← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 150 g Toor dal (split pigeon peas), rinsed and soaked for 30 min
• 1 l water, divided
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 120 g Atta (wholewheat chapati flour)
• 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
• ¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• ½ tsp Chilli powder
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp oil (or ghee if not vegan)
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 Dried chillies
• 4 Cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch Asafoetida (hing)
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 40 g raw peanuts
• 1 Green chilli, chopped
• 2 cm piece Ginger, grated
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp (or juice of 1 lemon)
• 1½ tbsp jaggery or brown sugar
• 1¼ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Simmer the drained dal in 500 ml water with the turmeric for 30 min (or pressure-cook for 3 whistles) until completely soft, then whisk it smooth.
2. Meanwhile mix all the dhokli ingredients with about 4 tbsp water into a firm, smooth dough. Rest it for 10 min, then roll into 2–3 thin rounds and cut into diamonds.
3. In a wide pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds; when they pop, add the cumin, fenugreek, dried chillies, cloves, cinnamon, asafoetida, curry leaves and peanuts. Fry for 1–2 min until the peanuts colour.
4. Add the green chilli, ginger and tomato and cook for 3 min, then the chilli powder and coriander.
5. Pour in the dal, the remaining 500 ml water, tamarind, jaggery and salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
6. Drop in the dhokli one by one, stirring so they don’t stick together. Simmer for 12–15 min, stirring gently, until the dhokli are cooked through and the dal has thickened.
7. Scatter with coriander and serve in bowls, with a squeeze of lemon and a spoon of ghee for those who want it.

Tips

• The dal thickens a lot as it stands; thin it with hot water before serving if needed.
• Contains peanuts and wheat.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Hebbar's Kitchen My Food Story