey like me, and something I still find utterly cathartic today.
Unlike many other regional Indian daal recipes, you pass the mixture through a sieve. Next, add the golden liquid to tempered spices, nuts and tomatoes.
Important!
Simmer it low and slow. Be heavy-handed with the seasoning: lemon juice, jaggery and salt are your friends because they are what gives Gujarati daal life. Serve as part of a larger meal or simply in a bowl with boiled rice.
My favourite part are the simmered peanuts and cashews which become extremely tender and melt in your mouth.
How to make One-Pot Daal Dhokli
Enter Daal Dhokli. A hand-rolled, wheat flour and chickpea flour pasta that’s dropped into a simmering pot of daal.
It’s more of a stew than a soup and considered a comfort food by many. I find adding a little chickpea flour to the Dhokli dough gives the cooked noodles a welcome firmness so they hold their shape in the daal.
If you like your pasta al dente, give it a go. This is a dish that’s unique to western India and a true food hero.
My mother always cut out pretty diamond-shapes. Although, every family, from Maharashtra through to Gujarat and Rajasthan, have their own unique way of making it.
Flavour star: Ajwain
Daal Dhokli is a true one-pot wonder. It’s packed with mouth-puckering hot, sweet and sour flavours, good protein and comforting carbs. The spicing is gentle and aromatic with star anise, cinnamon, cloves and ajwain-flecked pasta.
The yellow colour of the Dhokli predominantly comes from turmeric but the flavour is unequivocally down to the addition ajwain seeds. Having said this, if I have fresh ajwain leaves to hand, I add them to the dough for unbeatable peppery freshness.
Daal Dhokli is often made with leftover daal. Simply add water, more lemon, salt and jaggery, bring to a rolling boil and drop in the pieces of Dhokli. Because who said leftovers can’t be special?
More Ideas for One-Pot Daal Dhokli
- Add 250g fresh or frozen peas towards the end for a version called Matar Dhokli.
- Serve with steamed rice for a double-carb comfort feast or add in a few handfuls of spinach leaves if you like plenty of greens.
- Finally, my favourite way to enjoy it is with a swirl of thick Greek yoghurt and fresh coriander chutney.
Ingredients
For the daal:
- 200 g oily tuver daal also known as split pigeon peas
- 2 1/2 L hot water
- 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
- 2-3 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- Juice of two large lemons
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp jaggery or brown sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
To temper the daal:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2- inch cinnamon stick
- 5-6 curry leaves
- ¼ tsp asafoetida hing
- 2 star anise
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 8 peanuts whole
- 8 cashew nuts
For the chickpea pasta (dhokli)
- 90 g chickpea flour besan
- 125 g plain flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ajwain
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 75 ml boiling water
Instructions
- Boil the daal in a large pot of water (around 1.5L) until very soft and tender, about 40 minutes. You can also use a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot for this if you have them. Note that it will take less time if you use the latter. Allow to cool slightly and then pass through a sieve into a large bowl to ensure a smooth, golden liquid. You can also use an immersion blender for this. Don't skip this step as a smooth consistency is what makes for a good Gujarati daal.
- Give the pan a rinse and quick dry. Heat the oil in the pan and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to crackle and then add the cumin seeds, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves, nuts and asafoetida in quick succession. Stir briefly.
- Quickly add the ginger, chillies, tomatoes, turmeric and ground cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes and then pour in the liquid daal and 1L water. It might sizzle and splutter a little so work carefully. Season with lemon juice, salt and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes whilst you get on with making the dough for the dhokli.
For the chickpea pasta (dhokli):
- In a bowl mix all of the ingredients for the dhokli and knead into a firm, smooth dough, about 8 minutes by hand. Cover the dough with a clean, damp tea towel and rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into four portions and roll out (using extra plain flour) into something resembling a thick chapatti, around 2mm thick. Cut the dough lengthways from the left, and then across from the right, into diamond shapes. TIP: I use a pizza cutter for quick and clean shapes. Set aside and repeat for the rest of the dough. You'll have a few scraps of dough at the edges of each round. You can add them in as they are.
- Bring the daal to a rapid rolling boil and one by one drop in all the diamond shaped dhoklis. Remember to keep the daal at a constant rolling boil so the dhokli don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir them gently to avoid sticking. You may need to add extra boiling water as it is likely to thicken while the dhokli is cooking. This is normal. When you have done taste it to make sure it's spicy, sweet and sour.
- Ladle into bowls and top with fresh coriander.
Sanjana’s Notes
Love Sanjana
Meera Patel-Roy
Monday 26th of October 2020
I've always been intimidated by dhar, I watched my mum make it and thought it's so complex and so many steps to follow. But boy was this recipe not only easy to follow but sooo delicious! It's safe to say I'm not as intimidated as I once was.
Minel
Monday 21st of September 2020
I've been following Sanjana for a while and find her recipes really easy to follow. I made her Daal dhokli, however I replaced the plain flower with the gram/chickpea flower as I'm currently avoiding gluten. It turned out delicious!! Thank you Sanjana!
Hemali Parekh
Tuesday 1st of September 2020
Such a delicious daal dhokli recipe. The only one I will use from now. Thank you for you details sanjana.