Dal dhokadi is an unparalleled lentil delight from the Gujarati cuisine. The dish makes any meal complete and can be served at the plain family lunch or at a festive fare. Simple in its ingredients and very easy to put together, Dal dhokadi is simply superb. It is tasty as it is nutritious. You can amply lay around with the ingredients and the assorted flavors to get a lentil gravy that suits your taste.
Ingredients:
1/4 kg tuvar dal
1/4 kg refined and sifted wheat flour
3 green chilies – washed and chopped fine
1/4 cup (ground together) groundnuts and cashew nut
1/4 tsp each of turmeric powder
Red chili powder
Mustard seeds
Mixed spice powder and asafetida
2 each of cloves
Cinnamon and cardamom
1 cup pureed tomatoes
1/4 cup of tamarind and sugar pulp
Cooking medium
Salt to taste
Water as per requirement
3-4 curry leaves
Fresh coriander leaves finely chopped for garnishing
Popular Accompaniments:
You can eat Dal dhokadi with plain or flavored rice or rotis. It also goes very well with puris and bread. You can garnish Dal dhokadi with deep fried spinach (shredded) or even mint. Here are a number of ways in which you can serve Dal dhokadi. It can be flaunted as a pre-plated meal or a separate entrée. This way or that you get to ensure that the family gets complete nourishment and all the goodness of proteins.
Preparation:
To the refined wheat flour, in a large mixing bowl, add salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.
Add a tablespoon of oil and mix the ingredients well.
Then by pouring in little water at a time, knead the flour into regular firm dough (roti consistency).
Pressure-cook the tuvar dal and set aside to cool.
Main Cooking:
Heat the cooking medium in a heavy bottom vessel and throw in the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and mustard.
After around a minute, add the curry leaves, green chilies and asafetida.
Let the seasoning stir fry well.
Then, add the tuvar dal, tamarind and sugar pulp, cashew nut and groundnut paste, mixed spice powder and a sprinkle of red chili powder.
After all of the ingredients blend well, add the tomato pulp, salt to taste and very little water.
As the gravy boils, roll out the dough into flat roti like portions and further cut them into diamond shaped pieces.
Drop these pieces into the boiling dal.
Presentation:
Serve the dal dhokadi hot, garnished with a sprinkle of chopped fresh coriander leaves.
