Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Dal dhokli/ Wheat flour dumplings with lentil mix

This is one of my favorite recipe. My mother used to make it, usually during cold days when the winters had not really settled in but the evenings and nights were chilly. A warm bowl of love....

Ingredients
For dal
Split moong chilka dal/ Green Gram dal- 1 katori
Chana dal/Bengal gram dal- 1spoon
Fresh ginger- grated, 1 spoon
Green chilli-1, chopped
Turmeric powder-1/4th tsp
Water- 2-3 katori

For dhokli
Whole wheat flour- 2 katori
Besan/Gram flour- 2 tbsp
Ghee/Clarified butter-1/2 katori approx
salt- to taste
Jeera/cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

For tadka/tempering
Ghee/clarified butter- 2tsp
Red chilli powder-1/2tsp (adjust according to taste)
Jeera/Cumin seeds-1/2tsp

PS: katori is the household bowl in India and measurement differs from one region to another. The katori which I used holds about 150 ml of liquid.

Method
  1. Take wheat flour , add all the ingredients for the dhokli and knead it. Use lukewarm water to make dough. Keep aside for 15-20 min. Knead with both hands to make the dough smooth and divide into small balls. Flatten the balls and make a hole in the middle (something like a very thin doughnut). If you make it thick, then it will not cook well.
  2. Take all ingredients for the dal in a pressure cooker.
  3. Add the prepared raw "dhokli" and close the lid of the cooker. 
  4. The whole preparation should be ready after 3-4 whistles, but always remember cookers are different everywhere, also the water quality might differ and increase or decrease the cooking time. The best way to know if the dal dhokli is done, is to check the 'chana dal' for done-ness. 
  5. When the 'dal dhokli' is done, then temper it just before serving.
  6. Take ghee in a pan, put it on high heat. Add jeera and let it sizzle and brown. 
  7. Add red chilli powder and turn this mix into the cooker. Take care that the chilli should not get burnt. This will give a lovely reddish tinge  and a beautiful aroma to the preparation. 
  8. Serve hot.